Our Gang Follies of 1936
Encyclopedia
Our Gang Follies of 1936 is a 1935 Our Gang
short comedy film
directed by Gus Meins
. Produced by Hal Roach
and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, it was the 140st Our Gang short to be released and the first of several musical
entries in the series.
Backstage, there is pandemonium involving Buckwheat's dealings with a mischievous little monkey, as well as Spanky's worrying over his star act, the Flory-Dory Girls, whose tardiness forces the would-be impressario to keep shuffling his acts. When the show reaches its final act with still no sign of the Flory-Dories, Spanky has the other boys dress in the Flory-Dories' costumes. Since he knows the girls' dance, Spanky figures the gang can pull of the act in drag if everyone just does what he does. Unknown to Spanky, however, the monkey that was terrorizing Buckwheat has hidden in the bustle of Spanky's costume. The monkey pulls a needle from the costume during the dance and begins stabbing Spanky in the rear, and the other boys mimic his out-of-character jolts of pain and discomfort to the audience's amusement. Spanky manages to accidentally shake his dress to the floor, and the other boys follow suit, ruining the act as the audience roars with laughter.
Cookie tries to bring down the curtain, but only succeeds in trapping the boys in front of the curtain, causing them to scramble underneath as Spanky closes out the show (with the curtain hiding his corset, garters and lace leggings) and sends the audience of kids home.
, Philip Hurlic, Garrett Joplin, Junior Cavanaugh, Joyce Kay, Patty Kelly, Mildred Kornman
, Tommy McFarland, Priscilla Lyon, Lorna McDowell, Billy Minder, June Preston
, Donald Proffitt, Harold Switzer, Marvin Trin, Delmar Watson
, Jackie White, John Collum
, Elmer The Monkey
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 140st Our Gang short to be released and the first of several musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
entries in the series.
Plot
The gang stages a big musical revue in Spanky's cellar ("6 Acts of Swell Actin," reads a sign above the cellar door). Spanky, as the master of ceremonies, persuades the neighborhood kids through song to come to the show, which includes performances by a miniature chorus line, a trio of farm girls, a group of kids dressed as skeletons, and featured spots for Alfalfa and a new girl named Cookie.Backstage, there is pandemonium involving Buckwheat's dealings with a mischievous little monkey, as well as Spanky's worrying over his star act, the Flory-Dory Girls, whose tardiness forces the would-be impressario to keep shuffling his acts. When the show reaches its final act with still no sign of the Flory-Dories, Spanky has the other boys dress in the Flory-Dories' costumes. Since he knows the girls' dance, Spanky figures the gang can pull of the act in drag if everyone just does what he does. Unknown to Spanky, however, the monkey that was terrorizing Buckwheat has hidden in the bustle of Spanky's costume. The monkey pulls a needle from the costume during the dance and begins stabbing Spanky in the rear, and the other boys mimic his out-of-character jolts of pain and discomfort to the audience's amusement. Spanky manages to accidentally shake his dress to the floor, and the other boys follow suit, ruining the act as the audience roars with laughter.
Cookie tries to bring down the curtain, but only succeeds in trapping the boys in front of the curtain, causing them to scramble underneath as Spanky closes out the show (with the curtain hiding his corset, garters and lace leggings) and sends the audience of kids home.
Main Our Gang cast
- George "Spanky" McFarland
- Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas
- Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer
- 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:...
- Darla "Cookie" 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...
- Eugene "Porky" Lee
- Dickie Jones
- Dickie De Nuet
- Sidney KibrickSidney KibrickSidney Kibrick is an American former child actor, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1935 to 1939. From 1937 to 1939, he portrayed "The Woim", the sidekick of the neighborhood bully "Butch", played by Tommy Bond.He is the brother of the late Leonard Kibrick,...
- 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....
- Leonard KibrickLeonard KibrickLeonard Kibrick , was an American former child actor, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1934 to 1936, usually portraying the villain...
Dancers and audience members
Jackie Banning, Therese Bonner, Janet Cornerford, Rex Downing, Joan GrayJoan Gray
Joan S. Gray was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Church at the 217th General Assembly on June 15, 2006. As Moderator, she served as the presiding officer of the week-long General Assembly meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, followed by a two-year term as the ambassador-at-large for the...
, Philip Hurlic, Garrett Joplin, Junior Cavanaugh, Joyce Kay, Patty Kelly, Mildred Kornman
Mildred Kornman
Mildred Kornman , also known as Ricki VanDusen, is a former American child actress.Mildred, the younger sister of Mary Kornman, leading lady of the silent film Our Gang series, was featured as a regular in the series from 1926–1928 and made more appearances from 1929 until 1935...
, Tommy McFarland, Priscilla Lyon, Lorna McDowell, Billy Minder, June Preston
June Preston
June Preston an American child actress who went on to become an internationally renowned opera singer. She made her screen debut at age 4 under optimistic eyes of RKO as Mrs. Blewett's Daughter in Anne of Green Gables. Preston had paid a visit to the studio where a keen-eyed executive saw her and...
, Donald Proffitt, Harold Switzer, Marvin Trin, Delmar Watson
Delmar Watson
David Delmar Watson was an American child actor and news photographer.-Biography:He was the son of actor, stuntman, and pioneer special effects artist Coy Watson Sr. They lived by Mack Sennett's studios in the old Edendale area of Los Angeles, California and Delmar attended Belmont High...
, Jackie White, John Collum
John Collum
John K. Collum was an American child actor of the 1930s.-Career:Born in Illinois, Collum was the son of Hal Roach's casting director, Joseph Collum, and appeared in twenty-six of Roach's Our Gang comedies from 1932 to 1938...
, Elmer The Monkey
Musical numbers
Songwriters are noted in italics.- "Step Up, Kids!/Tap Dance/She'll Be Coming 'Round the MountainShe'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain"She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" is an American folk song often categorized as children's music. It is a derivation of a Negro spiritual known as "When the Chariot Comes"....
/Honolulu BabySons of the DesertSons of the Desert is a 1933 American film starring Laurel and Hardy, and directed by William A. Seiter. It was first released in the United States on December 29, 1933 and is regarded as one of Laurel and Hardy's greatest films...
" (Marvin HatleyMarvin HatleyThomas Marvin Hatley , professionally known simply as Marvin Hatley, was an American film composer and musical director, best known for his work for the Hal Roach studio from 1929 until 1940....
, Gus MeinsGus MeinsGus Meins was a German-American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany.-Career:...
) - Spanky, Alfalfa, Jerry, Junior Cavanaugh, Garrett Joplin, Patsy Northrup, Georgia Bank, Peggy Speth - "Hello, Hello, Hello/Good Morning Children" (Hatley) - Chorus Girls
- "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm (After They've Seen Paree)" (Walter DonaldsonWalter DonaldsonWalter Donaldson was a prolific United States popular songwriter, composing many hit songs of the 1910s and 1920s.-History:...
, Sam M. LewisSam M. LewisSam M. Lewis was a Jewish-American singer and lyricist, born in New York City, New York as Samuel Levine-Biography:...
, Joe Young) - The Brian Sisters - "I'll Never Say 'Never Again' Again" (Harry McGregor Woods) - Cookie
- "The Ghost Frolic" (Hatley) - Kids in skeleton costumes
- "The Object Of My Affection" (Pinky TomlinPinky TomlinPinky Tomlin was a singer, songwriter, and bandleader of the 1930s and 1940s. He also acted in occasional motion pictures. During his lifetime, he wrote and published 22 songs, several of which were in the top ten on the "Hit Parade." In 1938, a song he had written, titled "In Ole Oklahoma," was...
, Coy Poe, Jimmie Grier) - Alfalfa, Joy Wurgaft, Cookie - "Narcissus" (Ethelbert Nevin) - The "Flory-Dory Sixtette": Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Scotty, Dickie Jones, and Sidney