technical details:
Production K-4.
Release no. C-584.
Filmed November 11 to 17, 1936. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.
Title sheet prepared by Elmer Raguse on December 8, 1936.
Negative shipped on December 8, 1936.
Cutting continuity submitted December 9, 1936, under the title "Spooky Hookey."
According to Maltin & Bann, this film was released on December 5, 1936, which was the original date set by Fred
Quimby at MGM. However, judging by the dates listed above, it seems apparent that it was actually released closer to its
copyright date. Assuming "General Spanky" was released on the date listed by Maltin & Bann for that film,
"Spooky Hooky" would then be the 150th film in the series to be released.
Copyrighted December 28, 1936, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP6810. Renewed
July 27, 1964, with registration no. R341921. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2031.
All-talking one-reeler.
Opening title: 'Hal Roach presents Our Gang in "Spooky Hooky".'
King World Productions episode no. 32a, 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 Gordon Douglas
- This credit appears in the film.
- Assistant Director: Charles Oelze
- This credit derives from production documents.
- Photography: Art Lloyd, A. S. C.
- This credit appears in the film.
- Film Editor: William Ziegler
- This credit appears in the film.
- Sound: W. B. Delaplain
- This credit appears in the film.
- Story by Hal E. Roach
- This credit doesn't appear in the film.
- Prop Man: Goode
- This credit derives from the production sheets, which don't provide a first name.
- Script Clerk: Morton
- This credit derives from the daily film reports.
- 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. 2880.
- studio personnel
- secretary-treasurer-general manager - Mat O'Brien
- vice president in charge of production - S. S. Van Keuren
- Roach's assistant on production activities - Lawrence Tarver
- assistant secretary-treasurer, comptroller - Hugh Huber
- film editor and sound department - Elmer Raguse
- story department - Jack Jevne
- casting - Joe Rivkin
- publicity and advertising - Fred Purner
- art department - Arthur I. Royce
- construction department - C. E. Christensen
- paint department - James Follette
- property department - W. L. Stevens
- electrical department - William Lewis
- laboratory superintendent - Charles Levin
- process department - Roy Seawright
- still photographer - Bud "Stax" Graves
- musical director - Marvin Hatley
- men's wardrobe - Harry Black
- women's wardrobe - Dorothy Callahan
- makeup department - Jack Casey
- hairdressing - Peggy Zardo
- purchasing department - Russell Walker
- cashier - Mrs. M. Van Keuren
- paymaster - Mrs. Grace Cash
- transportation director - Bob Davis
- garage - Walter Johnson
- commissary - W. M. Furlong
- school teacher - Fern Carter
- possible uncredited involvement
- writing - Hal Yates, Carl Harbaugh, James Parrott, Hal Law, John Guedel, Felix
Adler, Harry Langdon, Richard Flournoy and Gordon Douglas may have been among the gag writers.
- property department - Charles Oelze was probably
involved in this capacity.
- animal training - Tony Campanaro may have been
among the animal trainers.
- animation effects - Probably the work of Roy Seawright.
the kids:
- George "Spanky" McFarland as "Spanky"
- Featured role. He's the leader among the boys and writes the phony note. He doesn't believe in spooks.
- Eugene "Porky" Lee as "Porky"
- Featured role. He repeatedly acts like a spook.
- Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas as "Buckwheat"
- Featured role. He loses his ability to whistle when he sees the owl.
- Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as "Alfalfa"
- Featured role. He's not quite as brave as Spanky.
- John Collum
- Extra. A publicity photo reveals that he's one of the kids running out of the school.
- Paul Hilton
- Extra. A publicity photo reveals that he's one of the kids running out of the school.
- Dickie DeNeut
- Extra. It appears that he's also running out of the school.
- Donald Proffitt
- Extra. A publicity photo reveals that he's one of the kids running out of the school.
- Robert Winckler
- Extra. A publicity photo reveals that he's one of the kids running out of the school.
- Harold Switzer
- Extra. A publicity photo reveals that he's one of the kids running out of the school.
- Sidney Kibrick
- Extra. A publicity photo reveals that he's one of the kids running out of the school.
- Jackie Lindquist
- Extra. A publicity photo reveals that he's one of the kids running out of the school.
- Darla Hood
- She's not in the film itself, but her photo is shown during the opening titles.
- Baby Patsy May
- She's not in the film itself, but her photo is shown during the opening titles.
- other kids
- Extras. There are nine more kids in the film. Patsy Barry signs photos from this film.
the animals:
- Jiggs
- Bit part. He's the largest of the dogs, and belonged to Hal Roach.
- dog 087b
- Bit part. He's the dog that runs in the opposite direction when the kids come out.
- Laughing Gravy
- Bit part. He's the little white dog in the opening scene.
- Leo
- Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film.
- Pete the Pup IV
- He's not in the film, but his photo is included in the opening titles.
- other animals
- Bit parts.
- (1.) The owl that spooks Buckwheat.
- (2.) Three more dogs at the opening of the film. Maltin & Bann list "Von" from "General
Spanky" (no. 150), but he's not present.
the adults:
- Dudley Dickerson as "Sam," the janitor
- Supporting role. He doesn't let the boys back into the school, and gets spooked later that night.
Maltin's earlier book, The Great Movie Shorts, lists Sam McDaniels, probably in place of Dickerson. The cutting
continuity refers to him as "Janitor."
- Rosina Lawrence as the teacher
- Small part. She's seen talking to the boys as she leaves the school. Maltin & Bann indicate that
her name is Miss Jones in this film, but no name is used. The cutting continuity refers to her as "Rosina."
- George Washington
- The Unfinished Portrait is hanging on the classroom wall.
- other adults
- Bit parts.
- (1.) The two clowns in the circus parade.
- (2.) The four mothers of the sick boys.
the music:
- "Good Old Days" by Leroy Shield
- Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931.
- (A15.) Most of this piece is played over the opening titles and as we see the dogs. A small portion is repeated as
the film closes.
- "The Billboard March" by John N. Klohr
- Written in 1901 and dedicated to Billboard magazine. This is the circus music played by the
passing parade.
the locations:
- Hal E. Roach Studios
- Filming took place on Stage 4 on each of the shooting dates.
- Motor Avenue, Palms district, Los Angeles
- This was where the footage of the circus truck and clowns was taken.
miscellaneous:
Six shooting dates went into the making of this film. About three weeks had passed since the final filming of "General Spanky" (no. 150.)
Shooting for "Spooky Hooky" began on Nov. 11th and continued until Nov. 17. No shooting took place on Nov. 15th, which was a Sunday. After that, it would
be nearly three weeks before the Our Gang unit began work on "Reunion In Rhythm" (no. 151). Here's a breakdown of the activity, deriving from
the call sheets, production sheets, location work sheets, daily film reports, and various memos:
Nov. 7 - Film costs for the previous week were $286.55.
Nov. 11 - This was the first day of shooting. Scheduled were the four main boys, and two doubles for Buckwheat
and Porky. Shooting was to take place on the exterior and interior schoolroom sets on Stage 4, with lightning, rain and
thunder effects to be utilized. The production sheet reveals that a man was also present to handle the owl. A surviving
script for the film carries this date. A Joe Rivkin memo to Van Keuren, O'Brien, Huber and Cash, stated that Spanky
and Alfalfa 'started' as of this date.
Nov. 12 - This was the second day of shooting. Scheduled were the four main boys, and two doubles for Buckwheat
and Porky. Shooting was to take place on the exterior and interior schoolroom sets on Stage 4, with lightning, rain and
thunder effects to be utilized. The production sheet reveals that the owl trainer was again present. It also mistakenly
identifies this as the third day of shooting. A memo from this date states that "Rise And Shine" was being
registered and cleared through MGM for the main title of a forthcoming Edward Sedgwick feature production. It also states
that the title "Spooky Hooky" was now the title of the Our Gang short, presumably replacing the other one.
However, the production sheets all label the film as 'untitled.'
Nov. 13 - This was the third day of shooting. Scheduled were the four main boys, two doubles for Buckwheat and
Porky, and a 'colored janitor.' Shooting was to take place on the exterior and interior schoolroom sets on Stage
4, with lightning, rain and thunder effects to be utilized. The production sheet reveals that four doubles were used
instead of two. It also mistakenly identifies this as the fourth day of shooting.
Nov. 14 - This was the fourth day of shooting. Scheduled were the four main boys, two doubles for Buckwheat and
Porky, and Rosina Lawrence. Shooting was to take place on the exterior and interior schoolroom sets on Stage 4. The
production sheet reveals that five 'bit people' were used, but it doesn't mention Lawrence. These five people
were Dudley Dickerson and the four mothers of the boys. It also mistakenly identifies this as the fifth day of shooting.
Also scheduled for this date was location footage to be shot on Motor Avenue, which would have involved 16 extra kids
(mixed of school age), 2 clowns, a truck driver (with truck), and five or six dogs. Also listed are the
four mothers, the janitor, and the doubles, but I think the call sheet is simply mixing elements of both location and
studio work. In fact, the extra kids and the dogs also appear in the Stage 4 footage. In any event, no footage was shot on
Motor Avenue on this date, but was postponed until the 16th. Film costs for the previous week were $4077.82, bringing
the total to $4364.37 so far.
Nov. 15 - This was a Sunday, so no shooting took place.
Nov. 16 - This was the fifth day of shooting. Scheduled were the four main boys and Rosina Lawrence. Shooting
was to take place on the exterior and interior schoolroom set on Stage 4. Also scheduled for this date was location
footage shot on Motor Avenue involving 16 extra kids (mixed of school age), 2 clowns, a truck driver, and five or
six dogs. The circus truck was to be adorned with a banner and loud speakers. Also listed is the janitor, though I think
the call sheet is simply mixing elements of both location and studio work. The production sheet reveals that a double was
also present. It also mistakenly identifies this as the sixth day of shooting, and also identifies the production as
K-2. In any event, the location footage was actually shot on this date.
Nov. 17 - The production sheet for this date states that the production had closed the previous day. However, it still
lists Douglas, Oelze, Goode and Lloyd, so perhaps they worked on post-production on this date. The payroll ledger indicates that
two day players, Ted Mangeon and Jack Hill, were given checks on this date, but it might be that they were owed additional money for the
previous day's work. A Van Keuren memo (actually written by R. Burch) to Huber and Cash from this date states that Gordon Douglas
started as director for this production as of November 9th.
Nov. 19 - A memo from this date states that "Billboard March" was cleared through Mr. Decker.
Nov. 20 - A Joe Rivkin memo from this date to Van Keuren, O'Brien, Huber and Cash, states that Rosina Lawrence
'started' and 'closed' as of Nov. 16th, and that the four main boys also closed on that date.
Nov. 21 - Film costs for the previous week were $1324.82, bringing the total to $5689.19 so far.
Nov. 23 - An Elmer Raguse memo from this date quotes a telegram from Mr. Decker which states that Paine approves
instrumental nonvisual use of "Billboard March" for a fee of one hundred dollars.
Dec. 7 - An Elmer Raguse memo from this date indicates that the domestic positive Movietone print was shipped.
Dec. 8 - An Elmer Raguse memo from this date indicates that the domestic negative and domestic negative soundtrack
were delivered to the MGM laboratory.
All three previews were successful, making it unnecessary to do any re-shoots.
The negative cost on this film as of Feb. 13, 1937 was $21,174.44. This amount was certified as of March 30, 1937.
Maltin & Bann provide a breakdown of this on page 238 of the 1992 edition of their book.
The script submitted to MGM was given the catalog number B618.
The circus that the boys miss out on is called the Grant Bro's Circus.
This film is 956 feet in length.
availability:
- The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 3
(VHS) from Cabin Fever and
- The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Volume
One (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 10:26. This version has appeared on numerous
bootlegs.
- The Little Rascals Volume 3: Collector's
Edition (VHS) from
Hallmark Home Entertainment
- Released Aug. 15, 2000. Also included as part of
The Little Rascals Volumes 1-5: Collector's
Edition (5 VHS set) and
The Little Rascals Volumes 1-10: Collector's
Edition (10 VHS set), both released Aug. 15, 2000.
- The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 3 &
Vol. 4 (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
(DVD) from Hallmark Home Entertainment
- Released Aug. 19, 2003. This is a copy of the Cabin Fever version.
- The Little Rascals - The Complete Collection
(8 DVD set) from Genius Products
- Released late Oct. 2008. This is identical to the Cabin Fever version. There are also two clips from this
film included in the documentary The Story Of Hal Roach And Our Gang.
- The Little Rascals Colorized Collection
(VHS) from Hallmark Home Entertainment
- Released Apr. 19, 1999. One of six same-named VHS releases, each with three colorized films, deriving
from the Cabin Fever versions.
- The Little Rascals Book IX (VHS) from
Blackhawk Video
- This is a home movie print from Blackhawk. The opening title and crew credits are remade, but the end
title is original. The picture quality is good. The original footage totals 9:59, but the original soundtrack lasts an
additional 0:20.
- The Little Rascals Two Reelers Vol. 1
(VHS) from Spotlite Video
- This is the Blackhawk print, but with the company name blacked out. It was also included as part of a 6
VHS boxed set.
- The Little Rascals: Fish Hooky/Spooky
Hooky (VHS) from
Republic Pictures Home Video
- This is the Blackhawk print.
- Hal Roach's Rascals 3-Tape Set (3
VHS set) and
- Hal Roach's Rascals (DVD) from
Brentwood Video
- VHS released Feb. 2000. DVD also included in a 2 DVD set with same-named volume. This copy is identical
to Grapevine's. This is the Blackhawk print, but with the company name blacked out. Also included is a documentary
entitled Hollywood Hall Of Fame, with 8 clips from this film. The 1st lasts 0:03, and shows the boys walking
out of the school. The 2nd lasts 0:02, and shows Spanky and Buckwheat. The 3rd lasts 0:02, and shows Porky saying
'O-Tay.' The 4th lasts 0:03, and shows Buckwheat trying to whistle. The 5th lasts 1:12, and shows the
scene with the note and the teacher. The 6th lasts 0:22, and shows Porky as a ghost. The 7th lasts 0:25, and shows
Buckwheat and the skeleton. The 8th lasts 0:01, and shows the four boys in their beds.
- Our Gang Comedies presents Hal Roach's Rascals 2
Pack (2 VHS set) from Brentwood Video
- Released Nov. 2000. Also released as part of
Our Gang Comedies presents Hal Roach's Rascals 10
Pack (10 VHS set).
- Rescue From Gilligan's Island
(DVD) from Brentwood Video
- Released Nov. 7, 2000.
- Wolfman (DVD) from
Brentwood Video
- Released Nov. 7, 2000.
- One For The Road (DVD) from
Brentwood Video
- Released May 22, 2001.
- The New Daughters Of Joshua Cabe
(DVD) from Brentwood Video
- Released May 22, 2001.
- Against All Hope (DVD) from
Brentwood Video
- Released May 22, 2001.
- 7 Lucky Ninja Kids (DVD) from
Brentwood Video
- Released July 10, 2001.
- The Over The Hill Gang (DVD) from
Brentwood Video
- Released July 10, 2001.
- The Bad Cop Chronicles: Confessions Of A Police
Captain (DVD) from Brentwood Video
- Released Oct. 30, 2001.
- The Ghost Walks (DVD) from
Brentwood Video
- Little Rascals Volume 2 (DVD) from
East West Entertainment
- Released 2005. This is the Blackhawk print, but with the company name blacked out.
- Rascal Dazzle
(VHS/LD) from Embassy Home Entertainment
- Original film released 1981. Video released 1984. A clip lasting 0:11 is included, showing the circus
parade, with music and narration added.
See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.