Shivering Shakespeare

film no. 95

availability:

The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 19 (VHS) from Cabin Fever and
The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Volume Four (3 LD set) from Cabin Fever: Released 1995. This is a nearly original print, including the MGM lion, but the MGM logo and the Our Gang name are obscured from the opening titles. The picture quality is excellent. The film lasts a total of 20:19. This version has appeared on numerous bootlegs.
The Little Rascals Comedy Classics Vol. 2 (VHS) from Republic Pictures Home Video: Released Apr. 1991. This is a home movie print from Blackhawk. The opening titles and crew credits are remade, and the end title derives from another source. The original footage totals 19:53.
The Little Rascals Book XIII (VHS) from Blackhawk Video: This is the Blackhawk print.
Rascal Dazzle (VHS/LD) from Embassy Home Entertainment: Original film released 1981. Video released 1984. Four clips from this film are included, all with music added. The first clip, lasting 0:02, shows a woman getting hit with a pie. The second clip, lasting 0:07, shows Allen Cavan, and directly follows the previous clip. Another clip, lasting 0:03, shows a man getting hit with a pie, while the last clip, lasting 0:28, shows several people getting hit with pies.

technical details:

Production G-29.

Dialogue sheet submitted by H. M. Walker on September 27, 1929.

Filmed September 30 to October 12, 1929. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.

Title sheet sheet prepared by H. M. Walker on October 30, 1929.

Copyrighted December 17, 1929, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP920. Renewed December 19, 1956, with registration no. R182608. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2024.

Cutting continuity submitted to MGM on December 19, 1929. This piece of information is puzzling, since the continuity would have been sent by MGM to the U. S. Copyright Office two days earlier. Perhaps the film had been reedited after previewing.

Released January 25, 1930. It was the 95th film in the series to be released.

All-talking two-reeler. (In actuality, there is a little bit of silent footage in this film.)

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

King World Productions episode no. 9, available in both colorized and original black-and-white versions.

the crew:

Produced by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach: This is the way Maltin & Bann put it. The film credits Roach as a presenter, with a separate credit reading "A Robert McGowan Production."
Supervised by Robert F. McGowan: This credit appears in the film. Maltin & Bann don't include it in their crew listing, but Maltin did in his earlier book, The Great Movie Shorts.
Directed by Anthony Mack: This credit appears in the film. Mack was actually Robert A. (for Anthony) McGowan, the nephew of Robert F.
Photographed by Art Lloyd and Harry Gerstad: Lloyd is credited in the film. Studio documentation credits both Lloyd and Gerstad.
Film Editor: Richard Currier: This credit appears in the film.
Story Editor: H. M. Walker: This credit appears in the film. Studio documentation credits him with the dialogue.
Story by Robert F. McGowan: This credit doesn't appear in the film.
Recording Engineer: Elmer Raguse: Not listed by Maltin & Bann. This credit appears in the film.
Props by Bob Saunders: Revealed in the publicity photo shown in Maltin & Bann's book.
Animal Trainer: Harry Lucenay: He was Pete's owner and trainer.
Teacher: Fern Carter
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
possible uncredited involvement

the kids:

Norman "Chubby" Chaney as "Chubby" aka "Norman": Featured role. He plays "Nero" in the play, as well as an old man among the shepherds. He keeps lifting his robe to remember his lines.
Allen "Farina" Hoskins: Featured role. He plays "Farinacus" in the play and has quite a lot of the dialogue. He's listed in the cutting continuity as "Farina."
Mary Ann Jackson: Featured role. According to the dialogue sheet, she plays "Queen Maryannica," but the cutting continuity states that her character is "Mary Annicus." Usually, though, it lists her simply as "Mary Ann." She's given a lot of the dialogue in this film.
Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins: Featured role. The nickname doesn't show up in this dialogue, but is indicated in the cutting continuity. He plays Mary Annicus's youthful brother, and is featured fairly strongly in the film.
Jackie Cooper: Supporting role. His big scene is as the Christian who gets arrested. Listed as 'Jack' in the dialogue sheet.
Fletcher "Rusty" Tolbert: Small part. He's the boy in the "Ursus" costume early in the film, and later wears the lion costume. This would mean that Mickey Daniels is not in the film, as listed by Maltin & Bann.
Jerry McGowan: Small part. She's the dancing girl that gets the egg in her face.
Edith Fellows: Small part. She's the little girl who gets scared when Kennedy is in the elephant costume.
Jack McHugh: Small part. He's the teenager among the five boys that throw food at the stage.
Gordon Thorpe: Small part. He's the kid that warns the others that they'll all grow up to be rowdies. Listed in the cutting continuity as 'Effeminate boy.'
Donald Haines: Small part. He first plays a shepherd, and then a guard, with his visor repeatedly falling over his eyes. This was his series debut. He's identified in the cutting continuity as "Donny."
Johnny Aber: Small part. He sits to the far right among the troublemakers at the back of the theater.
Malcolm Sebastion as the court magician: Small part. Maltin & Bann spell his name Malcom Sebastian in the cast listing, but then spell his first name Malcolm in the text. Classic Images magazine reveals that his last name had been changed to Sebastion after having originally been Sabiston. He's the kid in the wizard costume.
Georgie Billings: Small part. He's the littlest boy among the shepherds, and later among the guards. This was his series debut.
Douglas Greer: Bit part. Maltin & Bann indicate that he plays "Turkie Egg," but this name wasn't used in the film. It appears, with different spelling, in a casting directory, where he's listed as Dougie "Turkey Egg" Greer. In this film, he controls the curtains.
Bradley "Buster" Slaven: Extra. He plays both a shepherd and a guard, and is best seen standing to the left of Mary Ann as she kneels before Nero.
Bobby Mallon: Extra. He's seen only in the background, and plays both a shepherd and a guard.
other kids: Supporting roles and small parts. At least five additional kids take part in the play, most notably the spy who arrests Jackie and the tall kid who pokes Mary Ann with a sword. Three more bad kids throw food, most notably the blonde kid among the bad boys, sitting front and left, who looks similar to boy 082. Maltin & Bann list Buddy Moore, but I haven't familiarized myself with him yet.

the animals:

Pete the Pup (no. 1): Small part. He's shown in the scene with the shepherds, and briefly has a gag with a beard and moustache. Studio publicity for this film refers to him as 'Pete the dog,' while the cutting continuity calls him "Petie."
Leo: Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film.
other animals: Bit parts.
(1.) Two goats, including the one that butts Farina.
(2.) The goose passed off as a peacock.

the adults:

Gertrude Sutton as "Mrs. Funston Evergreen Kennedy": Featured role. She's the one that wrote the play and directs it.
Edgar Kennedy as "Mr. Kennedy" aka "Kennedy the Cop": Featured role. He handles various backstage duties, as well as playing "Ursus" during the scene with the bull. He also plays the elephant, and according to documentation, the lion, though this latter role is clearly not the case.
Lyle Tayo as Chubby's mom: Supporting role. She repeatedly reprimands her son for lifting his robe.
Carlton Griffin as the man inside the bull costume: Small part. According to Maltin & Bann. His face is never seen.
Dorothy Coburn as one of the pie-sellers: Bit part. Not listed by Maltin & Bann. She's the one that names off the various types of pie for sale.
Charles McAvoy as a member of the audience: Bit part. He's the one whose son is hit with a pie.
Allen Cavan as a member of the audience: Bit part. He's the man who resents it.
Ham Kinsey as a member of the audience: Bit part. He's hit by the pie thrown by Chubby.
woman 087 as a member of the audience: Bit part. This is the middle-aged woman who gets hit with a pie.
Harry Keaton as a member of the audience: Bit part. He's hit by a pie and licks his lips afterward. He greatly resembles his brother Buster.
Helen Gilmore as a member of the audience: Extra. She's the woman sitting behind Lyle Tayo.
other adults: Bit parts and extras.
(1.) The remaining women selling pies, numbering perhaps three.
(2.) The second man in the bull costume.
(3.) The five musicians, which include members of the Happy-Go-Lucky Trio: Vern Trimble, Art Stephenson and Marvin Hatley. Hatley is presumably the one at the piano.
(4.) Probably at least forty more audience members. Maltin & Bann list Charles Lloyd (replacing Charles Young from the 1977 edition of their book) and Retta Palmer. I still need to familiarize myself with their faces, though.

the music:

"That Old Gang Of Mine" by Ray Henderson: Written in 1923 with lyrics by Billy Rose and Mort Dixon. This is an instrumental version that's played over the opening titles of the Cabin Fever version, but not the Blackhawk print, suggesting that it's not an original part of the film.
"Good Old Days" by Leroy Shield: This is played over the opening and end titles of the Blackhawk version.
"The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II: Written in 1867 and originally titled "On The Beautiful Blue Danube." Also known as "Blue Danube Waltz." The cacophonous orchestra plays this during the dancing scene.
other music: The only remaining music in this film is the bit of bugle playing by Gordon Thorpe.

miscellaneous:

12 shooting dates went into the making of this film. Two weeks after shooting finished for "Moan & Groan, Inc." (no. 94), the 'start' date arrived for "Shivering Shakespeare" on Sep. 30th. Presumably, these two weeks had been used for writing, since Walker's dialogue sheet was submitted on Sep. 27th. Shooting continued until the 'finish' date of Oct. 12th. No shooting took place on Sep. 29th or Oct. 6th, which were both Sundays. Anthony Mack directed on each of the shooting dates. After this, two weeks passed before the Our Gang unit began to film "The First Seven Years" (no. 96).

The play is called "The Gladiator's Dilemma" and is based on "Quo Vadis." The fictitious venue where it's being performed is Gamut Hall, and the date of the performance is Thursday, February 18th. Proceeds were to benefit the Children's Audobon Society. The play is enacted by pupils of B. Grade, Liberty School. This is according to the poster shown at the beginning of the film, which also credits Mrs. Kennedy with authoring the play, 'with acknowledgment of excerpts from Shakespeare, Confucius, Aristophanes, Bacon, Cervantes and Irwin S. Cobb.' An earlier version of this was 'with acknowledgement to excerpts from Shakespeare, Confucius, Aristophanes, Bugs Baer and Irvin Cobb.'

According to the press release, 200 custard pies were ordered by McGowan.

According to the press release, Mary Ann loved wearing the blonde wig and took it home with her at night. The boys weren't too keen on wearing what they considered to be dresses.

The first reel ends after the dancing girl gets egged.

According to studio documentation, this film ran twenty minutes and eight seconds.

The script submitted to MGM was given the catalog number B595.

©May 5, 2005, by Robert Demoss.
2005 updates: 5/16, 7/4, 7/9, 8/30, 12/19.
2006 updates: 1/4, 2/11, 4/3, 5/16, 6/23, 7/1, 10/25.
2007 updates: 4/1, 10/22.
2008 updates: 1/19, 7/6, 7/12, 7/20.

Thanks to Rob Stone, Joe Moore and Paul Mular for assistance on this page.