A Tough Winter

film no. 99

availability:

The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 20 (VHS) from Cabin Fever and
The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Volume Four (3 LD set) from Cabin Fever: Released 1995. This is a complete original print with excellent picture quality. The footage totals 20:22. This version has appeared on numerous bootlegs. There's also a clip lasting 0:03 included in the opening advertisement on all of the Cabin Fever VHS releases, which shows Mary Ann wiping taffy from her eye. There's also a clip lasting 0:01 included in the opening montage of all the Cabin Fever releases, which shows Mary Ann at the stove.
The Little Rascals Book XIX (VHS) from Blackhawk Video: This is a home movie print from Blackhawk. The opening title is remade, but the special title for Fetchit, the crew credits and the end title are original. The MGM and Our Gang names are blacked out. The picture quality is very good. The original footage totals 20:12.

technical details:

Production G-33.

Dialogue sheet submitted by H. M. Walker on January 24, 1930.

Filmed January 27 to February 15, 1930. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.

Also filmed in French as "Temps d'Hiver," and in German as "Winter Wetter," both with the same production number. The French version was 1,824 ft, while the German version was 1,859 ft. In the German dialogue sheet, the title is spelled "Winterwetter."

Title sheet prepared by H. M. Walker on February 26, 1930.

Cutting continuity submitted March 29, 1930.

Copyrighted April 14, 1930, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP1219. Renewed June 24, 1957, with registration no. R194354. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2025.

Released June 21, 1930. It was the 99th film in the series to be released, and the last of the 1929/30 season.

All-talking two-reeler.

Opening title: '"Our Gang" Comedies - Hal Roach presents His Rascals in "A Tough Winter".'

Opening title in French version: '"Notre Clique" Comedies - Hal Roach presente Ses polissons Dans "Temps d'Hiver".'

Opening title in German version: '"Unsere Rangen" - Lustspiele - Hal Roach bringt Seine Schelme in "Winter Wetter".'

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." This credit also appears in the foreign versions.
Directed by Robert F. McGowan: This credit appears in the film, but without his middle initial. He's also credited in the foreign versions.
Photographed by Art Lloyd: This credit appears in the film. He's also credited in the foreign versions.
Edited by Richard Currier: This credit appears in the film. He's also credited in the foreign versions.
Dialogue by H. M. Walker: This credit appears in the film. Walker receives credit as story editor in studio documentation. He's also credited in the foreign versions.
Story by Robert F. McGowan: This credit doesn't appear in the film.
Recording engineered by Elmer Raguse: Not listed by Maltin & Bann. This credit appears in the film. He's also credited in the foreign versions.
German language coach: Mrs. Helena Baden: This is revealed by a press photograph.
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
possible uncredited involvement

the kids:

Allen "Farina" Hoskins as "Farina": Featured role. He has most of the interaction with Fetchit and is involved in a number of the taffy gags.
Mary Ann Jackson as "Mary": Featured role. She makes the taffy and then recruits Fetchit to help clean up. It appears that her character name in the German version was "Marie," since this is penciled into the cutting continuity a few times.
Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins as "Wheezer": Featured role. He's Mary Ann's brother, and gives her the taffy instructions from a radio program.
Jackie Cooper: Supporting role. He's also Mary Ann's brother and is essentially the leader of the gang of boys throwing snowballs.
Norman "Chubby" Chaney: Supporting role. The nickname wasn't used in this film. He has a virtually silent role, and has occasional gags, apparently vomiting at one point, and being puzzled by the rewired gadgets at the end.
Beverly Parrish: Small part. She's the brunette girl that helps Mary in the kitchen. Apparently, she died on February 27th, twelve days after shooting wrapped on this film.
boy 093: Small part. He's the toddler that's given a few closeups here and there. Maltin & Bann list him as Tommy Atkins, but I think this is probably incorrect. He's identified in the cutting continuity only as 'baby.'
boy 099: Small part. He's the boy in shorts and knee socks that gets stuck to the floor.
Warner Weidler: Small part. He's the smaller of the two boys pulling the taffy off of the floor lamp. Listed by Maltin & Bann as Werner.
Wolfgang Weidler: Small part. According to Maltin & Bann. Deductive reasoning leads me to presume that he's the older boy with Warner, since this same boy appears in "Pups Is Pups" (no. 100), for which the authors also list Wolfgang.
other kids: Small parts.
(1.) One additional boy throwing snowballs and joining in on the taffy pull.
(2.) The blonde girl that helps in the kitchen.

the animals:

Pete the Pup (no. 1) as "Petie": Supporting role. He accompanies Wheezer through most of the film, and barks at the rewired gadgets. This was the original Pete's final appearance in the series. The spelling of his nickname derives from the cutting continuity. He's identified as "Pete, le cabot" in the French continuity.
Dinah the Mule: Small part. Not listed by Maltin & Bann. She pulls Stepin's wagon.
cat 080: Bit part. This is the tabby that's cornered by the taffy.
cat 060: Bit part. This is one of Stepin's two cats.
dog 087b: Bit part. This is Stepin's dog, and is seen following the wagon, and later in Stepin's house.
Leo: Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film.
other animals: Bit parts and extras.
(1.) Stepin's black cat.
(2.) Stepin's two chickens.
(3.) Stepin's two goats.
(4.) Stepin's goose.
(5.) The fake mouse.

the adults:

Stepin Fetchit as "Stepin" aka "Step": Lead role. He receives on-screen credit on a separate title card. He's featured very strongly through most of the film, mostly getting others to do his work for him.
Lyle Tayo as "Miss Radio," the radio announcer: Small part. According to Maltin & Bann. It sounds like her, but I can't tell for sure. Studio documentation states that the kids are listening to "Aunt Polly" over Station ZZZ, and that Wheezer calls her "Mrs. Radio."
Abraham Lincoln: He's shown in a portrait on the wall of Fetchit's home.
other adults: Bit parts.
(1.) The telephone operator.
(2.) The mailman.
(3.) The man in the newspaper photograph next to Farina's head as he reads the letter.

the music:

piece 099a: This is played during the opening scenes and continues until the letter arrives.
piece 099b: This is the song that Stepin sings and hums as he undresses. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.
piece 099c: This is the piece that begins as Stepin starts dancing and continues at least until the end of the scene.
piece 099d: This is the impromptu tune that Stepin sings as he dances. The lyrics consist of 'oh no it ain't oh yes it is.'
piece 099e: This may be a continuation of piece 099c, but it's played during the first part of the cooking scene.
piece 098a: This is played from about the halfway point in the cooking scene until the taffy pull is finished.
piece 099f: This is what Stepin sings as he arrives at the house. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.
"For No Reason At All" by Hal E. Rice: This is played from the time Stepin arrives for the cleanup until Chubby gets sprinkled by the fireplace log.
"That Old Gang Of Mine" by Ray Henderson: Written in 1923 with lyrics by Billy Rose and Mort Dixon. An instrumental version is played over the refrigerator-turned-radio, and gets louder as the door is opened, and continues through the end title. The Blackhawk print also plays this piece over the opening titles.

miscellaneous:

18 shooting dates went into the making of this film. Presumably, most of January was committed to formulating the scenario for this film, though the Our Gang unit did deviate long enough to shoot retakes for "Bear Shooters" (no. 98) on Jan. 21st. The letter shown in the film is dated Jan. 12, 1929, which may mean that Walker wrote it himself on that date in 1930, but like most of us in January, hadn't gotten used to writing in the new year just yet. Walker's dialogue sheet for "A Tough Winter" was submitted on Jan. 24th, and the 'starting' date for shooting arrived on Jan. 27th. Shooting continued until the 'finish' date of Feb. 15th. No shooting took place on Jan. 26th, Feb. 2nd, or Feb. 9th, which were all Sundays. After this, nine weeks passed before the Our Gang unit began shooting "Pups Is Pups" (no. 100). The studio was closed for four of those weeks.

The press release for this film mentions that a previous episode had been made in Spanish which went over big, so they decided to make the next one in German and French. This supports the idea that previous episodes were NOT made in German and French and that "A Tough Winter" was not made in Spanish.

This film was basically a pilot film for an unrealized Stepin Fetchit series. Originally, eight Our Gang films were to be released in the 1929/30 film season, and this one was added on at the end of the season as a ninth episode.

In the category of unseen characters is "Miss Maybelle Cordelia Lee," the woman who sent the letter to Stepin from Memphis, Tennessee. The dialogue sheet for this film reveals that she lived at 1117 Sewanee River Road. In the original story sheet for the film, her name was "Annabelle Florabelle Maybelle Johnson," also from Memphis. In the German dialogue sheet, her name is "Mariabella Cordelia Lee."

Fetchit mumbles as he sings a song while undressing. These are the words written by Walker as found on the dialogue sheet:
Yaller gals tells me ah's sweet as honey
Ah gets gals without havin' money
Jus' like bees they buzz an' buzz
Ah got it an' tis an' was!
Here's the way it reads in the cutting continuity:
Yella' gal says Ah was sweet as honey.
Ah git gals without no money.
Jus' like bees aroun' they buzz,
'Cause Ah got 'it' an' tis an' wuz.
Ah went down to the rivah.
Ah went down to the - -
While it's apparent that Fetchit didn't follow Walker's lyrics that closely, I believe the person who prepared the continuity misheard some of them. Here's what it sounds like to me:
Yella' gals say Ah's sweet as honey
Ah git a gal without no money
Jus' like bees aroun' they buzz,
'Cause Ah got 'it' an' tis an' wuz.
Goin' down to the rivah
Goin' down to the - -
Fetchit sings some lyrics later in the film as well. This is how they look in the cutting continuity:
That gal in Alabamy - an' G'orgia an' Tennessee
but the gal in Tennessee
In this case, the accuracy is clearly way off. This is what it sounds like to me:
Not the one in Alabama, Georgia, Birmingham,
But that gal o' mine in Tennessee...

According to the press release, snow was present at the studio for two weeks.

Among the products used in this film are Lux detergent and a Eureka Heating Pad.

Reel one ends as Mary Ann pores the 'taffy' into a larger pan.

The press release for this film states that the story takes place in Gangtown.

The script submitted to MGM was given the catalog number B652.

This film was removed from King World's TV package in the early 70s.

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

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