Second Childhood

film no. 144

availability:

The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 17 (VHS) from Cabin Fever and
The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Volume Three (4 LD set) from Cabin Fever: Released 1995. This is a complete original print with excellent picture quality. The total footage lasts 18:57. This version has appeared on numerous bootlegs.
The Little Rascals Two Reelers Vol. 3 (VHS) from Spotlite Video: This is a home movie print from Blackhawk, but with the company name blacked out. It was also included as part of a 6 VHS boxed set. The opening title is remade, but the crew credits and end title are original. The picture quality is very good. The original footage totals 18:40, but the original soundtrack lasts an additional 0:10.
The Little Rascals Book XX (VHS) from Blackhawk Video: This is the Blackhawk print.
The Best Of The Little Rascals (LD) from Republic Pictures Home Video: Released 1989. This is the Blackhawk print.
Rascal Dazzle (VHS/LD) from Embassy Home Entertainment: Original film released 1981. Video released 1984. A clip lasting 2:38 is included, showing Spanky entering the house to get his airplane. This is directly followed by a clip lasting 2:01, showing the kids singing with Grandma. Both clips have music and narration added.
The Little Rascals Clay Animation (VHS): The claymation version has appeared on various homemade VHS tapes and DVDs on eBay.

technical details:

Production G-37.

Filmed probably in mid-winter 1936.

Title sheet prepared on February 13, 1936.

Cutting continuity submitted March 11, 1936.

Copyrighted March 17, 1936, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP6234. Renewed June 21, 1963, with registration no. R317582. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2031.

Released April 11, 1936. It was the 144th film in the series to be released.

All-talking two-reeler.

Opening title: 'Hal Roach presents Our Gang in "Second Childhood".'

The soundtrack for this film was used for A Little Rascals Color Special made by King-World Productions and presented by Charles King. The resultant film, using puppet animation, was one of five episodes refashioned this way, which were intended to be marketed as a television series that never came to be.

King World Productions episode no. 25, 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 Gus Meins: This credit appears in the film.
Photography: Francis Corby, A. S. C.: This credit appears in the film.
Film Editor: Louis McManus: This credit appears in the film.
Sound: William Randall: Not listed by Maltin & Bann. This credit appears in the film.
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. 1936.
studio personnel
possible uncredited involvement

the kids:

George "Spanky" McFarland as "Spanky": Featured role. He's the leader among the kids and has most of the dialogue.
Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as "Alfalfa" aka "Carl": Featured role. He's featured almost as much as Spanky, as the two of them spend quite a lot of the film alone with Tilbury. She absentmindedly calls him "Carl" at one point.
Dickie De Nuet: Supporting role. His name doesn't turn up in the dialogue, but the cutting continuity refers to him as "Dickie." He teaches Grandma good manners.
Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas: Small part. The nickname doesn't turn up in the dialogue, but the cutting continuity includes it. He waters the lawn.
Darla Hood: Small part. Her name doesn't turn up in the dialogue, but the cutting continuity includes it. She gathers flowers.
Eugene "Porky" Lee as "Porky": Small part. He isn't given too much of anything specific to do, other than getting squirted with water.

the animals:

Leo: Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film.
other animals: There's a painting on the wall of two cats. There's also a strange high-pitched sound in the opening scene, which could possibly be a caged bird, much like the sound in "Anniversary Trouble" (no. 134).
bugwatch: There's a fly buzzing around Grandma's head at one point.

the adults:

Zeffie Tilbury as "Grandma": Lead role. It's her 65th birthday, and her crabby disposition is transformed by the kids.
Sidney Bracey as "Hobson," the butler: Supporting role. He's repeatedly the victim of Grandma's new-found zest for life.
Greta Gould as the maid: Small part. She doesn't appear as much as Hobson, but she has a fair amount of dialogue.
other adults: Small part. There's a stunt double for Grandma in this film, presumably David Sharpe, who was still involved at the studio during this period.

the music:

"Good Old Day" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931.
(A14.) This is played over the opening titles and as we're introduced to Grandma, the butler and the maid. The last half part is played as Grandma is in the fountain and the end title appears.
"Oh! Susanna" by Stephen Collines Foster: Published in 1848. Wendell Hall & Shannon Four had a number eight hit with this song in 1924. In this film, it's sung by Alfalfa, Grandma and Spanky.

miscellaneous:

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.

According to the press release, all of the kids grabbed for the toy airplane and broke it.

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."

In the category of unseen characters, one of Grandma's prescriptions is from a "Dr. Jones."

Reel one ends as the three singers walk into the house.

The script submitted to MGM was given the catalog number B593.

©July 7, 2005, by Robert Demoss.
2005 updates: 7/9, 7/28, 8/30, 12/19.
2006 updates: 1/2, 2/11, 5/16, 10/25.
2007 updates: 4/1, 10/22.
2008 updates: 5/26, 7/28.

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