Series: Our Gang Director: Gordon Douglas Producer: Hal Roach Story: Jack Jevne Photography: Art Lloyd Editor: William H. Ziegler Sound: William Randall Stars: Carl Switzer, George McFarland, Darla Hood, Eugene Lee, Billie Thomas, Rosina Lawrence Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 29 August 1936 Length: 1 reel Production No.: K-1 Filming dates: 1936 Rating: 6/10

Bored Of Education

Available on BLU-RAY & DVD:

It's back to school for the kids after the summer vacation. An excited Darla greets her fellow students who are sitting on the steps outside the school but Spanky, Alfalfa and Buckwheat don't share her enthusiasm and complain about having to meet their new teacher, Miss (Rosina) Lawrence who unbeknownst to them is listening to their protests from the classroom window. Alfalfa and Spanky conjure up a plan to have Alfalfa fake a toothache in order for him to skip school. In a rather odd scene Spanky blows a balloon into the mouth of his pal to give him the look of a swollen jaw. Meanwhile Porky eats an apple which Darla had left on the steps as Miss Lawrence makes a phone call for ice cream to be delivered to the school. In the classroom Alfalfa pulls his trick to get out of school and is sent home with Spanky by the teacher, but no sooner do they leave the building the ice cream vendor comes in. The two boys realise their plan has backfired and quickly formulate a new plan to make Alfalfa well. The teacher offers them an ice cream if Alfalfa will return to the classroom and sing for them all. Spanky tries to help him get the balloon out of his mouth but it breaks and Alfalfa ends up swallowing the balloon. Back in the classroom Alfalfa stands up the front and begins to sing (bloody cringeworthy!) but finds his voice sounds like a recorder every time he inhales. Finally for everybody (including us viewers) he finishes his song and along with Spanky is rewarded with his ice cream but by the time he receives it the cold treat has melted. But Miss Lawrence isn't so cruel after all... she hands them both a new one each and the two boys get stuck in.

Favourite bit An easy one for me: when Spanky shows Alfalfa his picture of the teacher and Alfalfa laughs, causing his mouth to open and the balloon to suddenly pop out! I must admit that made me laugh.

Trivia • Copyrighted September 3, 1936. • Film #146 in the series. • The film begins on September 14th. • Alflafa and Spanky come within millimeters of a full-blown kiss! • When Alfalfa and Spanky discover that the whole class has been given ice cream they quickly run around to look through the open window. There is a lot of noise and cheering coming from inside and yet absolutely nobody is remotely making it because the kids are all sitting quietly eating ice cream. Awful continuity. • The name of the ice cream is Ben Shankle's. When Miss Lawrence makes the phone call to place the order she consults the phone directory and searches a page towards the back of the book. But the letter "B" would be near the front, surely? My opinion • Oh dear god that awful song by Alfalfa at the end really makes your ears screech! Very basic plot, very short film and it's okay. Porky eating Darla's apple, Buckwheat's odd phrases and Alfalfa's facial expressions are of some note but quite frankly this one was just "okay".

	Carl Switzer Alfalfa
	George McFarland Spanky
	Billie Thomas Buckwheat
	Eugene Lee Porky
	Darla Hood Darla
	Rosina Lawrence Miss Lawrence
	Daniel Boone Student
	John Collum Student
	Dickie DeNuet Student
	Jack Egan Ice cream attendant
	Joe Geil Student
	Barbara Goodrich Student
	Sidney Kibrick Student
	Eugene Lowe Student
	Donald Proffitt Student
	Harold Switzer Student
	Patsy Barry Student
	Dorian Johnston Student

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

POSTERS (click image to enlarge)

STILLS (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: The Little Rascals: The Life And Times Of Our Gang by Leonard Maltin & Richard W. Bann (book) http://theluckycorner.com/rmt/146.html (Robert Demoss/The Lucky Corner) Matthew Lydick (screenshot - Eugene Lowe) Robert Peterson (identification of Patsy Barry, Barbara Goodrich) This page was last updated on: 13 June 2021