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in: Feature Film, 2014

The Little Rascals Save The Day

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Rascalssave

Production Notes

Length: 98 minutes
Producer: Mike Elliott, Greg Holstein and Jerry P. Jacobs
Director: Alex Zamm
Photography: Levie Isaacks
Editor: Heath Ryan
Titles: None
Writer: William Robertson and Alex Zamm
Released: April 1, 2014
Studio: Universal Pictures

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

  • Anna Ross as Cake Ballerina
  • Billy Johnston as Freckled-Face Boy
  • Brian Stepanex as Sergie
  • Bug Hall as Delivery Man
  • Cathy Giannione as Second Customer
  • Chinai Barbie as Talent Show Folkloric Dancer
  • Dashell Zamm as McKible The Magnificent
  • Doris Roberts as Grandma Larson
  • French Stewart as Bank Officer
  • Greg Germann as Ray "Big Ray" Kaye
  • James Hallett as Golf Club Manager
  • Jim Blanchette as First Customer
  • Kelly Anne Sweeney as Tap Dancer
  • Lex Medlin as Officer Kennedy
  • Michael James Spall as Chase
  • Mindy Sterling as Talent Coordinator
  • Robert Torti as TV Host Leo McCarey
  • Ross Cigna as Cowboy Elliott
  • Steve Monroe as Mailman
  • Valerie Azlynn as Miss Crabtree
  • Weston McClelland as Ticket Kid
  • Zaria Zakiya as Violinda

The Short

Plot: On the last day of school before summer vacation, Spanky, Alfalfa, Mary Ann, and Stymie try to leave early by having Buckwheat and Porky tell Miss Crabtree that they need to go home. Miss Crabtree agrees to let the four kids go, forcing them out of her surprise ice cream cake party for the class. The Rascals head over to Grandma Larson's bakery, and bump into Officer Kennedy along the way. Kennedy is dating Miss Crabtree, and the kids ask him why he hasn't proposed to her yet.
Later, the kids head over to their tree house located next to Grandma's bakery to begin rehearsing for an upcoming talent show. The Rascals have their own band, which Spanky decides to call The International Silver String Submarine Band. The band plans on playing Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" for the talent show but wind up sounding terrible. Alfalfa suggests making the performance better by getting Darla to sing the song with him.
During band practice, Grandma is asked to visit the local bank and leaves the kids in charge of her bakery. The Rascals are asked to prepare a red velvet cake, but they put too much yeast in, causing the inflating dessert to explode in the kitchen. Meanwhile, a bank officer informs Grandma that she owes the bank $10,000. If she is unable to pay the money in two weeks, she will lose her bakery. To make matters worse, Waldo Kaye's father wants to buy the bakery and replace it with a shopping mall. Waldo wants the kids' tree house for himself.
Spanky suggests the Rascals get jobs in order to help save Grandma's bakery. Porky, Buckwheat, Mary Ann and Stymie all offer their services in professional working environments but are turned away at each one. Spanky and Alfalfa get jobs as Mr. Kaye's caddies at the local country club, but the two are quickly kicked out of the club after Spanky interrupts Officer Kennedy's date with Miss Crabtree by accidentally hitting a golf ball at the policeman's forehead.
This doesn't stop Spanky, who still has a few tricks up his sleeve. He suggests a pet washing business, which quickly goes haywire after he mistakenly replaces a bottle of shampoo with one containing green dye. The fur of several pets turns green, including Darla's cat. Alfalfa tries to make up for it by offering Darla a ride to the library on his bicycle, but she instead decides to go with Waldo in his toy car. This gives Spanky the idea for the Rascals to build their own taxi cab. This business also ends poorly after Waldo cuts the car's brake wires, sending them down a steep hill and into a gazebo. Darla, who was riding in the taxi, once again leaves Alfalfa for Waldo. Officer Kennedy, who has constantly had his dates with Miss Crabtree interrupted by the Rascals, yells at the kids for ruining yet another attempt at proposing marriage to the schoolteacher. Angered that Kennedy doesn't like children, Miss Crabtree breaks up with him.
Spanky next decides to have Alfalfa get into the wrestling ring against the mysterious Masked Marvel. Porky is to play Alfalfa's opponent, but he accidentally spills the beans to Waldo. Waldo hires Butch and The Woim to stop Alfalfa from winning the wrestling match. Butch takes Porky's place in the ring and easily beats Alfalfa. To make matters worse, Waldo convinces Spanky to bet the money he had made from the match to him in the event that Alfalfa loses. Angered at their leader's poor decision and his bossy attitude, the rest of the gang turn against Spanky, but after a talk with Grandma, Spanky is able to rekindle his friendship with the others. The kids now begin rehearsing for the talent show, their last chance at earning the $10,000 for Grandma. Meanwhile, Miss Crabtree agrees to continue dating Officer Kennedy on the condition that he attends the kids' talent show with her. Kennedy reluctantly agrees.
At the talent show, the kids are up against several professional acts including a song-and-dance routine by Waldo and Darla, but Waldo continuously pushes Darla out of the spotlight and she eventually leaves him after he attempts to sabotage the International Silver String Submarine Band's performance. The band's rendition of "I Got You Babe" does poorly until Darla arrives to sing with Alfalfa. The Rascals win the $10,000, Darla officially joins the kids' band, Grandma's bakery is saved, and Miss Crabtree agrees to marry Officer Kennedy.
Quotes:

  • "What was that?" - Buckwheat
    "Sounds like a moose trying to sing." - Porky
    "Maybe it's Alfalfa." - Buckwheat
  • "What kind of a future do I have with a man who doesn't even like children? Goodbye!" - Miss Crabtree
    "Junebug! I like kids - from a distance." - Officer Kennedy
  • "We're supposed to be playing 'I Got You Babe.' It sounds more like 'I Got a Headache Babe.'" - Spanky

Notes/Trivia:

  • The original working title was "The Little Rascals To The Rescue".
  • Actors Doris Roberts, Greg Germann and Lex Medlin are possibly best known, respectively, for the TV series "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Ally McBeal" and "Drop Dead Diva."
  • The town the Rascals live in is called Greenhaven other than Greenpoint; it was filmed on the Universal backlot, the same location as "The Munsters," "Back to the Future" and "Ghost Whisperer."
  • Eden Wood first gained popularity in the TV Series "Toddlers and Tiaras."
  • Drew Justice's singing for Alfalfa was dubbed by River Alexander.
  • Froggy, Uh-Huh, Sing Joy and Jane do not appear in this movie as they did in the 1994 film.
  • This film makes the final appearance of the "Our Gang" characters barring another reprise or reboot for the characters in the future.
  • The talent show host is named after Leo McCarey , one of the earliest writers of Our Gang.
  • The kids attend Robert McGowan Elementary School. Robert F. McGowan was the director of several of the original "Our Gang" shorts.
  • Waldo's last name is "Kaye." This is a reference to Darwood Kaye, the actor who portrayed Waldo in the original "Our Gang" comedies.
  • The theater in the background as Mrs. Crabtree is walking away after breaking up with Officer Kennedy has a "Hal Roach Film Festival" going on. Hal Roach was the creator of Our Gang.
  • The respective first names for Miss Crabtree and Kennedy the Cop are "June" and "Edgar," a reference to June Marlowe and Edgar Kennedy, the actors who portrayed the two characters in the original 'Our Gang' series.
  • The neighborhood where the gang pass out the flyers and have the dog spa in is the Universal Backlot where "The Munsters" and "Leave It To Beaver" was filmed, but it is possibly best known for the series, "Desperate Housewives." In the shots, viewers can see all of the homes of the characters' homes as well as several other houses from the series, such as that of Mike Delfino and Mrs. McKlusky.
  • Brian Stepanek and Robert Torti also worked together in "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" in 2005, later becoming "The Suite Life on Deck" after 2008.
  • The plot of this movie borrows heavily from several events and incidents used in the series:
  • The film also features several inside jokes:
  • There are some notable differences between this film and the original "Our Gang" series:
    • Mary Ann sports pigtails rather than her trademark Dutch boy haircut.
    • Stymie has a full head of hair. In the series, he was typically seen as bald.
    • Woim's name is pronounced "Worm."
    • Officer Kennedy doesn't like kids, particularly the Rascals. However, in the series, he and the Rascals had a stronger friendship and relationship.
  • See Also: Deleted Scenes.
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