technical details:
Production G-36.
Release no. C-214.
Filmed Dec. 11 to 21, 1935. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.
Title sheet prepared on February 13, 1936.
Cutting continuity submitted March 11, 1936.
Released January 4, 1936. It was the 141st film in the series to be released.
Copyrighted February 6, 1936, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP6139. Renewed
June 21, 1963, with registration no. R317579. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2031.
All-talking two-reeler.
Opening title: 'Hal Roach presents Our Gang in "The Pinch Singer".'
King World Productions episode no. 44b, available in both colorized and original black-and-white versions.
the crew:
- Produced by Hal Roach
- Credited in the film as a presenter.
- Directed by Fred Newmeyer
- This credit appears in the film.
- Photography: Art Lloyd, A. S. C.
- This credit appears in the film.
- Film Editor: Louis McManus
- This credit appears in the film.
- Sound: William Randall
- This credit appears in the film.
- Animal trainer: Tony Campanaro
- He trained the current Pete.
- Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Indicated in the opening title card.
- Passed by the National Board of Review
- As indicated in the film.
- Western Electric System
- As indicated in the film.
- Approved by the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America
- Certificate no. 1853.
- studio personnel
- general manager - Henry Ginsberg
- assistant general manager - L. A. French until early 1936
- secretary-treasurer - C. H. Roach
- assistant secretary - Mat O'Brien
- film editor and sound department - Elmer Raguse
- story department - Jack Jevne
- publicity and advertising - Fred Purner
- construction supervisor - C. E. Christensen
- property department - W. L. Stevens
- laboratory superintendent - Charles Levin
- process department - Roy Seawright
- still photographer - Bud "Stax" Graves
- musical director - Marvin Hatley
- makeup department - Jack Casey
- hairdressing - Peggy Zardo
- transportation director - Bob Davis
- school teacher - Fern Carter
- possible uncredited involvement
- assistant direction - Probably Gordon Douglas.
- writing - Hal Yates, Carl Harbaugh, Charlie Hall, Hal Law, John Guedel,
Frank Tashlin, Harry Langdon and Gordon Douglas may have been among the gag writers.
- property department - Charles Oelze was probably
involved in this capacity.
- titles - Louis McManus probably designed the main titles.
- animation effects - Probably the work of Roy Seawright.
the kids:
- Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as "Alfalfa"
- Lead role. He fails the audition for the radio contest, but ends up replacing Darla and winning.
- George "Spanky" McFarland as "Spanky"
- Featured role. He's the leader of the gang and organizes the audition.
- Darla Hood as "Darla"
- Supporting role. She wins the audition, but shows up late for the radio contest and is replaced by Alfalfa.
- Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas as "Buckwheat"
- Supporting role. He fools the kids into thinking he can whistle.
- Billy Minderhout
- Supporting role. Listed by Maltin & Bann as Billy Winderlout. This is the blonde boy who recites.
- Eugene "Porky" Lee
- Small part. The nickname wasn't used in this film. He operates the record player for Buckwheat.
- Harold Switzer as "Harold"
- Small part. He provides accordion accompaniment for Alfalfa and Darla.
- Jackie Morrow, Harry McCabe and Betty Cox
- Small part. This is The Plantion Trio, who are probably also The Dixie Trio, as the announcer uses both names. Morrow
is the one on the right.
- Warner, Wolfgang and George Weidler
- Small parts. They play The Boy Saxophone Players. Warner is the oldest, Wolfgang the middle boy, and George
the youngest. Wolfgang was later known as Walt Weidler.
- Jerry Tucker
- Small part. He has very little dialogue, and is mostly an ensemble player in the clubhouse scenes.
- Sidney Kibrick
- Small part. He also has a bit of dialogue, but is mostly part of the ensemble.
- Rex Downing
- Small part. He's given a little dialogue, but is mostly part of the ensemble.
- Dickie Jones
- Small part. He's one of The Famous Broadway Artists, the second boy from the left.
- girl 143
- Small part. She's the Broadway dancers shown in the shot with Dickie Jones.
- Gloria Brown
- Small part. Not listed by Maltin & Bann. She's to the left of Dickie Jones during the Broadway number.
- Betsy Gay
- Small part. A casting directory credits her with appearing in this film, and it appears that she's at
the far right during the Broadway number.
- Peggy Lynch
- Small part. She's entirely part of the ensemble until her closeup while on the phone.
- boy 136
- Small part. He's also part of the ensemble until his phone closeup.
- Paul Hilton
- Small part. He's another kid that only emerges from the crowd during the phone scene.
- John Collum
- Extra. He's seen in all of the shots of the kids reacting to the auditions.
- Kay Frye
- Extra. She appears to be the girl sitting in front and to the left during the auditions.
- Marianne Edwards
- Extra. She's seen in the same group shots during the auditions. This was her final appearance in the series.
- Daniel Boone
- Extra. He's seen in the very back towards the right side in the group shots during the auditions.
- Dickie DeNeut
- Extra. He's one of the club, but is only noticeable as the kids walk away from the radio.
- Barbara Goodrich
- Extra. Not listed by Maltin & Bann. She's at the far right side in back during the kiddie auditions
- Leonard Kibrick
- He's not in the film, but appears in a couple of publicity photos taken on the set and involving a bass fiddle.
- Donald Proffitt
- He appears in the same publicity photos with Kibrick.
- Mildred Kornman
- Extra. The payroll ledger indicates that she worked in this film. In the shot of the audience applauding after Alfalfa's number, she appears to be the
one young girl among them.
- other kids
- Small parts, bit parts and extras. Maltin & Bann list a few names that I'm not familiar with,
including Junior Kavanaugh. They also list Delmar Watson and Dorian Johnston, who I don't think are in the film.
Among the notable additional kids in this film are:
- (1.) The remaining members of The Famous Broadway Artists, including one girl and four boys, one of whom is the
singer. Maltin & Bann list them as Bud Murray's Dancers.
- (2.) A handful of additional kids in the gang's club, numbering perhaps two additional boys and two additional girls.
the animals:
- Pete the Pup IV
- Supporting role. He handles the gong during the auditions. A studio press release describes Pete IV being
visited on the set by his son, Pete the Pup V. The idea was to give Pete V some preparation for eventually replacing his
father in the series. At the time of "Our Gang Follies Of 1938" (no. 162), Pete IV was still the dog
used in the films, so it's probable that Pete V never did replace his father.
- Leo
- Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film.
- other animals
- Bit parts. There are two mules in the gang's clubhouse.
the adults:
- Blair Davies as the radio announcer
- Supporting role. He's seen announcing the acts and trying to take Alfalfa's briefcase.
- Bill Madsen as one of the pages
- Supporting role. I'm assuming that Maltin & Bann are referring to the page that hands the phone
results to the announcer.
- Marvin Hatley as "Marvin," the conductor
- Small part. He's seen conducting the orchestra in the radio studio.
- David Sharpe as one of the pages
- Small part. He's the page that tells Alfalfa that it's time to go on.
- Eddie Craven as the elevator boy
- Bit part. He's seen very briefly.
- Charlie Hall as the druggist, and as a member of the audience
- Bit part. He's barely noticeable in the drug store, and I haven't spotted him in the audience.
- Lester Dorr as an audience member
- Extra. He's shown to the far right in the longshot of the audience.
- other adults
- Small parts, bit parts and extras.
- (1.) Eight additional musicians in the orchestra.
- (2.) The receptionist and six operators, one of whom is presumably Gail Goodson, who Maltin & Bann
credit with playing the information girl.
- (3.) Probably at least 30 audience members, one of whom is listed by Maltin & Bann as Chet Brandenberg,
but I don't know which one.
- (4.) Four people in the elevator and walking out of it, as well as a few more in the drug store.
the music:
- "Good Old Days" by Leroy Shield
- Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931.
- (A15.) This is played over the opening titles and as the kids listen to the radio. Half of it is repeated as
Alfalfa gongs Spanky and the end title appears.
- "Beyond The Rainbow" by Leroy Shield
- This is heard briefly over the radio until Spanky shuts it off.
- "On The Road To California"
- Originated by the Mormons, reportedly after their expulsion from Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846. Sung to the
tune of "Old Dan Tucker." In this film, it's partially sung by Alfalfa three separate times.
- "The Whistler And His Dog" by Arthur Pryor
- Published in 1905. In this film, a record is played containing this piece, while Buckwheat pretends to be
the whistler on the record.
- "I'm In The Mood For Love" by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields
- Published in 1935. This was a number one hit for Little Jack Little & His Orchestra that same year.
In this film it's sung by Darla at the audition, and then by Alfalfa at the radio station. Danny DeVito and Rhea
Perlman used a recording of Alfalfa singing this as their wedding song.
- "Good Morning Children" by T. Marvin Hatley
- Copyrighted Jan. 2, 1934. This is performed by The Boy Saxophone Players.
- "Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue" by Ray Henderson, Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young
- Also known as "Five Foot Two (Has Anybody Seen My Gal?)." Published in 1925. This
was a number one hit for Gene Austin in 1926. In this film, it's sung by The Plantation Trio.
- "Broadway Melody" by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
- Lyrics by Freed and music by Brown. Published in 1929. Ben Selvin & His Orchestra had a number three
hit with this song that same year. In this film, it's performed by The Famous Broadway Artists.
miscellaneous:
Ten shooting dates went into the making of this film. Over two weeks had passed since shooting finished for "Divit Diggers" (no. 142). Shooting
for "The Pinch Singer" started on Dec. 11th and continued until Dec. 21st. There was no shooting on Dec. 15th, which was a Sunday.
Somewhere around this time, Hal Roach brought Paul Dominick into the Our Gang fold. Sort of. Paul Dominick was the
mascot of the 1935 National League pennant-winning Chicago Cubs. Roach saw a photo of him and decided that his seven year
search for a replacement for Joe Cobb had ended. Reportedly, medical science had seen to it that the type of childhood
obesity seen in kids like Joe and Chubby had become quite rare by 1936, but Paul was a notably rotund little fellow. The
fact that he doesn't seem to have ended up in any of the films would suggest that he didn't have the talent to
warrant his inclusion in the cast. But they did take a few photos, and we can narrow down the time period by the fact that
Darla is blonde in these.
From the press release: "One youngster in about 1500 of those who seek to join the gang is ever chosen for
this honor. Most are too large, too unnatural, too spoiled, too precocious or too something else. A few of them who do
possess talent of a kind and other qualifications lack in screen personality. Others may be so artificial in their speech
and manners that they are unsuitable. For this film, Gus Meins interviewed sixty juvenile applicants who sought extra work
in the picture. Of this number, he singled out seven youngsters who seemed to have some possibilities. But when he gave
them a scene to enact with Spanky, Darla and other regular members of his little troupe, they unconsciously displayed
their respective weaknesses and were released. One of them became tongue-tied in front of the cameras. Another -
an attractive little girl with big brown eyes and long curls - exhibited an affectation that she did not show when she
was being interviewed. Still another pretty girl, about five years of age, cried lustily when approached by members of the
Gang during a scene. The remainder of the kids were a total loss as potential actors."
The script submitted to MGM was given the catalog number B593.
The gang's club is called the Eagles Club in this film.
availability:
- The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 11
(VHS) from Cabin Fever and
- The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Volume
Two (4 LD set) from Cabin Fever
- Released July 6, 1994. Also released as part of 12 VHS boxed set. This is a complete original print with
excellent picture quality. The total footage lasts 17:13. This version has appeared on numerous bootlegs. There's
also a clip lasting 0:05 included in the opening advertisement of all the Cabin Fever VHS releases, showing the final
shot of Alfalfa, Darla and Spanky.
- The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 11 &
Vol. 12 (DVD) from Cabin Fever
- Same contents as the Cabin Fever VHS releases. Also released as part of
The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited (6 DVD
set).
- The Little Rascals: Pinch Singer/Framing
Youth (VHS) from
Republic Pictures Home Video
- Released May 1991. This is a home movie print from Blackhawk. The opening title is remade, but the crew
credits and end title are original. The picture quality is very good. The original footage totals 16:53, but the
original soundtrack lasts an additional 0:12.
- The Little Rascals Book XXII (VHS)
from Blackhawk Video
- This is the Blackhawk print.
- The Little Rascals - The Complete Collection
(8 DVD set) from Genius Products
- Released late Oct. 2008. This is the Blackhawk print. There are also three clips from this film shown in
the main menu, and a clip included in the documentary The Story Of Hal Roach And Our Gang.
- Little Rascals Varieties (VHS/DVD)
from GoodTimes Home Video
- Included as part of
Our Gang Collector Series 4 Pack (4 DVD
set) released Mar. 21, 2001 and
Our Gang Collector Series 5 Pack (5 DVD
set) released Mar. 2004. The latter was also released as a 5 VHS set in Feb. 2002. Also included as part of
The Best Of Our Gang Volume 2 (DVD)
released June 1, 2004. A clip lasting 0:08 is included as part of the opening titles, showing the Broadway dancers.
Later, almost the entire film is included, entitled "The Amateurs," and lasting 15:42.
- Rascal Dazzle (VHS/LD) from
Embassy Home Entertainment
- Original film released 1981. Video released 1984. Five clips from this film are included. The first,
included in the opening montage, lasts 0:06, and shows a closeup of Pete. The second lasts 0:23, and shows the
saxophone trio, with narration added. The third lasts 1:06, and shows Darla singing "I'm In The Mood For
Love," but 0:39 worth of this is sound only, since clips of other films are shown in a montage. The fourth lasts
0:37, and shows Alfalfa singing on the radio. The fifth lasts 1:04, and shows the tapdancers.
- The Our Gang Story (VHS/DVD) from
GoodTimes Home Video
- VHS released 1994. DVD released May 21, 2002. Also included as part of
Our Gang Collector Series 4 Pack (4 DVD
set), released Mar. 21, 2001,
Our Gang Collector Series 5 Pack (5
VHS/DVD set), released Feb. 2002 (VHS) and Mar. 2004 (DVD), and
The Best Of Our Gang Volume 1 (DVD)
released June 1, 2004. A clip lasting 0:38 is included in the introduction, showing Buckwheat's whistling routine.
Three more clips are included, lasting 0:10, 0:11, and 0:35 respectively, also from the whistling scene, with
narration added. One more clip lasting 0:13 is included, taken from the theatrical trailer for "Little Rascals
Varieties", with narration added.
- Superstars Of Our Gang (DVD) from
Legend Films
- Released Mar. 27, 2007. Also included as part of
The Little Rascals In Color! (3 DVD set).
Footage from this film is included in the theatrical trailer for "Little Rascals Varieties."
See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.