Series: Our Gang

Director: Robert F. McGowan
Producer: Hal Roach
Dialogue:
Photography: Francis Corby
Editor: Louis McManus
Sound: Warren B. Delaplain

Stars: George McFarland, Billie Thomas, Carl Switzer, Eugene Lee, Darla Hood
Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Released: 08 February 1936
Length: 2 reels
Production No.: G-35
Filming dates: November 18-25, 1935
Rating: -/10


Divot Diggers

Available on BLU-RAY & DVD:
   

On the golf course, Darla is having a neat bit of luck when her putting skills turn an extraordinary missed shot into the hole, whilst Spanky is struggling out in a ditch with his home-made clubs which consist of a brush, an extended hammer and a flattened ladel. After he fails to even hit his ball, he picks it up and throws it onto the green. Spanky calls for his caddy, a chimpanzee before almost-putting his shot with the hammer. A bit of luck helps his cause when a fly lands on the ball and knocks it into the hole. Alfalfa is stuck in a bunker, but after a few wild swings he too ends up on the green and putts with a makeshift pool cue, albeit with a little help from Porky's pea-shooter.
A group of disgruntled golfers at the main hut are refusing to play on account of having no caddies, and threaten to boycott the club if some aren't found in a hurry. The club's manager recruits the Gang members, who are more than keen to get started, though the four gentlemen who are about to tee off are less than happy about the arrangement. The kids (and a chimpanzee!) make some distracting noises, particularly "Jiggs" (the chimp) - who provides a delightful moment of humour to the scene!! The first golfer hits a fine shot, onto the green; the second golfer hits a fair shot, and the third golfer (Billy Bletcher) has his ball stolen by the chimpanzee! The fourth golfer (Tom Dugan) is rubbish and takes several swings before he hits the ball. The dog, Pete, chases the ball down the fairway, knocking Dugan off his feet.
The game continues, with Dugan having to play a chewed-up ball, whilst being mocked by the chimpanzee. When he does finally connect, the ball flies around in the air and shoots way past the pin. Then it takes him several attempts to putt his ball, with no thanks to a frog that has jumped into the hole.  When he sees the frog push his ball back out of the hole, he snaps his clubs out of anger. The chimp copies him and snaps all of the others he is carrying in the bag, then proceeds to driving around the course in a tractor, which sends the four men fleeing. The Gang run to the perimeter wall to avoid being struck, but when it collapses, they end up riding the wall down the slopes of the course and disrupting others' games, with Darla picking flowers as they go. Finally, the gang crash through a chicken coop and come out the other side covered in feathers. Buckwheat has an egg in his mouth and out pops a small chick!

Trivia
Copyrighted February 6, 1936, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP6138. Renewed June 21, 1963, with registration no. R317578. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2031.
The 142nd film in the series.
Russ Powell provides the voice for Jiggs, the chimpanzee.
In most of the Our Gang comedies Darla Hood is a brunette. She has blonde hair in this short, because her hair color was changed for her role in The Bohemian Girl.
This film marked the final Our Gang installment directed by the series' best director, Robert F. McGowan, who'd been with the series since its beginning in 1922.
According to the chalkboard at the golf house, the events take place on August 10th.
That must have been some heck of a hook shot for Spanky to have hit the club official from up on the hill. He clearly whacked the ball to his right!
The 15th hole is a distance of 450 yards. This would suggest it was a par 5. Tom Dugan sinks his ball and calls out his score as 47.
Tom Dugan is really crap at golf!
When the kids are riding the piece of wall down on the grass, the camera pulls back to reveal two distinct track marks behind them. These markings could not have been made by the wall, but rather, some heavy vehicle.

George McFarland
Spanky
Billie Thomas
Buckwheat
Carl Switzer
Alfalfa
Eugene Lee
Porky
Darla Hood
Darla
Patsy May
Baby Patsy May
Harold Switzer
Harold
Leonard Kibrick
Caddy
Tom Dugan
Fourth golfer
Thomas Pogue
Mr. Jackson, first golfer
Jack Hatfield
Mr. Hatfield, caddy master
Billy Bletcher
Bill, third golfer
David Thursby
John, second golfer
Hubert Diltz
Tractor driver
Jack Hill
Golfer
Matty Roubert
Caddy
Russ Powell
Voice of Jiggs
Jiggs
Chimpanzee
Pete
Dog

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

STILL
(click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements:
The Little Rascals: The Life And Times Of Our Gang by Leonard Maltin & Richard W. Bann (book)
http://www.theluckycorner.com/rmt/142.html (Robert Demoss/The Lucky Corner)

This page was last updated on: 08 February 2023