Second Childhood (film)
Encyclopedia
Second Childhood is a 1936 Our Gang
short
comedy film
directed by Gus Meins
. It was the 144th Our Gang short that was released.
) goes through her daily rant as her snooty servants ply her with colorful but unnecessary pills. Her "celebration" is interrupted when a toy plane owned by the gang crashes through her dining room window and shatters a vase. Forced to do the old lady's yardwork to pay for the damage, the kids ever so gradually win her heart, mostly by refusing to mollycoddle her as her servants have done for so many years.
Before long, the gang's new "Grandma" is singing along with Spanky and Alfalfa, demolishing her pill bottles with a slingshot, embarking upon a wild roller-skate ride through her drafty mansion—and having the time of her life in the process.
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 Gus Meins
Gus Meins
Gus Meins was a German-American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany.-Career:...
. It was the 144th Our Gang short that was released.
Plot
On the occasion of her 65th birthday, a crotchety hypochondriac (Zeffie TilburyZeffie Tilbury
Zeffie Agnes Lydia Tilbury was an English actress-Career:Born in Paddington, Middlesex, England Tilbury was known first on the London stage and later for playing wise or evil older characters in films, such as the distinguished lady gambler at dinner with Garbo in The Single Standard, as Grandma...
) goes through her daily rant as her snooty servants ply her with colorful but unnecessary pills. Her "celebration" is interrupted when a toy plane owned by the gang crashes through her dining room window and shatters a vase. Forced to do the old lady's yardwork to pay for the damage, the kids ever so gradually win her heart, mostly by refusing to mollycoddle her as her servants have done for so many years.
Before long, the gang's new "Grandma" is singing along with Spanky and Alfalfa, demolishing her pill bottles with a slingshot, embarking upon a wild roller-skate ride through her drafty mansion—and having the time of her life in the process.
Note
- Unbeknownst to the cast, Zeffie TilburyZeffie TilburyZeffie Agnes Lydia Tilbury was an English actress-Career:Born in Paddington, Middlesex, England Tilbury was known first on the London stage and later for playing wise or evil older characters in films, such as the distinguished lady gambler at dinner with Garbo in The Single Standard, as Grandma...
was blind. In between takes, she was led around by her staff. - This would be the last episode directed by Gus MeinsGus MeinsGus Meins was a German-American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany.-Career:...
.
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 - 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 - Billie Thomas - Buckwheat
- Eugene Lee - Porky
- Dickie De Nuet - Dickie
- Zeffie TilburyZeffie TilburyZeffie Agnes Lydia Tilbury was an English actress-Career:Born in Paddington, Middlesex, England Tilbury was known first on the London stage and later for playing wise or evil older characters in films, such as the distinguished lady gambler at dinner with Garbo in The Single Standard, as Grandma...
- Grandma - Sidney BraceySidney BraceySidney Bracey was an Australian-born American film actor. After a stage career in Australia, on Broadway and in Britain, he appeared in 321 films between 1909 and 1942.-Life and career:...
- Hobson, the butler - Gretta Gould - Maid