1971

1. CAMPGROUND MADNESS

Bud and Lou buy a run down campground and begin to run the business, but weird things start happening. Machinery repairs itself, food disappears, campers hear strange noises.
Finally Lou discovers that the campground's plastic ornaments are alive, and turn out to be aliens from a crashed space ship, who have taken on the characters they were molded into.
A zany search ensues for the scattered parts of the spaceship with government agents in hot pursuit. In one zany scene Lou leads them a merry chase up and down a winding mountain road, leaving wrecked government vehicles littering the landscape.
Finally, all the pieces of the ship are reunited, the aliens take on their true forms, and leave Earth, just as the frustrated federal agents arrive. The last scene of the movie shows Bud and Lou standing in a field with a flying saucer lifting skyward.

2. CARTOON CAPERS

A delightful combination of cartoon characters with an animated Bud & Lou, who win an around-the-world trip on a cruise ship.


1972

1. THE PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN BOOKSTORE

This film was Lou's first solo effort after the reincarnation of his first Spirit partner, and is considered by its fans as one of his greatest films surpassed only by his second.
Lou plays the mysterious Mr. Pumpkin, who leads four children through the magic archway in his bookstore where they learn to deal with life, death, love and hate.
Though the film does have some serious aspects, the delightful Pumpkin's joyous way of teaching them brings a smile to the heart of anyone who sees it. Though not favored by the critics it is still popular to the fans.

2. MR. PIP'S ROCKETSHIP

The second of Lou's solo films and considered by many to be one of the best he ever made in Spirit.
Lou's portrayal of the classic science fiction character was applauded by the critics, who said "Costello has brought the space-happy accountant who embezzles funds from his company, steals parts, and builds his own spaceship, to life. By sticking to the book's original dialogue and giving Pip his own original style, Costello has proven beyond a doubt, that he can act by himself. All that was needed was a role to fit his character, and this role was superb! No one could have ever played it better!"


1973

1. I AM CHIPNA

In this first of Abbott & Costello's movies with Louis DeParee as Bud, Lou plays a down and out insurance salesman who is hired by the neurotic scientist, Bud, to be a guinea pig for the implant of a computer chip into his brain that will increase his intelligence tenfold. However, the night before the operation, a space ship crashes near the Professor's laboratory and before it vaporizes, a dying android escapes and makes its way to the laboratory where it finds the computer chip, and with its last energy transfers its programming to the chip. Then it turns to dust and is blown away by the ventilating system.
The next day when Lou recovers from the operation, he opens his eyes and announces "I am CHIPNA," and explains that the Gludes are about to attack Earth and he must build a weapon to defeat them.
With incredible speed he builds a ridiculous-looking weapon and space ship, and none too soon. The Gludes appear in hundreds of space ships, and Chipna and his reluctant companion rise to do battle; and what a battle it is!
The last Glude ship is chased to Mars, disabled, and its six crewmen enter the spaceship of their captors. As they remove their helmets and spacesuits, it is revealed that they are gorgeous, full-breasted women! Their leader puts her hands behind her back and coyly looks at her captors. "We are your prisoners, gentlemen," she announces. "What do you intend to do with us?"
Bud & Lou look at each other with a mischievous grin. "We'll think of something!" Lou answers.

2. THE RETURN OF THE ANDREA DORIANS

Sick of being stuck between two of the galaxy's worst enemies The Andrea Dorians build four huge space ships and evacuate their world, terrifying several planets as they come roaring through their solar systems.
That well known starship is sent to investigate, and after a series of misadventures manage to settle the wayward space travelers far from their enemies and the galaxy's sensitive races.


1974

BUD ABBOTT DIED APRIL 24th.

1. ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE BEACH BUMS

Another of Spirit's favorite comedy teams is Matthew Kaob and David Martin who often play a pair of misbegotten beach bums who own a swap-shop junkyard. And when these four get together, be ready to split your sides.
In this knock down slapstick comedy The Beach Bums buy what they think is a mess of junk from an old estate, not knowing that amidst that junk are five precious heirlooms. After they have sold everything, the English Lord, played by Bud, and his faithful but bumbling servant played by Lou, show up seeking their treasures, and an incredible search for the heirlooms ensues. All are recovered but not without some hilarious difficulties.

2. SPOOKED!

The two boys buy a run-down hotel in the 1950s west, planning to modernize it. They do not know, however, the hotel is haunted. This is one of the favorite movies where the actors play multiple roles, Lou playing Lou Markered and the ghosts Colorado Grump, the old sourdough that struck it rich, originally built the hotel, and was murdered by his partner, The Milwaukee Kid, a chubby young gunslinger who reluctantly admits he didn't know it was Irvil Earp when he drew. And, Ching Ching, the happy-go-lucky Chinese laundry boy that got caught with one of the owner's wives.
Louis DeParee plays Bud Higgins, Lou's partner, Cincinnati Sharp, Grump's partner, who was hung six months after Grump's death for trying to get rid of another associate, and Black Jack, a gunfighter-card shark, who was killed by a falling chandelier in the ballroom after firing a shot to get everyone's attention.
After three terrified contractors and petrified customers the boys finally strike a deal with their permanent spectral guests. They'll modernize the hotel, but not change it and make the very fact that it's haunted part of their advertising as long as the ghosts didn't get too carried away, or, hurt anybody. The hotel becomes a packed tourist attraction and the ghosts become legendary characters.

3. LOONEY TUNES

Bud & Lou play a couple of down and out song writers who fall asleep in an empty theater and in a whacky dream adventure are given the idea for dozens of songs from a vast collection of cartoon characters. This is the last work in which Louis DeParee played Bud before Bud & Lou's reunion.


1975

1. SPLIT PEA AND HAM

This pure Abbott & Costello classic is notable for two reasons- the introduction of "Who's The Linebacker?" and for the fact that it is the only film Marilyn Monroe ever starred in in The Spirit Realm, as she played Lou's not so bright but adorable wife.
In the plot Bud & Lou own a restaurant where Bud is the manager & Lou is the cook. It is famous for it's split pea and ham soup. Some local gangsters try to take over the restaurant and steal the soup recipie so they can can it, but their efforts are foiled by the boys' hilarious antics. In the end the crooks finally give up and decide to start doing business honestly.

2. GUNSMOKED

In this hilarious spoof using look alike actors for the characters in the popular t.v. series, Bud & Lou play two traveling salesmen who come to Dodge City where Lou is mistaken for a notorious leader of an outlaw gang.
The Marshall never had it so bad, as the gang mistakenly breaks Lou out of jail and an hilarious chase ensues.
Lou finally captures the real gang leader, and proves his innocence, but not before driving everyone in Dodge City nearly mad.
This was the first in a popular series of parody movies the boys did.

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