Spook Louder
Encyclopedia
Spook Louder is the 69th short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...

 starring American slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...

 comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...

 between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Told in flashback by a professor in an interview with a newspaper reporter, this is the story of The Stooges as traveling salesmen trying their best to sell their "Miracle Reducing Machine", which essentially shakes and rattles off the pounds (as Curly's demonstrates). As luck would have it, the boys stumble on the home of Graves the inventor (Ted Lorch
Theodore Lorch
Theodore Lorch was an American film actor. He appeared in 146 films between 1908 and 1947.Lorch is notable for his commanding performances in several Three Stooges comedies...

), who assumes the Stooges are the new caretakers. Graves is on his way to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 to test his new death ray machine, and leaves his eerie spooky mansion in the hands of the trio. Naturally, spies disguised in Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...

 costumes show up once Graves departs. The Stooges are on edge the entire time, particularly because mysterious cream pies come flying out of thin air.

Reception

The Stooge films released between 1942-1944 were considered to be a step down in quality from previous entries made between 1935-1941. Spook Louder, in particular, was singled out by author Ted Okuda
Ted Okuda
Ted Okuda is an American non-fiction author and film historian. He has many books and magazine features to his credit, under his own name and in collaboration with others.-Career:...

 as "their worst picture in some time. The story of a phantom pie-thrower is a repetitious one-joke affair devoid of laughs."

Popular culture

Several scenes from Spook Louder appear in the 1992 film Radio Flyer
Radio Flyer (film)
Radio Flyer is a 1992 drama-fantasy film from Columbia Pictures. It is a Stonebridge Entertainment Production in association with Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions ....

.
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