Bouncing Babies

technical details:

Production G-27.

Filmed July 5 to 15, 1929. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.

Title sheet prepared by H. M. Walker July 29, 1929.

Cutting continuity dated Aug. 12, 1929.

Copyrighted September 23, 1929, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP702. Renewed December 19, 1956, with registration no. R182598. This copyright expired at the end of 2024, and the film is now in the public domain.

Released October 12, 1929. It was the 92nd film in the series to be released. However, if "Lazy Days" was released later, as some sources state, then "Bouncing Babies" would have been the 91st release.

All-talking two-reeler, sound on disc only. (In actuality, there is a lot of silent footage in this film.)

Opening title: '"Our Gang" Comedies - Hal Roach presents His Rascals in "Bouncing Babies".'

King World Productions episode no. 43, available in both colorized and original black-and-white versions.

the crew:

Produced by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach

This is how Maltin & Bann put it. The film credits Roach as a presenter, and designates it as "A Robert McGowan Production."

Directed by Robert F. McGowan

This credit appears in the film, but without his middle initial.

Assistant Director: Don Sandstrom

This credit derives from studio documentation.

Photographed by Art Lloyd and F. E. Hershey

This credit appears in the film.

Film Editor: Richard Currier

This credit appears in the film.

Story Editor: H. M. Walker

This credit appears in the film.

Recording Engineer: by Elmer Raguse

This credit appears in the film.

Story by Robert F. McGowan

This credit doesn't appear in the film.

Animal Trainer: Harry Lucenay

He was Pete's owner and trainer.

Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Indicated in the opening title card.

Passed by the National Board of Review

As indicated in the film.

A Victor Recording, Western Electric System

As indicated in the film.

studio personnel

general manager - Warren Doane

assistant general manager - L. A. French

secretary-treasurer - C. H. Roach

assistant secretary - Mat O'Brien

construction supervisor - C. E. Christensen

laboratory superintendent - Charles Levin

optical effects supervisor - Roy Seawright

still photographer - Clarence "Stax" Graves

transportation director - Bob Davis

school teacher - Fern Carter was probably away from the studio when this film was made. However, the payroll summaries reveal that she received her salary during this period.

possible uncredited involvement

cutting - Possibly Lloyd Campbell.

writing - Robert A. McGowan, Jean Yarbrough, Charlie Hall, Harry Keaton and Carl Harbaugh may have been among the gag writers.

property department - Charles Oelze, Don Sandstrom, Thomas Benton Roberts and Bob Saunders were probably involved in this capacity.

animal training - Tony Campanaro may have been among the animal trainers.

the kids:

Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins as "Wheezer"

Lead role. He feels unloved since the new baby arrived, so he decides to trade it in for a goat.

Mary Ann Jackson as "Mary"

Supporting role. She helps her mother to teach Wheezer a lesson.

Jerry Bensmiller

Supporting role. He's the baby brother, appearing in the early scenes and again at the end of the film. Listed by Maltin & Bann as Tommy Atkins. However, the resemblence is fairly slight. According to the June 1929 Standard casting directory, Tommy Atkins was two and a half years old by the time this film was made, while the baby in the film is still learning to walk. The studio payroll ledger solves this mystery.

Allen "Farina" Hoskins as "Farina"

Small part. He tells tall tales, and is spooked by the kids in the Halloween costumes.

Norman "Chubby" Chaney as "Chubby"

Small part. He wears the devil costume and scares Wheezer and Farina with his trick voice.

Jean Darling

Small part. She wears the clown costume and is the only other costumed kid with dialogue. This was her final appearance in the series.

Jackie Cooper

Small part. He and Bobby Mallon don't believe Farina's baloney. The cutting continuity mentions his full name, which is unusual for a kid who was still essentially in the peripheral of the gang.

Bobby Mallon

Small part. He's shown with Jackie Cooper.

Harry Spear as "Harry"

Small part. He wears the skeleton costume. This was his final appearance in the series.

Billy O'Brien

Small part. If all of the park scenes were filmed on the same day (July 9th), than this is the kid in the ghost costume, since his one day of work coincided with Cooper's and Mallon's one day of work. Otherwise, it might be that the Halloween sequence was shot on May 11th and the kid in the ghost costume is somebody named Billy Tilford (see adult section below).

questionable listing

Maltin & Bann list Joe Cobb, but he had left the series by this time. The press release mentions him a couple of times, but he wasn't in the payroll ledger during shooting.

the animals:

Pete (no. 1) as "Petey" aka "Pete"

Featured role. He's in almost every scene in the film, since he accompanies Wheezer throughout.

cat 080

Small part. The usual tabby cat is seen early on with a balloon tied to its tail, and is later present while the pancakes are being made.

Leo

Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film.

the adults:

Dora Dean as "Mrs. Dean," the kids' mother

Supporting role. She teaches Wheezer a lesson for trading the baby in for a goat.

Eddie Dunn as "Eddie," the kids' father

Small part. Like his wife, he neglects Wheezer in favor of the baby. Dunn was a writer at the studio who was making $100 a week. During his brief encounter with this production, his salary was charged to production S25, the Harry Langdon short "Sky Boy."

Lyle Tayo as the head nurse

Small part. She's the only nurse with dialogue, and takes part in the lesson-teaching.

Lee Lindsay and Edward J. Meese as the motorcycle cops

Small parts. Lindsay threatens to arrest Wheezer. Meese is there with him, playing "Tom." These two were the real deal, being actual Culver City police officers.

Ann Lewis, Shirley Claire and Donabelle Custer

Bit parts. These three women all worked on July 15th, the same day as Tayo. One of these would be the hospital receptionist, while the other two would be the additional nurses besides Tayo. Lewis also worked in the "traffic" scenes mentioned below.

other adults

Bit parts and extras.

(1.) The payroll ledger lists the following names for July 10th, on which the "traffic" scenes were shot. First, three names all making $10: A. Hartman, W. W. Schryer and G. W. Buett. These three are isolated from the remaining names, as though they were on their own call sheet. Whether or not there's anything significant about this isn't clear, but the relatively high wage would imply that they were more than mere extras. Perhaps they were the workers fixing the streetlamps. Then we have a very long list of names: Betty Buxton, Edith Dicus, Mrs. Blanche O'Brien, Edith Ellison, Clara Guiol, Ethel Hall, Evelyn Davidson, Hope Harper, Madeline Gottschick, Ham Kinsey, George Rogers, F. M. Watson, Harry Bowen, Thomas Bitzer, Gordon Dodds, Robert Edney, Jack Fox, Charley Lloyd, Harris Rogers, Tom Mintz, Harry Wild, Al Vaith, Tom Lawless, Sammy Brooks, Marjorie Wilson, F. G. Mullins and Betty Danko. Also listed is Ann Lewis, who came back on the 15th to play one of the nurses. All of these people played pedestrians and drivers, and made the standard $7.50 for their troubles, with a few exceptions. Wilson and Mullins only made $5 for some reason.

(2.) The ledger also lists somebody named Billy Tilford (listed in other ledgers at Billie Tilford) as working on July 11th. I have no idea who this is, but if the park scenes were divided into two shooting dates, then he might be the kid in the ghost costume. I think it's more likely, though, that he was an adult that ended up on the cutting room floor.

(3.) Somebody's voice, perhaps director McGowan's, is heard twice in the background. The first time is while the parents are cuddling with the baby, and the second time is when the mother and Mary Ann scheme to fool Wheezer.

in still images

(1.) Abraham Lincoln is shown in a portrait on the wall of the hospital, as revealed in a publicity photo.

(1.) A woman shown in the picture on top of the piano, as seen clearly in a publicity photo.

(2.) A worshipping Indian shown on a picture on the wall of the home, as seen clearly in a publicity photo.

(3.) Two women in two separate pictures on the wall of the baby room, as seen clearly in a publicity photo.

the music:

piece 093

This is the piano music heard very faintly while Wheezer is making pancakes.

music in alternate prints

"Good Old Days" by Leroy Shield

This opens the Blackhawk version, and is taken directly from "Helping Grandma" (no. 103).

"Yearning" by Leroy Shield

This closes the Blackhawk version, and is probably also taken from "Helping Grandma," since that film ends with this.

the locations:

Bacon's Pharmacy and Safeway Stores, Palms district, Los Angeles

This was located at 3568-3570 Motor Avenue. Wheezer repeatedly crosses Motor Avenue at Tabor Street, and this building is shown in the background with the word DRUGS boldly shown. It's also featured pretty strongly in "Dog Heaven" (no. 70) and shown (at night) in Charley Chase's "The Count Takes The Count." All four of the corners of this intersection are shown in this film. In the shot looking west at the northwest corner, we can see part of the house at 3563 Motor. Looking north in the establishing shot, we can see the top of Palms Elementary School in the background. This was located a block away on the southeast corner of Motor and Stilson (now Palms Boulevard). Also in this shot, we can see part of the house at 3545 Motor, which has since been replaced by an office building.

Media Park, Los Angeles

All of the scenes involving Farina take place in this park, as evidenced by the distinctive fountain, which can also be seen in "Thundering Fleas" (no. 51). The park forms a triangle on the city limit with Culver City between Venice Boulevard, South Canfield Avenue, and Putnam Avenue (now part of Culver Boulevard).

miscellaneous:

9 shooting dates went into the making of this film. Two weeks after shooting finished for "Lazy Days" (no. 92), the 'start' date arrived for "Bouncing Babies" on July 5th, the day after the Independence Day holiday. Shooting continued until the 'finish' date of July 15th. No shooting took place on July 7th or 14th, which were both Sundays. Robert F. McGowan directed on each of the shooting dates. After this, seven weeks passed before the Our Gang unit began filming "Moan & Groan, Inc." (no. 94) The studio was closed during four of those weeks.

The family scenes in the house were largely shot on July 8th, 11th, 12th and 13th. The scenes in the park were shot on July 9th - unless the Halloween portion of the park scenes were on a separate day, in which case the latter might have been filmed on the 11th. The scenes with the traffic and pedestrians were shot on July 10th. The scenes at the hospital were shot on July 15th. The remaining shooting dates probably focused on Wheezer's scenes with Pete.

The press release for this film played up the Halloween angle quite a lot: 'Hal Roach's Rascals were all equipped for Halloween Night long before the exciting holiday came around. In their latest Our Gang comedy, "Bouncing Babies," is a scene occuring on Halloween Night wherein all the Gang appear in fancy costumes. The costumes were made especially for the picture at the Hal Roach Studio in Culver City, and each Rascal was presented with a costume for keeps when the comedy was finished. Mary Ann Jackson will be a ghost on Halloween Night, Joe Cobb will be a rather rotund skeleton, Wheezer will be a little clown, Jean Darling a horrible devil, and Farina - well, Farina is going to stay home Halloween Night and make taffy. Harry Spear doesn't need to dress up for his Halloween fun, for nobody will see him if he can help it - after those gates are unhinged.'

A publicity photo shows Wheezer, Mary Ann (in nightshirt) and Pete all praying at the crib. While it's tempting to imagine a deleted scene in this case, it's probable that it was purely a publicity shot.

The press release for this film refers to the gang as a group of six, reflecting their status as The Six Roach Rascals a few months earlier. If we swap Joe Cobb for Chubby Chaney, then this number works fairly well, especially if we don't consider Jackie Cooper a regular member just yet.

The press release also mentions that Wheezer and Mary Ann were the only Gangsters who were still napping in the daytime at this point.

The press release also indicates that a specially-trained nurse was on duty at the studio all day.

The type of light bulbs Wheezer throws into the street are Edison Mazda Lamps, which were also used as a prop in "Railroadin'" (no. 90).

Publicity photos show a calendar at the hospital, which is turned to Friday, February 1. This means that it was a 1929 calendar, but why it was on that date is anybody's guess.

Reissue and early television prints titled this film "Bounding Babies."

The script received by MGM was given the catalog number B358.

See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.

© Robert Demoss.