Spanky (film)
Encyclopedia
Spanky is a 1932 Our Gang
short
comedy film
directed by Robert F. McGowan
. It was the 113th (25th talking episode) Our Gang short that was released.
, the main character is Spanky. Early scenes of this film were part of Spanky's screen test taken back in April 1931 during his first visit to Hal Roach Studios. It included him bug hunting. Meanwhile, his brother Breezy Brisbane and the rest of the gang are putting on a play of Uncle Tom's Cabin
. Brisbane is forced to supervise Spanky. Also, Spanky's dad refuses to spend money in order to keep the house clean though he has tons of it hidden in a closet.
Spanky disrupts the play the whole time and the play itself is a flop and the kids that came to watch it ruin the play even more by throwing tomatoes and garbage at the gang as they are trying to put the show on. Spanky also finds his dad's money and begins throwing it out the window. The kids all run out and try to steal the money and Spanky's dad arrives and throws the kids out forcing them to give back the money. The gang helps clean up the money and the father promises to put the money in the bank and spend more on mom and the kids.
and was the only actor to do so.
On the syndicated television print, 12 minutes of this episode, which are the scenes of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" were edited out in 1971 making the film only nine minutes long. This was due to perceived racism toward African Americans. Its been available on home video on several collections and is becoming available on DVD in its entirety on October 28, 2008.
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 Robert F. McGowan
Robert F. McGowan
Robert Francis McGowan was an American film director and producer, best known as the senior director of the Our Gang short subjects film series from 1922 until 1933.-Career:...
. It was the 113th (25th talking episode) Our Gang short that was released.
Plot
Although this is a remake of a 1920's silent Our Gang episode called Uncle Tom's UncleUncle Tom's Uncle
Uncle Tom's Uncle is a 1926 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 50th Our Gang short subject released. The title is a play on the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.-Cast:* Billy Butts* Joe Cobb - Joe / Uncle Tom...
, the main character is Spanky. Early scenes of this film were part of Spanky's screen test taken back in April 1931 during his first visit to Hal Roach Studios. It included him bug hunting. Meanwhile, his brother Breezy Brisbane and the rest of the gang are putting on a play of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
. Brisbane is forced to supervise Spanky. Also, Spanky's dad refuses to spend money in order to keep the house clean though he has tons of it hidden in a closet.
Spanky disrupts the play the whole time and the play itself is a flop and the kids that came to watch it ruin the play even more by throwing tomatoes and garbage at the gang as they are trying to put the show on. Spanky also finds his dad's money and begins throwing it out the window. The kids all run out and try to steal the money and Spanky's dad arrives and throws the kids out forcing them to give back the money. The gang helps clean up the money and the father promises to put the money in the bank and spend more on mom and the kids.
Note
Coincidently, Bobby Mallon appeared in both Spanky and Uncle Tom's UncleUncle Tom's Uncle
Uncle Tom's Uncle is a 1926 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 50th Our Gang short subject released. The title is a play on the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.-Cast:* Billy Butts* Joe Cobb - Joe / Uncle Tom...
and was the only actor to do so.
On the syndicated television print, 12 minutes of this episode, which are the scenes of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" were edited out in 1971 making the film only nine minutes long. This was due to perceived racism toward African Americans. Its been available on home video on several collections and is becoming available on DVD in its entirety on October 28, 2008.
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 - Kendall McComas - Breezy Brisbane / Simon Legree
- Bobby Hutchins - Wheezer / Marks the Lawyer
- Matthew Beard - Stymie / Uncle Tom / Topsy
- Dorothy DeBorbaDorothy DeBorbaDorothy Adelle DeBorba was an American former child actress who was a regular in the Our Gang series of short subjects as the leading lady from 1930 to 1933.-Early life:...
- Dorothy / Little Eva - Sherwood BaileySherwood BaileySherwood Bailey was an American former child actor. His parents were non-professionals. He is most notable for appearing as the red-headed, freckle-faced bad boy and enemy of the gang, Spud in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1931 to 1932.Bailey's most notable appearance was that of the...
- Sherwood 'Spud' / Aunt Ophelia - Douglas Greer - Speck, tough kid in the audience
- Bobby Mallon - other tough kid in the audience
- 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 - Billy GilbertBilly GilbertBilly Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,...
- Spanky's father - unknown - Spanky's mother