Spook Chasers

{{Infobox film

| name = Spook Chasers

| image = "Spook_Chasers"_(1957).jpg

| caption =

| director = George Blair

| producer = Ben Schwalb

| writer = Elwood Ullman

| starring = Huntz Hall
Stanley Clements
David Gorcey
Jimmy Murphy
Eddie LeRoy
Percy Helton

| music = Marlin Skiles

| cinematography = Harry Neumann

| editing = Neil Brunnenkant

| studio = Allied Artists Pictures

| distributor = Allied Artists Pictures

| released = {{Film date|1957|6|2}}

| runtime = 62 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Spook Chasers is a 1957 horror comedy film starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys and Robert Shayne.{{cite book |last1=Hayes |first1=David |title=The Films of the Bowery Boys |date=1984 |publisher=The Citadel Press |location=Secaucus, NJ |isbn=978-0806509310}}{{cite web|url=https://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b76f36984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725141341/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b76f36984 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-25 |title=Spook Chasers (1957) | BFI |publisher=Explore.bfi.org.uk |access-date=2014-08-25}} 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 is told by his doctor that he needs to take a rest in the mountains due to his asthma. A crooked real estate agent sells Mike an old house that once belonged to the widow of a gangster. Mike and the Bowery Boys head out to the house, and eventually find a large pile of money hidden inside.

Pretty soon, old friends of the deceased gangster who once owned the house catch wind of the Boys' discovery, and decide to rob the place. To add to this madness, the Bowery Boys find the house to be supposedly inhabited by ghosts.

Cast

=The Bowery Boys=

Huntz Hall as Horace Debussy 'Sach' Jones
Stanley Clements as Stanislaus 'Duke' Covelske
David Gorcey as Charles 'Chuck' Anderson
Jimmy Murphy as Myron
Eddie LeRoy as Blinky

=Remaining cast=

Percy Helton as Mike Clancy
Darlene Fields as Dolly Owens
Peter Mamakos as Snap Sizzolo
Ben Welden as Ziggie
Robert Shayne as Lt. Harris
William Henry as Harry Shelby
Robert Christopher as Ernie
Pierre Watkin as Dr. Moss
Audrey Conti as 1st Doll
Anne Fleming as 2nd Doll
Bill Cassady as Photographer

Production

The film marks the first appearance of Percy Helton, who plays the shopkeeper, Mike Clancy. It also marks the first appearance of Blinky, played by Eddie LeRoy, as a member of the gang. In addition, David Gorcey now reverts to using his real last name in the onscreen credits.

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.

Critical reception

Leonard Maltin wrote, "yet another Bowery Boys crooks-posing-as-ghosts entry, with a surfeit of wheezy gags."{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91123/spook-chasers |title=Spook Chasers (1957) - Overview |publisher=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=2014-08-25}} Unseen Films noted, "on its own terms it's actually a fun little film."{{cite web|last=Kopian |first=Steve |url=http://unseenfilms.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/spook-chasers-1957.html |title=Unseen Films: Spook Chasers (1957) |publisher=Unseenfilms.blogspot.co.uk |date=2011-09-23 |access-date=2014-08-25}}