Dancing Romeo

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Dancing Romeo
OG Dancing Romeo onesheet.jpg
Directed by Cyril Endfield
Written by Hal Law
Robert A. McGowan
Starring Billy Laughlin
Bobby Blake
Janet Burston
Billie Thomas
Valerie Lee
Bobby Browning
Cinematography Charles Salerno Jr.
Edited byLeon Bourgeau
Music by Max Terr [1]
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • April 29, 1944 (1944-04-29)
Running time
10:50
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$27,353 [2]

Dancing Romeo is a 1944 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Cyril Endfield. [3] Produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 220th and final Our Gang short to be released. [4]

Contents

Plot

Froggy has a crush on a young girl named Marilyn, who is too preoccupied with her budding career as a dancer to pay Froggy attention. When the gang attends one of Marilyn's recitals, Froggy finds himself insanely jealous of Marilyn's dancing partner Gerald, whom he sees as a rival for Marilyn's affections.

A few days later, Froggy holds a dance recital of his own, hoping to impress Marilyn. His seemingly gravity-defying moves are accomplished with the help of Mickey and Buckwheat, who've rigged their pal with wires and control his movements via a pulley. Gerald exposes this artifice, hoping to embarrass Froggy. Marilyn, however, is impressed by Froggy's determination, and tells him she loves him—only to have the deep-voiced boy faint dead away.

Cast

The Gang

Additional cast

Production

Dancing Romeo was the final short to be released in the 22-year Our Gang canon. Its antecedent on the release schedule, Tale of a Dog , is sometimes considered the final film in the series, as it has a later production number (no. 2866 vs. Dancing Romeo's production no. 2861) and began pre-production first. [2]

Along with Tale of a Dog and Radio Bugs , Dancing Romeo was directed by Cyril Endfield in late 1943, and released in April 1944. According to financial data prepared by MGM in 1956, Dancing Romeo cost $27,353 to produce, but lost $10,340—more than any other Our Gang short—at the box office. [2] By 1943, the series had ceased to be profitable, leading to its cancellation. [2] [5]

Our Gang creator Hal Roach would revive the Our Gang concept for a pair of late-1940s features, Curley and Who Killed Doc Robbin . Our Gang did not become profitable again until Hal Roach bought back the 1927-1938 Roach-produced Our Gang comedies (excluding General Spanky ) from MGM in 1949 and later syndicated the Roach-produced shorts to television as The Little Rascals (and, after 1950, several theatrical reissues through Monogram Pictures and Allied Artists), leading to its renewed popularity from the 1950s on.

See also

Related Research Articles

The following is a complete list of the 220 Our Gang short films produced by Hal Roach Studios and/or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer between 1922 and 1944, numbered by order of release along with production order.

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

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<i>The Little Ranger</i> 1938 American film

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<i>Waldos Last Stand</i> 1940 American film

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<i>Robot Wrecks</i> 1941 American film

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<i>Going to Press</i> 1942 American film

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<i>Surprised Parties</i> 1942 American film

Surprised Parties is a 1942 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Edward Cahn and starring George McFarland, Billie Thomas, Mickey Gubitosi, Billy Laughlin, and Janet Burston. It was the 206th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Doin Their Bit</i> 1942 American film

Doin' Their Bit is a 1942 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Herbert Glazer. This was the first short with Herbert Glazer as Our Gang's regular director. It was the 207th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Rovers Big Chance</i> 1942 American film

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<i>Unexpected Riches</i> 1942 American film

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<i>Little Miss Pinkerton</i> 1943 American film

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<i>Three Smart Guys</i> 1943 American film

Three Smart Guys is a 1943 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Edward Cahn. It was the 217th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Radio Bugs</i> 1944 American film

Radio Bugs is a 1944 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Cyril Endfield. It was the 218th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Tale of a Dog</i> 1944 American film

Tale of a Dog is a 1944 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Cyril Endfield. It was the 219th Our Gang short to be released, and the penultimate film in the series. Tale of a Dog was sold to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer not as an Our Gang comedy but as part of its MGM Miniatures variety series.

References

  1. ↑ McCarty, Clifford (2000). Film Composers in America: A Filmography, 1911-1970 . New York: Oxford University Press. p. 322. ISBN   0-19-511473-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Maltin, Leonard & Bann, Richard W (1977, rev. 1992). The Little Rascals: The Life & Times of Our Gang. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press. ISBN   0-517-58325-9. p. 235-236.
  3. ↑ Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. p. 256. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  4. ↑ Hal Erickson (2007). "New York Times: Dancing-Romeo". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  5. ↑ ""Our Gang" Dropped as a Metro Series". The Film Daily. 1943-10-07. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
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