Birthday Blues

Last updated

Birthday Blues
Birthday blues.JPEG
Directed by Robert F. McGowan
Produced byRobert F. McGowan
Hal Roach
Starring Dickie Moore
George McFarland
Matthew Beard
Dorothy DeBorba
Kendall McComas
Pete the Pup
CinematographyArt Lloyd
Edited byRichard C. Currier
Music by Leroy Shield
Marvin Hatley
Distributed by MGM
Release date
  • November 12, 1932 (1932-11-12)
Running time
19' 09" [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Birthday Blues is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 118th Our Gang short to be released. [2]

Contents

Plot

When their pennypinching father refuses to buy a birthday gift for their long-suffering mother, brothers Dickie and Spanky decide to purchase a gift for Mom on their own. Unfortunately, the "late 1922 model" dress they have selected is beyond their price range (a daunting $1.98); thus, acting upon the advice of Stymie, Dickie and Spanky decide to bake a cake with hidden prizes, then auction off the cake at ten cents a slice.

The party turns out to be a mess and Spanky's and Dickie's father returns to find it. He throws the gang and other kids out of the house and then gives Dickie a severe spanking. When Dad finds out that Dickie is using the money to buy Mom a dress, he abruptly changes his attitude. [3] However, Dad feels the dress that Dickie bought is too fancy for Mom to wear to church on Sunday morning, but Mom proudly wears the one Dickie and Spanky picked out, to the crowd's amusement.

Cast

The Gang

Additional cast

Notes

The film was edited by about 5 minutes from the Little Rascals syndicated television package in 1971 due to perceived racism toward African Americans. The episode was fully reinstated on AMC from 2001 to 2003.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Our Gang personnel page is a listing of the significant cast and crew from the Our Gang short subjects film series, originally created and produced by Hal Roach which ran in movie theaters from 1922 to 1944.

<i>Our Gang</i> American series of comedy short films

Our Gang is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the producer of the Laurel and Hardy films, Our Gang shorts were produced from 1922 to 1944, spanning the silent film and early sound film periods of American cinema. Our Gang is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively natural way; Roach and original director Robert F. McGowan worked to film the unaffected, raw nuances apparent in regular children, rather than have them imitate adult acting styles. The series also broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation in the United States.

<i>Wild Poses</i> 1933 American film

Wild Poses is short subject in the Our Gang series. It was produced and directed by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach Studios and first released on October 28, 1933 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the 125th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Mush and Milk</i> 1933 American film

Mush and Milk is a comedy short subject; part of the Our Gang series. It was produced and directed by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach, and was originally released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on May 27, 1933. It was the 123rd Our Gang short to be released.

<i>The Kid from Borneo</i> 1933 film

The Kid from Borneo is a short subject film in the Our Gang comedy series. It was produced and directed by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach Studios, and was originally released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on April 15, 1933. It was the 122nd Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Dogs Is Dogs</i> 1931 film

Dogs Is Dogs is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 110th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Free Eats</i> 1932 film

Free Eats is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Ray McCarey. It was the 112th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Spanky</i> (film) 1932 film

Spanky is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 113th Our Gang short to be released. The film focuses on Our Gang co-star George "Spanky" McFarland.

<i>The Pooch</i> 1932 film

The Pooch is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 115th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Hook and Ladder</i> (1932 film) 1932 Our Gang short film

Hook and Ladder is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 116th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Free Wheeling</i> 1932 Our Gang short film

Free Wheeling is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 117th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>A Lad an a Lamp</i> 1932 Our Gang short film

A Lad an' a Lamp is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 119th Our Gang short to be released. The film has been criticized as containing racist humor.

<i>Fish Hooky</i> 1933 film

Fish Hooky is a 1933 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 120th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Forgotten Babies</i> 1933 film

Forgotten Babies is a 1933 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 121st Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Bedtime Worries</i> 1933 film

Bedtime Worries is a 1933 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 124th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Anniversary Trouble</i> 1935 American film

Anniversary Trouble is a 1935 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 134th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Beginners Luck</i> (1935 film) 1935 American film

Beginner's Luck is a 1935 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 135th Our Gang short to be released. It was also the first short for seven-year-old Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and his ten-year-old brother Harold Switzer to appear.

<i>Teachers Beau</i> 1935 American film

Teacher's Beau is a 1935 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 136th Our Gang short to be released.

The Little Rascals' Christmas Special is an animated Christmas television special based on the Our Gang comedies of the 1920s-40s. The special was produced by King World Productions, and first aired December 3, 1979 on NBC. It is a spoof of the 1905 O. Henry short story The Gift of the Magi.

<i>The Little Rascals Save the Day</i> 2014 American film

The Little Rascals Save the Day is a 2014 American comedy film released by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Succeeding the first film released in 1994, it is the second feature film adaptation of Hal Roach's Our Gang, a series of short films of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s which centered on the adventures of a group of neighborhood children.

References

  1. ↑ theluckycorner.com/
  2. ↑ Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. pp. 146–148. ISBN   978-0-517-52675-0 . Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  3. ↑ Hal Erickson (2011). "New York Times: Birthday Blues". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2008.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.