Spook Chasers (1957)

Name: Spook Chasers
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1957-06-02
Duration: 62 min
Rating: 4.9
Cast: Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, Percy Helton, William Henry, Darlene Fields

Spook Chasers (1957), directed by George Blair, starring Huntz Hall and Stanley Clements.

06/02/1957 BR Comedy 1h 2m

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IT'S A S-S-SCREAM!

Synopsis

Sach and the gang (Bowery Boys) find stashed cash in an old farmhouse apparently haunted.

George BlairDirector
Neil BrunnenkantEditing
Ben SchwalbProducer
Elwood UllmanWriter

The Bowery Boys Collection

The franchise in release order. 48 films.

About the film

Spook Chasers is a 1957 horror comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on June 2, 1957 by Allied Artists and is the forty-fifth film in the series.

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Spook Chasers is a 1957 horror comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on June 2, 1957 by Allied Artists and is the forty-fifth film in the series.

Plot

Café owner Mike Clancy, suffering from asthma, is told by his doctor that he needs a rest cure in the mountains. A crooked real estate agent accepts Mike's down payment on an old house that once belonged to a gangster's widow. Mike and the Bowery Boys head out to the dilapidated house, and while housecleaning they find some of the gangster's cash. The jubilant gang hunts for more money, and Mike resolves to buy the house outright.

The realtor and his secretary are amazed when Mike pays in full, in cash, which arouses their suspicions. They try to frighten the gang out of the house. Meanwhile, underworld pals of the deceased gangster find out where the loot is, and go after the gang. Soon the Bowery Boys are terrorized on all sides, as scary apparitions and menacing gunmen take over the house.

Cast

The Bowery Boys

Huntz Hall as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones

Stanley Clements as Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie

David Gorcey as Chuck Anderson

Jimmy Murphy as Myron

Eddie LeRoy as Blinky

Supporting cast

Percy Helton as Mike Clancy

Darlene Fields as Dolly Owens

William Henry as Harry Shelby

Peter Mamakos as Snap Cicero

Ben Welden as Ziggy

Robert Shayne as Lt. Harris

Robert Christopher as Ernie

Pierre Watkin as Doc Moss

Production

The film marks the first and only appearance of Percy Helton as café owner Mike Clancy. It also marks the first appearance of bespectacled Blinky, played by 25-year-old Eddie LeRoy, as a member of the gang. In addition, David Gorcey now reverts to using his real last name in the screen credits.

Reception

Elwood Ullman, a veteran screenwriter for The Three Stooges, incorporated some Stooge gags into this Bowery Boys feature. The "scare comedy" premise was so familiar and successful -- and the Bowery Boys franchise was so predictable and profitable -- that both critics and audiences knew what to expect from Spook Chasers. The Exhibitor reported, "This is right in the Bowery Boys' groove and they do right handsome in slapstick fashion by the Elwood Ullman screenplay, which offers nothing new but does manage to squeeze some laughs out of a tried and true, surefire comedy pattern. Where the lads are still popular this should bring in their followers." Spook Chasers was reviewed by at least one trade paper in October 1957, in time for Halloween bookings, and it continued to play weekend matinées year-round in the United States and Canada until November 1968.

Recent critical response regards the film as a matter of taste. Leonard Maltin calls Spook Chasers "yet another Bowery Boys crooks-posing-as-ghosts entry, with a surfeit of wheezy gags." Unseen Films notes, "On its own terms it's actually a fun little film."

Home media

Warner Archives released the film on made-to-order DVD in the United States as part of "The Bowery Boys, Volume Three" on October 1, 2013.

References

External links

Spook Chasers at IMDb

Spook Chasers at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

Spook Chasers at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

Text from Spook Chasers on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spook_Chasers

Trivia

It premiered on June 2, 1957, a Sunday.
It runs 1h02 — short for a feature film.
It is film 45 of 48 in the The Bowery Boys franchise.
This film's quiz has 12 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosAllied Artists Pictures
CountriesUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
StatusReleased

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Crew

George Blair Director
Neil Brunnenkant Editing
Ben Schwalb Producer
Elwood Ullman Writer

Questions about this film

What is Spook Chasers about?

Spook Chasers: Sach and the gang (Bowery Boys) find stashed cash in an old farmhouse apparently haunted.

Who directed Spook Chasers?

Spook Chasers was directed by George Blair in 1957.

Who stars in Spook Chasers?

The cast of Spook Chasers includes Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, Percy Helton, William Henry and Darlene Fields.

How long is Spook Chasers?

Spook Chasers runs for 62 minutes, or 1h02.

What is the correct order of the The Bowery Boys Collection films?

The The Bowery Boys Collection franchise has 48 films in the catalogue. In release order: O Cadáver Esperto; Em Rápida Companhia; Um Invento Engenhoso; Cientista da Fuzarca; Macumba; Os Anjos e o Necromante; Aposta de Má Fé; Tesouro Maldito.