When the Wind Blows (1930 film)

When the Wind Blows
Directed by	James W. Horne
Written by	Robert A. McGowan
Produced by	Robert F. McGowan Hal Roach
Starring	Jackie Cooper Bobby Hutchins Allen Hoskins Norman Chaney Mary Ann Jackson Pete the Pup
Cinematography	Art Lloyd
Edited by	Richard C. Currier
Music by	Ray Henderson
Distributed by	MGM
Release date	April 5, 1930 (1930-04-05)
Running time	19:35
Country	United States
Language	English

When the Wind Blows is a 1930 Our Gang short comedy film directed by James W. Horne. ^[1] It was the 97th Our Gang short to be released. ^[2]

Plot

It is a windy spring night. A man tells Kennedy the cop that it is a fine night for a murder. Farina is frightened, but his mother still has to do laundry, so he is left at home to mind his baby brother in a ramshackle house with windows so weak that the wind blows through. A few doors down, Jackie is spanked by his father for refusing to do his homework; his little brother Wheezer is laughing at him. After being spanked, Jackie throws his school book out the window.

Later, after he goes to bed, he overhears his parents saying what a great kid he is and how they want him to grow up and be successful. Jackie, touched by this sentiment, climbs out the window to retrieve his book. He tries to get back in but cannot open the window. As he is trying to get back in, he makes all sorts of noises, causing his parents to call for the police. Jackie runs to Farina's house, but he causes Farina more fear when he tries to get in the door. Jackie gets in, but Farina is so frightened that he is hiding, so Jackie leaves and heads to Chubby's house. Jackie tries to wake up Chubby by throwing something at his window, but he breaks the window, waking up Chubby and his parents. Jackie goes home and manages to get into Wheezer's room through another window, but Wheezer's dog, Pete, pushes Jackie back out again. Mary Ann next door also wakes up. Jackie manages to get into Mary Ann's room, but she throws him out as well. As he falls out of Mary Ann's window, he lands on a real burglar, knocking him out. Jackie is then considered a hero.

Cast

The Gang

• Norman Chaney as Chubby
• Jackie Cooper as Jackie
• Allen Hoskins as Farina
• Bobby Hutchins as Wheezer
• Mary Ann Jackson as Mary Ann
• Pete the Pup as Himself

Additional cast

• Betty Jane Beard - Hector
• Chet Brandenburg - Flustered man
• Mary Gordon - Chubby's mother
• Edgar Kennedy - Kennedy the Cop
• Charles McAvoy - Henry, Jackie's dad
• Emma Reed - Farina's mother
• Julian Rivero - Henry, Jackie's dad (Spanish language version)

Notes

• When the Wind Blows is the first Our Gang film to feature a music score. The music is an orchestral scoring of songs popular at the time (including "My Man"), ^[3] not the jazz-based scorings typical of Our Gang films. It also marked Edgar Kennedy's last Our Gang appearance.
• All scenes with Farina were deleted in 1970 from the Little Rascals television print due to perceived racism but were reinstated on AMC's airings in 2001 to 2003.

See also

• Our Gang filmography

References

1. Canby, Vincent (2011). "New York Times: When the Wind Blows". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
2. Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. pp. 112–113. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
3. When the Wind Blows on YouTube, time mark 17:00

External links

• When the Wind Blows at IMDb