Hi'-Neighbor!
Encyclopedia
Hi'-Neighbor! is a 1934 Our Gang
short comedy film
directed by Gus Meins
. Produced by Hal Roach
and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, it was the 126th Our Gang short to be released and Meins' first series entry as director.
Wally, Stymie, and the gang quickly begin building a makeshift fire engine of their own, "borrowing" wheels, hoses, plywood, and other raw materials from around the neighborhood. As the older kids work on the fire engine, little Spanky and Scotty find themselves forced out of the proceedings, and sit on the sidelines giving commentary on the building process. Unknown to the kids, Jerry sneaks over to the gang's barn with Jane, hoping to prove the gang does not have a fire engine. He quickly ends up running away, however, when a drill from the other side of the barn door relieves him of his pants.
The unwieldy results of their labor fail to impress Jane, whom Jerry successfully coaxes into another ride with him. The gang follows them, and Jerry challenges them to a race to the bottom of a steep hill. Not long after the start of the race, the gang's fire engine loses its brake (a 2x4 nailed between the wheels) and Jerry fears that the gang might very well run him over. Halfway down the hill, he leaps out of his fire engine into a lawn, leaving Jane alone to crash in the next yard over. While the gang cheers in victory, their fire engine suddenly veers onto the sidewalk, where they knock over several pedestrians and ride straight through a hedge, which tears their clothes and causes them to emerge from the other side in their underwear.
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
short comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Gus Meins
Gus Meins
Gus Meins was a German-American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany.-Career:...
. Produced by Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, it was the 126th Our Gang short to be released and Meins' first series entry as director.
Plot
While sailing their toy tugboat in a puddle outside their house, Wally and Spanky notice a moving van with a child-sized fire engine riding into the neighborhood. They quickly round up the rest of the gang, and follow the moving van to its destination. The fire truck's owner, a snobbish rich kid named Jerry, comes out to find a dozen strange children playing with his fire engine and shoos them all away, refusing to trade any sorts of collateral (pocket knives, gratitude) for even a ride. When Wally's girl Jane turns up, however, Jerry is quick to offer her a ride. Wally tries to dissuade Jane from riding with Jerry by telling her that the gang has a fire engine of its own, big enough to hold all of them. Jane agrees to a ride with Wally in his fire engine after she gets back from her ride with Jerry.Wally, Stymie, and the gang quickly begin building a makeshift fire engine of their own, "borrowing" wheels, hoses, plywood, and other raw materials from around the neighborhood. As the older kids work on the fire engine, little Spanky and Scotty find themselves forced out of the proceedings, and sit on the sidelines giving commentary on the building process. Unknown to the kids, Jerry sneaks over to the gang's barn with Jane, hoping to prove the gang does not have a fire engine. He quickly ends up running away, however, when a drill from the other side of the barn door relieves him of his pants.
The unwieldy results of their labor fail to impress Jane, whom Jerry successfully coaxes into another ride with him. The gang follows them, and Jerry challenges them to a race to the bottom of a steep hill. Not long after the start of the race, the gang's fire engine loses its brake (a 2x4 nailed between the wheels) and Jerry fears that the gang might very well run him over. Halfway down the hill, he leaps out of his fire engine into a lawn, leaving Jane alone to crash in the next yard over. While the gang cheers in victory, their fire engine suddenly veers onto the sidewalk, where they knock over several pedestrians and ride straight through a hedge, which tears their clothes and causes them to emerge from the other side in their underwear.
Cast
- Wally AlbrightWally AlbrightWally Albright was an American former child actor.-Career:Albright was born Walton Algernon Albright, Jr. in Burbank, California. He appeared in a number of films during his career, and is notable for appearing in six Our Gang short subjects throughout the early 1930s...
- Wally - Matthew Beard - Stymie
- George McFarlandGeorge McFarlandGeorge Robert Phillips "Spanky" McFarland was an American actor most famous for his appearances as a child in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s...
- Spanky - Tommy BondTommy BondThomas Ross "Tommy" Bond was an American actor. A native of Dallas, Texas, Bond was best known for his work as a child actor for two different nonconsecutive periods on Our Gang comedies, and also for being the first actor to portray the role of "Superman's pal" Jimmy Olsen on screen.-Early years...
- Tommy - Scotty BeckettScotty BeckettScott Hastings "Scotty" Beckett was an American child actor. He starred in the Our Gang and Rocky Jones, Space Ranger series.-Early career:...
- Scotty - Marvin Trin - Bubbles
- Donald Proffitt - Our Gang member
- Tommy Bupp - Our Gang member
- Pete The PupPete the PupPete the Pup was a Pit Bull character in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies during the 1920s and 1930s...
- Petie - Jerry TuckerJerry TuckerJerry Tucker is a former American child actor, most notable for appearing as the "rich kid" in the Our Gang short subjects series semi-regularly from 1931 to 1938....
- Jerry, the rich kid - Jackie Lynn TaylorJackie Lynn TaylorJackie Lynn Taylor is an American former child actress born in Compton, California. She is notable for appearing in five Our Gang short subjects in 1934–1935. She often portrayed the sister or girlfriend of one of the boys, usually Wally Albright.She joined KTTV in 1951 as the hostess of the...
- Jane - Bobbie BeardBobbie BeardBobbie Beard was an American child actor, best known for portraying "Cotton" in several Our Gang short films from 1932 to 1934. He was a native of Los Angeles, California...
- Cotton - Tiny SandfordTiny SandfordStanley J. "Tiny" Sandford was a tall, burly actor who is best remembered for his roles in Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin films. He was usually cast as a comic heavy, and often played policemen, doormen, prizefighters, or bullies.Sandford was born in Osage, Iowa. After working in stock...
- Mover - Jack Ward - Mover
- Charlie Hall - Window-washer
- Harry BernardHarry BernardHarry Bernard was a movie comedian who worked for Mack Sennett and with Laurel & Hardy, usually typecast as a policeman.Bernard was born in San Francisco, California, and died in Hollywood.-Selected filmography:...
- Moonshiner filling crock - Jean Aulbach - Donald's little sister
- Tony Kales - Undetermined role