Our Gang Follies Of 1936

Production Notes[]

Length: Two Reel
Producer: Hal Roach
Director: Gus Meins
Photography: Art Lloyd
Editor: Bert Jordan
Titles: None
Writer:
Released: November 30, 1935
Studio: M-G-M

Main Cast[]

Supporting Cast[]

Georgia Bank - Hula Dancer
Theresa Bonner
Doris Bryan - Farm Girl
Betty Bryan - Farm Girl
Gwen Bryan - Farm Girl
The Bud Murray Dancers
Junior Cavanaugh - Tap Dancer
Garret Joplin - Tap Dancer
Jackie Banning
Janet Comerford
David Dix - Boy lifted in air
Rex Downing - Boy in Glasses
Kay Frye - Scared girl in audience
Joan Gray
Philip Hurlic - Black boy in Audience
Joyce Kay
Junior Kavanaugh _Tap Dancer
Mildred Kornman
Patty Kelly
Priscilla Lyon
Leona McDowell
Ten Meglin Kiddies
William Minderhout
Patsy Northup - Hula Dancer
Peggy Speth - Hula Dancer
Marvin Strin - Fat boy in Audience
Harold Switzer
Jerry Tucker
Delmar Watson (unconfirmed)
Billy Wolfstone - Fat boy in audience
Joy Wurgaft as Girl Singer (with Alfalfa)

The Short[]

Plot: Spanky and the neighborhood kids have put together a show featuring children entertainers who sing and dance. When Buckwheat lights the studio candles, he's met with a roar of attention from his friends, even as Porky goes behind him and blows the lights back out for him to light again. Alfalfa starts out with a vigorous rendition of "She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain" into a act around "Honolulu Baby." The Bryan Sisters sing "How You Going To Keep 'em Down On The Farm." Darla sings "I'll Never Say 'Never Again' Again," followed by a hauntingly spooky skeleton dance called "The Ghost Frolic" filled with rattling noises to wake up any bored audience members. The feature act is the Flory-Dory-Sixtette, but they haven't arrived yet and Spanky has to keep reshuffling the acts out of sequence. Alfalfa has to nervously sing "The Object Of My Affection" with Darla smiling toward him. He's all that more relieved when the act is over to get off stage. By the end, the Floradora Dollies have not arrived, and Spanky convinces the guys to put on their costumes and follow his lead since he's the only one who knows their act. However, Buckwheat's pet monkey is in the bustle part of Spanky's costume and is sticking him with a pin. The gang is imitating his aches and grimaces of torture even to the point of tearing off the costume while on stage in front of the other watching kids.
Quotes:

"Sorry, kids, but something happened so we got to do something about it." - Spanky

Notes/Trivia:

Contrary to his later love affair with Darla, Alfalfa shows no romatic inclination to Darla in this short. Thinking about gazing into her big brown eyes in this episode might have lead to their later tumultuous love affair.
This was the first short to feature Darla Hood.
This short was so wildly popular that it took two years to do its sequel, Our Gang Follies Of 1938, although Our Gang Follies Of 1937 came before it. Hal Roach would sell the rights to the series before another effort for another sequel could be done.
This is the only short where Darla is referred to as "Cookie."
This and four other shorts were later remade by King World in clay animation form, using the original soundtracks from the films.
This is the first musical episode in the series.
Goof:After Alfalfa is pelted with produce, his face is clearly a mess from it, but when he is immediately sent out by his boss to collect money on street corners, his face is clean again.

Sequence[]

Previous Short: Little Sinner
Next Short: The Lucky Corner