Spanky | |
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Directed by | Robert F. McGowan |
Written by | Hal Roach H. M. Walker |
Produced by | Robert F. McGowan Hal Roach |
Cinematography | Art Lloyd |
Edited by | Richard C. Currier |
Music by | Leroy Shield Marvin Hatley |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 19:37 |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Spanky is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. [1] It was the 113th Our Gang short to be released. [2] The film focuses on Our Gang co-star George "Spanky" McFarland.
Although this is a remake of a 1920s silent Our Gang episode called Uncle Tom's Uncle , 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, which included him "bug hunting." Meanwhile, Spanky's brother Breezy Brisbane and the rest of the gang are putting on a play of Uncle Tom's Cabin. At the same time, Brisbane is forced to babysit Spanky while their mother goes on a shopping trip. Also, Spanky's father refuses to spend money in order to keep the house clean, although he has an enormous amount of cash hidden in a secret door embedded in the wall.
Spanky disrupts the play during 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 rotten 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 pick up the money and the father promises to put the money in the bank and spend more on mom and the kids.
Spanky is a remake of the 1926 silent entry Uncle Tom's Uncle . Bobby Mallon appeared in both films.
On the syndicated television print, 12 minutes of this short, 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 material deemed racially insensitive toward African Americans, as the play starts with a number of the children in blackface, and it includes Stymie getting horsewhipped by the slavemaster. Spanky has been released on VHS and DVD in unedited form.
The Little Rascals is a 1994 American family comedy film produced by Amblin Entertainment, and released by Universal Pictures on August 5, 1994. The film is an 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. Directed by Penelope Spheeris, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, the film presents several of the Our Gang characters in an updated setting, featuring re-interpretations of several of the original shorts. It is the first collaboration by Guay and Mazur, whose subsequent comedies were Liar Liar and Heartbreakers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Big Ears is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 108th Our Gang short to be released.
Readin' and Writin' is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 111th Our Gang short to be released.
Free Eats is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Ray McCarey. It was the 112th Our Gang short to be released.
Choo-Choo! is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 114th Our Gang short to be released. It is a remake of the 1923 Our Gang film A Pleasant Journey.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hi'-Neighbor! is a 1934 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 126th Our Gang short to be released and Meins' first series entry as director.
Anniversary Trouble is a 1935 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 134th Our Gang short to be released.
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.