Spook Louder

Spook Louder (1943)

*** (out of 4)

A reporter goes to interview Professor Dunkfeather (Lew Kelly) who tells him about two separate cases, all involving the Stooges. One involves the boys going around trying to sell weight reducing machines. The next has the boys inside a spooky house where a skeleton, a devil and another man tries to scare them.

SPOOK LOUDER isn't the greatest short in the world but there's no doubt that fans of the Stooges should enjoy what humor there is. I'd say the weakest stuff deals with the Dunkfeather character as there's really no humor to be found here. The first story contains a couple decent laughs but the highlight is certainly when the three manage to finally get a buyer only to have Curly mess it up. The majority of the laughs come from the second portion of the film as the boys are running around scared of just about everything that jumps out at them. There are some really funny moments to be found here including one where Curly keeps getting punch by someone behind a book shelf.

The Stooges are hired by a wacky professor to watch his mansion. He apparently is working on a death ray and is worried the Japanese* want to steal it. As soon as he leaves, all sorts of weirdness happen in the place...with someone trying to scare them off by dressing like a skeleton and more. And, oddly, throughout the film pies come flying from out of nowhere! It's all very goofy and silly...which is exactly what most Three Stooges fans love. While it is far from being an intellectual film, it does have its moments.

By the way, if you do watch this one, note the butler. He's played by Charles Middleton--the same tall guy who was Ming the Merciless in the Buck Rogers serials.

*First, the US was at war with the Germans, Japanese and Italians....so why worry just about the Japanese? Second, politically correct sorts won't like the use of the term 'Japs'...which is used repeatedly.

"Professor I can't stand it any longer! Who threw that pie?!" You'll be asking yourself this same question while watching this great slice of comic mayhem. The Stooges are key figures in the breaking up of the Great Spy Ring in this short. But they are not spies. They are just simple salesmen who wander into horror, hell, and very funny situations. After assigned as bodyguards to a professor's house the boys meet up with skeletons, mummies, strange sounds, U.F.P's (unidentified flying pies) and the Devil?! Great piece of mystery/silliness that has it all. Look closely for Charles Middleton (Emperor Ming of the 1930's Flash Gordon serials.

" Who, threw those pies? "

Here we have the episode SPOOK LOUDER, quite a unique and unusually structured short. Having seen it dozens of times over many years, this one for me has unlimited replay value and I rate it as their funniest short. Zany and riotous from beginning to end, LOTS OF LAUGHS are promised. SPOOK LOUDER was filmed in 42', which for me, finds the boys at the peak of their artistic powers. Possessing great vitality and pace and containing numerous unexpected twists, turns and segues SPOOK LOUDER is OMNIPOTENT STOOGERY at it's zany best. Chocked full of sight-jags at every turn, the boys are on edge and running scared through most of it. So what else, oh yeah, the beloved and quite hilarious "balloon gag" is my favorite part - you'll see. Just fun, fun, fun - a marvelous way to spend 16 minutes of your time.

To the would-be buyers and Stooge-Newbies out there, the Sony DVD box-sets are all you need, when putting together a Three Stooges video library; they simply look and sound the best.

Side-note: SPOOK LOUDER easily takes the award for MESSIEST PIES! Including a spectacular triple pie-throw near the end.

This Three Stooges "movie" is broken into three segments: 1 - a newspaper man goes to interview a "Professor Denkfeather," who is a "special investigator. He tells the story of the three "heroes;" 2 - The boys are seen as door-to-door salesmen, selling "reducing machines" to housewives; and 3 - the wind up at a deserted house miles away but three spies, dressed in costumes, try to scare them off.

Everyone is very odd in this film. The investigator is very weird and is the man behind the big question of "Who threw those pies?" The women that the Stooges encounter while trying to see their wares. Finally, the owner of the house where the spies are hiding outside, dressed as a skeleton, the Devil, and just some dark-clothed-hairy monster.

This is one of those episodes - as are a few others in this DVD of the same title ("Spook Louder" - in which only the last 4-6 involve what the title implies. The best comedy bit was with Curly and the balloon inadvertently attached to the back of his sport coat. The reactions on Curly's face are what help make him a comic genius.

Overall, a decent Stooges effort but not as good as advertised.