Men In Fright
Encyclopedia
Men in Fright is a 1938 Our Gang
short
comedy film
directed by George Sidney
. Produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, it was the 172nd Our Gang short to be released.
, and the gang, announcing themselves as "Third Ward Sunshine Spredders Club", go to the hospital to pay her a visit. They bring with them a large picnic basket full of food that they know Darla can't eat, intending to eat it all themselves after Darla refuses it. When the kids make it to Darla's room in the children's ward, Spanky assigns Alfalfa to stay outside and guard the picnic basket until they're sure Darla's still too sick to eat any of it.
While waiting, however, Alfalfa falls for the scheme of another resident of the children's ward - a boy intending to escape from his own tonsillectomy. He offers Alfalfa a dime to change clothes with him while he "goes for a little walk", leaving Alfalfa to fend for himself when an orderly comes to collect him for the tonsil operation. While in the elevator, little Gary, who's stowed away aboard the gurney the orderly is transporting Alfalfa on, opens a canister of laughing gas, sending himself, Alfalfa, the orderly, and even the elevator operator into various fits of mirth and odd behavior. Spanky, Porky, Buckwheat, and leonard do their best to try and catch Alfalfa, who, thanks to the laughing gas, is now romping deliriously through the hospital and causing havoc and mischief.
When Spanky and the boys finally manage to drag Alfalfa back into Darla's room, a still tipsy Alfalfa hops on her bed and jumps for the chandelier, finally calming down after falling to the floor and knocking a pitcher of water off the dresser and onto his head. Just before finally diving into their picnic, a nurse arrives to deliver Darla's afternoon dish of ice cream (ice cream being the only food she can eat at the moment). The nurse also offers the six boys dishes of ice cream as well, and when she leaves, they tear into their picnic basket as well, combining ice cream with hamburgers, pickles, hot dogs, and watermelons in such a way that they all end up with horrible stomachaches (depicted through an animated segment of a hot dog fighting with a scoop of ice cream). The boys are admitted into the hospital for indigestion, just as Darla is released to go home. Darla and her mother promise to visit the boys tomorrow and offer to bring "some nice presents", forcing Spanky and Alfalfa to wince and moan "just bring flowers" as they are wheeled away for their treatment: one dose each of castor oil.
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
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...
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 George Sidney
George Sidney
George Sidney was an American film director and film producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Career:...
. Produced and released 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 172nd Our Gang short to be released.
Plot
Darla has had a tonsillectomyTonsillectomy
A tonsillectomy is a 3,000-year-old surgical procedure in which the tonsils are removed from either side of the throat. The procedure is performed in response to cases of repeated occurrence of acute tonsillitis or adenoiditis, obstructive sleep apnea, nasal airway obstruction, snoring, or...
, and the gang, announcing themselves as "Third Ward Sunshine Spredders Club", go to the hospital to pay her a visit. They bring with them a large picnic basket full of food that they know Darla can't eat, intending to eat it all themselves after Darla refuses it. When the kids make it to Darla's room in the children's ward, Spanky assigns Alfalfa to stay outside and guard the picnic basket until they're sure Darla's still too sick to eat any of it.
While waiting, however, Alfalfa falls for the scheme of another resident of the children's ward - a boy intending to escape from his own tonsillectomy. He offers Alfalfa a dime to change clothes with him while he "goes for a little walk", leaving Alfalfa to fend for himself when an orderly comes to collect him for the tonsil operation. While in the elevator, little Gary, who's stowed away aboard the gurney the orderly is transporting Alfalfa on, opens a canister of laughing gas, sending himself, Alfalfa, the orderly, and even the elevator operator into various fits of mirth and odd behavior. Spanky, Porky, Buckwheat, and leonard do their best to try and catch Alfalfa, who, thanks to the laughing gas, is now romping deliriously through the hospital and causing havoc and mischief.
When Spanky and the boys finally manage to drag Alfalfa back into Darla's room, a still tipsy Alfalfa hops on her bed and jumps for the chandelier, finally calming down after falling to the floor and knocking a pitcher of water off the dresser and onto his head. Just before finally diving into their picnic, a nurse arrives to deliver Darla's afternoon dish of ice cream (ice cream being the only food she can eat at the moment). The nurse also offers the six boys dishes of ice cream as well, and when she leaves, they tear into their picnic basket as well, combining ice cream with hamburgers, pickles, hot dogs, and watermelons in such a way that they all end up with horrible stomachaches (depicted through an animated segment of a hot dog fighting with a scoop of ice cream). The boys are admitted into the hospital for indigestion, just as Darla is released to go home. Darla and her mother promise to visit the boys tomorrow and offer to bring "some nice presents", forcing Spanky and Alfalfa to wince and moan "just bring flowers" as they are wheeled away for their treatment: one dose each of castor oil.
Cast
- 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 - Carl SwitzerCarl SwitzerCarl Dean "Alfalfa" Switzer was an American child actor, professional dog breeder and hunting guide, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.-Early life and family:Switzer was born in Paris,...
- Alfalfa - Eugene Lee - Porky
- Billie Thomas - Buckwheat
- Darla HoodDarla HoodDarla Jean Hood was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the Our Gang series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of James Claude Hood and Elizabeth Davner...
- Darla Hood - Leonard LandyLeonard LandyLeonard Landy is an American former child actor, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1938 to 1941....
- Leonard - Gary Jagsar - Gary
- Sonny BuppSonny BuppSonny Bupp was an American child film actor and businessman.Born as Moyer MacClaren Bupp in New York City, "Sonny" Bupp appeared in over 60 films during his career, including two Our Gang comedies, 1935's Our Gang Follies of 1936 and 1938's Men in Fright.He appeared in Citizen Kane and was the...
- Sonny - Ray TurnerRay TurnerProfessor Raymond Turner is an English logician and theoretical computer scientist based at the University of Essex. He is best known for his work on logic in computer science and for his pioneering work in the philosophy of computer science...
- elevator operator - Bess FlowersBess FlowersBess Flowers was an American actress. By some counts considered the most prolific actress in the history of Hollywood, she was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in over 700 movies in her 41 year career....
- Darla's mother - Barbara BedfordBarbara Bedford (actor)Barbara Bedford was born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and was educated in Chicago, where she graduated from Lake View High School....
- Sonny's mother - Jack RiceJack RiceJack Rice was an American actor best known for appearing as the scrounging, freeloading brother-in-law in Edgar Kennedy's series of short domestic comedy films at the RKO studios, and also as "Ollie" in around a dozen of Columbia film studio's series of the Blondie comic strip, which starred Penny...
- Orlerly - Don CastleDon CastleDon Castle American film actor of the 1930s and 1940s. Castle started his acting career as a stage actor, then moved to films. The actor, who resembled Clark Gable , became close friends with The Guilty co-star Bonita Granville and her husband Jack Wrather who was a successful businessman and...
- Orderly - Mary MacLarenMary MacLarenMary MacLaren was an American film actress. She appeared in 136 films between 1916 and 1949.Born Mary MacDonald in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she received her education at Greensburgh , Pennsylvania...
- Nurse - Margaret Bert - Nurse
- Nell Craig - Nurse