Spook Louder (1943) starring the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard), Stanley Blystone
Spook Louder is a Three Stooges short film that’s effectively putting Moe, Larry and Curly in a haunted house. They stand guard against enemy spies (the film is set during World War II). The spies are trying to frighten the Stooges into fleeing …
The movie is told is flashback. A reporter is interviewing a professor about the recent “strange happenings” at his home.
The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard) are unsuccessful salesmen (trying to sell a weight reducing machine). But when they try to make a sale at the house of eccentric inventor, they’re instead hired as caretakers. And the inventor makes the cardinal mistake of giving a loaded weapon to Curly.
After proving once again why the Stooges shouldn’t be trusted with loaded weapons, the inventor leaves with his butler to demonstrate his new death-ray invention in Washington. And he leaves the Three Stooges to guard the premises in his absence …. After warning them to be on their guard against enemy spies.
Haunted House Shenanigans
Right on cue, the enemy spies (led by Stanley Blystone) show up as soon as they leave — dressed up in Halloween-style costumes, in hopes of scaring off the Stooges so that they can loot the house of the secret plans.
Once the enemies spies have snuck into the house, the typical haunted house hijinks ensue, complete with hidden doors. There’s a very funny routine with Curly getting punched by a mystery hand (wearing a boxing glove) when looking at some books in the library — while Larry is unaffected.
Facing down the spies
Eventually, the Three Stooges come face to face with the enemy spies, where Curly tries to hold them at bay with an explosive that the inventor has left behind — and accidentally lights the fuse! Throughout the short film, someone has been throwing pies at different individuals — both the Three Stooges and the enemy spies — and the question remains, who’s been throwing the pies?
In all, Spook Louder is one of the Three Stooges lesser efforts — but any Three Stooges comedy is better than none. I rate it three stars out of five.
Funny movie quotes from The Three Stooges’ Spook Louder (1943)
Larry: How d’ya spell “fifty”?
Moe: Put ‘er down for seventy-five.
Well-dressed woman: What did you say?
Moe: I said it’s good to be alive!
Larry: Did he say blood?
Curly: I’m anemic!
Larry: WAIT A MINUTE! If we’re the only ones here, then who’s playin’ the piano?
Moe: What difference does that…? [pauses, realizing the situation]
Larry: [having just hit Curly] Hey! I just saw a ghost!
Curly: Was he a fat one?
Larry: Yeah!
Curly: THAT WAS ME!
The Reporter: Professor, I can’t stand it any longer! Who was throwing the pies?
Prof. J. Ogden Denkfeather: Oh, I threw the pies! [starts laughing hysterically, then a cream pie hits him in the face]
Trivia for Spook Louder
- Charles Middleton, who plays the butler, is better remembered as Ming the Merciless in the Flash Gordon serials
- Theodore Lorch (who played the professor that the Stooges work for) appeared in multiple Three Stooges short films, including The Hot Scots, Half-Wits Holiday, Uncivil War Birds, Micro-Phonies, If a Body Meets a Body, We Want Our Mummy, Uncivil Warriors
- Symona Boniface, who appears as one of the Three Stooges (unsuccessful) sales calls appeared in multiple Three Stooges short films, including Scheming Schemers, Vagabond Loafers, Heavenly Daze, All Gummed Up, Half-Wits Holiday, G. I. Wanna Home, Micro-Phonies, Crash Goes the Hash, Loco Boy Makes Good, In the Sweet Pie and Pie, An Ache in Every Stake, All the World’s a Stooge, No Census No Feeling, A Plumbing We Will Go, Tassels in the Air, Termites of 1938, Slippery Silks, Pardon My Scotch
Cast of characters
- Curly Howard … Curly
- Larry Fine … Larry
- Moe Howard … Moe
- Stanley Blystone (False Alarms) … Spy Leader
- Lew Kelly … Prof. J. Ogden Dunkfeather
Additional Cast
- Symona Boniface (In the Sweet Pie and Pie) … Well-Dressed Woman
- Stanley Brown (Blondie’s Blessed Event) … Mr. Wallace – Reporter
- Heinie Conklin (Crime on their Hands) … Man in Demon Costume
- William Kelley … Man in Skeleton Costume
- Theodore Lorch (The Hot Scots) … Mr. Graves
- Charles Middleton (Duck Soup) … Graves’ Butler
- Shirley Patterson (Phony Express) … Perkins – Dunkfeather’s Secretary
- Helen Servis … Tall Woman