Series: Our Gang

Director: Gordon Douglas
Producer: Hal Roach
Photography: Art Lloyd
Editor: William H. Ziegler
Sound: William Randall

Stars: Carl Switzer, George McFarland, Tommy Bond, Billie Thomas, Eugene Lee, Sidney Kibrick
Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Released: 10 February 1937
Length: 1 reel
Production No.: K-6
Filming dates: January 11-30, 1937
Rating: 7/10


Glove Taps

Available on BLU-RAY & DVD:
   

Butch and Woim are scoping out the school in preparation for when they start there on Monday when the other kids begin filing out at the end of the day. Butch confronts them and asks who is the toughest kid, with Alfalfa accidentally nominating himself! Butch challenges Alfalfa to a fight to take place the next day and Spanky decides to train him for it. Spanky reads a book called How To Be A Fighter whilst Alfalfa does his training. Porky and Buckwheat bring in a dummy which resembles Alflafa and say they are practicing for when they have to do it for real! Alfalfa gets worried but Spanky continues to push Alfalfa with his training, by stretching him out on a table and then getting him to shadow box inside the ring. Eager to give Alfalfa some confidence, Spanky sets up a sparring session for Alfalfa to train with Buckwheat but Buckwheat knocks Alfalfa flat out! When Alfalfa wakes up Spanky lies and tells him that Alfalfa actually knocked out Buckwheat, restoring Alfalfa's confidence. Alfalfa is now ready to take on Butch.
The day of the fight arrives and Spanky acts as referee, introducing both boys to a small crowd of spectators who have gathered around ringside. As you would have expected Butch is dominant, knocking Alfalfa on his ass and into the ropes in the first round. The second round starts and it's all Butch until Buckwheat and Porky get behind the ring curtain and smash Butch over the head with a loaded boxing glove, knocking him out. Alfalfa gets the fortuitous win and celebrates by standing on his fallen opponent and doing his Tarzan call.

Favourite bit
When Spanky is stretching Alfalfa.

Trivia
Copyrighted March 9, 1937.
Film #152 in the series.
Also listed for February 20, 1937.
Alfalfa's ring name is "The Oklahoma Wildcat".
No adults are seen throughout the entire film.
My opinion
Blimey, this film is short and to the point! Nothing wrong with it I suppose, but nothing special about it either. Always good to see the bully beaten, even if it is in lucky circumstances. Darla Hood's eleventh appearance in the series is a blink-and you'll miss her moment with one line of dialogue right at the beginning. It's basically Spanky, Alfalfa and Butch in the spotlight with a basic plot of bully versus underdog and the bully getting his comeupance. I've seen worse. Actually, I've seen a LOT worse!

Carl Switzer
Alfalfa
George McFarland
Spanky
Tommy Bond
Butch Raffety
Billie Thomas
Buckwheat
Eugene Lee
Porky
Sidney Kibrick
Woim
Darwood Kaye
Audience member
Darla Hood
Darla
Jerry Tucker
Kid
Rex Downing
Kid
Harold Switzer
Kid
John Collum
Audience member
Donald Proffitt
Kid
Robert Winkler
Kid
Joe Levine
Kid
Hugh Sheridan
Kid
Jack Lindquist
Kid
Larry Harris
Kid
Calvin Ellison
Kid
Hugh Champman
Kid
Bobs Watson
Kid
(*according to Bob Demoss)

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

POSTER
(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/152.html (Bob Demoss/The Lucky Corner)
Matthew Lydick (identification of some cast members and screenshot - Hugh Sheridan)

This page was last updated on: 19 September 2021