Topic: Our Gang/The Little Rascals thread

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

SIA, really? Only 84?  Born in '31?  How old was he when he made his debut, and I'm not asking this sarcastically, 3?  2?

He was 3, and he was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

[Signor Spumoni]

He was 3, and he was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

He was a cutie.  Have you ever had a pet which you named Buckwheat?  I was just thinking of ways to use names of favorite performers.  Sometimes, I suppose, a child might be named after a performer.  But not in this case.  Then I thought maybe you had a pet by that name.

[metaldams]

He was a cutie.  Have you ever had a pet which you named Buckwheat?  I was just thinking of ways to use names of favorite performers.  Sometimes, I suppose, a child might be named after a performer.  But not in this case.  Then I thought maybe you had a pet by that name.

I used to have a cat named Oliver, after Oliver Hardy.  He was a foot chewing, q-tip destroying little psycho cat, I miss him.

For years as a kid, I thought I was named after Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.  I saw a poster when I was a child for THIEF OF BAGDAD, thought it was cool his name was Douglas, and my Dad jokingly tells me I was named after him.  I believed it for years, and kind of wish I was.

[Signor Spumoni]

I used to have a cat named Oliver, after Oliver Hardy.  He was a foot chewing, q-tip destroying little psycho cat, I miss him.

For years as a kid, I thought I was named after Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.  I saw a poster when I was a child for THIEF OF BAGDAD, thought it was cool his name was Douglas, and my Dad jokingly tells me I was named after him.  I believed it for years, and kind of wish I was.

Did your cat have a moustache which suggested that name?  In high school I considered naming my dog Julius, after Groucho, but it just didn't suit him.  He had no similarity to Groucho, I'm just a fan.

I like your story about your name, Metal.  DF Sr. would be a neat person to have been named after; I don't blame you for wishing it were true.   

I went to primary school with a little girl named Lana. It was a Roman Catholic school at a time when parents usually gave their children saints' names.  There's no St. Lana, so I assume she was named after Lana Turner, especially because she was blonde.

[metaldams]

Did your cat have a moustache which suggested that name?  In high school I considered naming my dog Julius, after Groucho, but it just didn't suit him.  He had no similarity to Groucho, I'm just a fan.

I like your story about your name, Metal.  DF Sr. would be a neat person to have been named after; I don't blame you for wishing it were true.   

I went to primary school with a little girl named Lana. It was a Roman Catholic school at a time when parents usually gave their children saints' names.  There's no St. Lana, so I assume she was named after Lana Turner, especially because she was blonde.

No similarity to Oliver Hardy, just liked the name and just like Oliver Hardy.

It's funny you mention the saint thing, because my grandfather was so Catholic, he made the Pope seem Protestant.  He attended mass everyday after he retired.  I'm not aware he named his kids after saints, and this is in the 50's!  I'll have to ask my Dad about that.  There's definitely no Saint Lana...or Buckwheat.

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

 Well, today is Buckwheat's birthday!! I've assembled a list of Our Gang movies where Buckwheat has notable scenes or is featured prominently throughout the whole entire episode.

[Signor Spumoni]

No similarity to Oliver Hardy, just liked the name and just like Oliver Hardy.

It's funny you mention the saint thing, because my grandfather was so Catholic, he made the Pope seem Protestant.  He attended mass everyday after he retired.  I'm not aware he named his kids after saints, and this is in the 50's!  I'll have to ask my Dad about that.  There's definitely no Saint Lana...or Buckwheat.

I was unique among my RC schoolmates because my came from another country, one which wasn't well-known then, as well as because I wasn't RC.  The only schoolmates who weren't given saints' names were those whose middle names were saints' names to compensate for different first names.  Of course, people were also named for family members, but those family members had saints' names, so it was about the same thing.  It will be interesting to see if your dad recalls anything about that.

[Signor Spumoni]

Well, today is Buckwheat's birthday!! I've assembled a list of Our Gang movies where Buckwheat has notable scenes or is featured prominently throughout the whole entire episode.

Happy birthday, Buckwheat! 
I was thinking about your party today.  I hope you and your guests have a terrific time.  Whatever you do, don't serve spaghetti with Tabasco, horseradish, etc., the way the Rascals did in "Teacher's Beau."    Buckwheat helped add "firepower" to the spaghetti in that one, as you know.  But cake and ice cream are always good.  I don't recall any Rascals mishaps with those.
Leave a post listing the shorts you'll show.
Have fun, and drink a toast to Buckwheat for all of us in Moronika.

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

Happy birthday, Buckwheat! 
I was thinking about your party today.  I hope you and your guests have a terrific time.  Whatever you do, don't serve spaghetti with Tabasco, horseradish, etc., the way the Rascals did in "Teacher's Beau."    Buckwheat helped add "firepower" to the spaghetti in that one, as you know.  But cake and ice cream are always good.  I don't recall any Rascals mishaps with those.
Leave a post listing the shorts you'll show.
Have fun, and drink a toast to Buckwheat for all of us in Moronika.

Well, unless you count The Rascals' cake incident in Birthday Blues and The Rascals eating ice cream in The Stolen Jools, no mishaps. And, believe it or not, I forgot to watch Teacher's Beau! Anyways, the party is over, and we watched the Rascals for about 3 hours straight. It was pretty awesome watching Buckwheat transition from a baby to a 4-year-old with speech problems to a best friend of Porky to becoming what we recognize him as today. However, I didn' t bother with the MGM films, so there was Roaches only!

[Signor Spumoni]

Well, unless you count The Rascals' cake incident in Birthday Blues and The Rascals eating ice cream in The Stolen Jools, no mishaps. And, believe it or not, I forgot to watch Teacher's Beau! Anyways, the party is over, and we watched the Rascals for about 3 hours straight. It was pretty awesome watching Buckwheat transition from a baby to a 4-year-old with speech problems to a best friend of Porky to becoming what we recognize him as today. However, I didn' t bother with the MGM films, so there was Roaches only!

It sounds like a great party.  The only thing missing?  Me!     Next time invite all of us Stooges fans, too.     [kidding, of course]
I'm glad you had fun.  I'll bet you and all your guests will have that theme music ("The Good Ol' Days") stuck in your head for a week! 

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

It sounds like a great party.  The only thing missing?  Me!     Next time invite all of us Stooges fans, too.     [kidding, of course]
I'm glad you had fun.  I'll bet you and all your guests will have that theme music ("The Good Ol' Days") stuck in your head for a week!

Yes, The Good Ol' Days is extremely catchy and after 17 times, it can get a bit annoying! I'll also have the Marvin Hatley music stuck in my head! For some reason, the music in which the giant is capturing the kids in Mama's Little Pirate always stands out to me, even more when I've seen it like 7 times! But, yes, it was extremely fun, even though I had seen all the films, but.. I'll also probably be celebrating Dorothy Deborba and Wheezer Hutchins' upcoming birthdays. However, if I did know you guys personally, I certainly would've invited you all and we would've had the best of times. Someday, we should have a Stooges convention for about a week, and we could have 1 or 2 days dedicated to other comedy teams, but, that would be pretty cool to have a Stooges convention only open to Moronika users.

[Signor Spumoni]

Yes, The Good Ol' Days is extremely catchy and after 17 times, it can get a bit annoying! I'll also have the Marvin Hatley music stuck in my head! For some reason, the music in which the giant is capturing the kids in Mama's Little Pirate always stands out to me, even more when I've seen it like 7 times! But, yes, it was extremely fun, even though I had seen all the films, but.. I'll also probably be celebrating Dorothy Deborba and Wheezer Hutchins' upcoming birthdays. However, if I did know you guys personally, I certainly would've invited you all and we would've had the best of times. Someday, we should have a Stooges convention for about a week, and we could have 1 or 2 days dedicated to other comedy teams, but, that would be pretty cool to have a Stooges convention only open to Moronika users.

I hope you also celebrate Johnny Arthur's birthday on 20.May (born in 1883).  He played Mr. Hood in "Feed 'Em And Weep," which gave us the birthday song, 
"Happy birthday, Mr. Hood,
Happy birthday to you,
To make your birthday turn out good
I give this present to you!"

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

I hope you also celebrate Johnny Arthur's birthday on 20.May (born in 1883).  He played Mr. Hood in "Feed 'Em And Weep," which gave us the birthday song, 
"Happy birthday, Mr. Hood,
Happy birthday to you,
To make your birthday turn out good
I give this present to you!"

Johnny Arthur also played Spanky's father in Anniversary Trouble, and in another short that I can't recall the name of as Mr. Hood, I believe. But, when Porky sings that song, he sings so cute!! Also, I notice that Metaldams said that some Rascals cry. True, but only about Farina because he had a natural talent for crying.

[Signor Spumoni]

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

Yes, that is a pretty good picture. If I'll go ahead and be the one that will name the people in the picture from left to right: Robert " Wheezer " Hutchins, Mary Ann Jackson, Harry Spear ( used to think it was Jackie Cooper, except now I realize it's Spear), Allen "Farina" Hoskins, and ( the remarkably talented performer who was capable of taking pies to the face) Norman "Chubby" Chaney. ( See if you can guess which film I was referencing to in that remark about Norman.)

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

The " Learn That Poem " kid cries buckets at the end of the one episode he stars in.  Frisky Friskington, Jumping Jumparoo, Hoppy Hopkinton, what is that kid actor's name?

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

The " Learn That Poem " kid cries buckets at the end of the one episode he stars in.  Frisky Friskington, Jumping Jumparoo, Hoppy Hopkinton, what is that kid actor's name?

I have no idea what episode you're talking about. A talkie? Are you talking about Readin' and Writin'?

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

Definitely a talkie,  the kid plays hooky, tries to have fun by himself while his conscience ( in his own voice ) keeps repeating  " Learn That Poem ".  Somehow he decides to face the music and recites the poem while sobbing.  The class laughs its ass off at his misery.  He was a one-hit wonder as a rascal, and it was either his character name or his real (or stage) name that was Winky Willoughby or whatever it was.  Can you tell I haven't seen it in decades?

[Signor Spumoni]

The " Learn That Poem " kid cries buckets at the end of the one episode he stars in.  Frisky Friskington, Jumping Jumparoo, Hoppy Hopkinton, what is that kid actor's name?

That's Breezy Brisbane you're thinking of.  I like your versions of his name.    His real name was Kendall McComas. 
The short was, indeed, "Readin' And Writin'."

[Signor Spumoni]

BB was in seven additional Rascals shorts.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

And BTW you shock me by saying that it's not Jackie Cooper in that photo.  I've never heard of Harry Spears.  You might as well have told me that it's not Chubby on the right.

[Signor Spumoni]

And BTW you shock me by saying that it's not Jackie Cooper in that photo.  I've never heard of Harry Spears.  You might as well have told me that it's not Chubby on the right.

Have to agree with the Big Chief - - looks like Jackie to me, too.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

DINGDINGDINGDING, that's the one, Signor.  Breezy Brisbane.  Thank you.  That episode is the only one he really had the lead in, isn't it?
     EDIT: ( one month later ) I've since looked at this on YouTube, and noticed that Breezy, though very convincing, does not shed real tears as he recites.  To cry with tears on command is an exceedingly difficult technical acting trick mastered by very few, Judy Garland and, apparently, Farina among those who could do it. Breezy ( or Hoppy, or Jumpy, or Spazzy, sorry I couldn't remember his name ) does a very good acting job here, lacking nothing but the legitimately teary eye.  As you may remember, I mistakenly remembered him crying buckets.

[Signor Spumoni]

DINGDINGDINGDING, that's the one, Signor.  Breezy Brisbane.  Thank you.  That episode is the only one he really had the lead in, isn't it?

I believe that is the only one where he had the lead.  Before he made Rascals comedies, he was a member of the troupe who made the Mickey "Himself" McGuire comedy shorts (I think those were made by Columbia).

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

Yes, that was Breezy Brisbane, indeed. Only, in some films., he's called Breezy, and in some he's called Brisbane, and Harry Spear was an actor from late-silent to early-talkies. He has been a lost player until like the 80's, because he didn't like admitting that he was in Our Gang, for some weird reason.