Lodge Night

film no. 15


technical details:

Production A-15.

Filmed February 12 to March 3, 1923. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.

Released on July 29, 1923. It was the 15th film in the series to be released.

Copyrighted August 2, 1923, by Pathé Exchange, Inc. Registration no. LU19269. Since the copyright was not renewed, this film is now in the public domain.

Silent two-reeler.

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

Released into TV syndication as Mischief Makers episode no. 1038, "The Secret Meeting," copyrighted Sep. 1, 1960, with registration number LP17343.


the crew:

Produced by Hal Roach
Credited in the film as a presenter.
Directed by Robert F. McGowan
This credit appears in the film, but without his middle initial.
Assistant Director: Clarence Morehouse
This credit derives from Morehouse's payroll status as the Our Gang assistant director during this period.
Photographed by Harry W. Gerstad
This credit appears in the film, but is not indicated by Maltin & Bann.
Edited by T. J. Crizer
This credit appears in the film, but is not indicated by Maltin & Bann. The 'T' stands for Thomas.
Titles by H. M. Walker
This credit appears in the film.
Props by Charles Oelze and Dick Gilbert
This credit derives from their payroll status as Our Gang prop men during this period.
Story by Hal E. Roach
This credit doesn't appear in the film. Hal Conklin was listed in the payroll summaries as an Our Gang gag man during this period.
Teacher: Fern Carter
Released by Pathé Exchange, Inc.
Passed by the National Board of Review
As indicated in the film.
studio personnel
general manager - Warren Doane
assistant general manager - L. A. French
secretary-treasurer - C. H. Roach
construction supervisor - C. E. Christensen
purchasing superintendent - John L. Murphy
still photographer - Gene Kornman and Chester "Bud" Graves
possible uncredited involvement
titles - Tom McNamara probably illustrated the title cards.
writing - Robert F. McGowan, Thomas J. Crizer and Leo McCarey may have been among the gag writers.

the kids:

featured players
Joe Cobb as "Joe"
Featured role. He's the new kid in school and is initiated into the club.
Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison as "Ernie"
Featured role. He's featured mostly during the seminar sequence, but also figures into the initiation and the chase pretty strongly.
Mickey Daniels as "Mickey"
Featured role. He's featured most strongly at home, trying to get out of music practice. He's the organizer of the club, but for some reason, isn't the leader. In the scene where he's practicing piano, he miraculously gets a split-second haircut.
Allen "Farina" Hoskins as "Farina"
Featured role. He provides comic punctuation in virtually every scene in which Ernie appears.
Jack Davis as "Jack"
Supporting role. Jack is the leader of the club and appears pretty much throughout the film.
Jackie Condon as "Jackie"
Supporting role. He appears pretty much throughout the film, particularly at home with Mickey.
Mary Kornman as "Mary"
Supporting role. She's featured in the opening schoolroom scenes flirting with Joe.

other kids
Elmo Billings as "Elmo"
Small part. He's seen both at the school and as the doorkeeper at the club. His first name is shown on the wall of the club.
George "Freckles" Warde
Small part. He's the boy that holds his bangs up to look at the blackboard. He's also a member of the club. Not to be confused with George "Sonny Boy" Warde.
boy 009b
Small part. He's seen in the classroom scene. Previously seen in "The Champeen!" (no. 9) and "A Pleasant Journey" (no. 11).
Richard Billings
Small part. He's likely to be the boy who towers above the others at the initiation, the one who removes Joe's blindfold. His name is listed on the blackboard, and presumably, he's the "Dick" whose name appears on the wall of the clubhouse.
Andy Samuel as "Andy"
Small part. I can't spot him in the classroom, but he's definitely at the meeting. His name is shown on the wall of the clubhouse in one shot.
Gabe Saenz
Small part. He's seen in the classroom scene and as a member of the club.
Julia Brown
Bit part. This is the girl sitting behind Mickey in class. She flirts with him in "July Days" (no. 18).
Dorothy Hughes
Bit part. She's sitting two seats behind Mary.
girl 015
Bit part. She's the smaller girl with the Dutch boy haircut. I suspect this is Leona Levin, who is listed as an actress in the payroll summaries for her two later (and more significant) appearances in the series, "July Days" (no. 18) and "Sunday Calm" (no. 19).
Cliff Daniels
Bit part. In the shot where the boys gather in the classroom, he's in the lower right.
Jack McHugh
Bit part. He's one of the boys in the class. He's best seen right after Mickey walk away from the group of boys in the class, as he had pretty much been behind Mickey.
other boys
Bit parts. The sixteen boys in the class presumably make up the Cluck Cluck Klams, though there may be some degree of difference. It's interesting to note that the clubhouse has drawings of the different boys on the wall. Mostly, they're of the usual kids (Mickey, Farina, Ernie, Jackie). Curiously, there's one with the name Jack on it, even though Jack Davis is seated elsewhere, as the Xsalted Ruler. This doesn't necessarily mean there's another Jack in the room, since there's also one for Joe, and he's the one being initiated. There's also one for "Sam," who must not be "Sunshine Sammy," since Ernie already has one. There's also a "Cliff," which presumably is for Cliff Daniels. Also included are "Andy" and "Tommy." The classroom, too, lists names on the blackboard, including John Condon, John Davis, Michael Daniels, Andrew Samuels, Richard Billings, and a final name that I find illegible.
other girls
Bit parts. There are four additional girls in the class, most notably the one reading in front of the classroom at the beginning of the film. One of these girls is presumably Mary Murphy as listed by Maltin & Bann. Her name is listed on the blackboard.
questionable listings
Winston Doty is listed by Maltin & Bann, but not his twin Weston. I'm guessing this is an error.

the animals:

Bill as "Joe"
Supporting role. The dog is a member of the Klams. He's identified by the drawing over his head.
other animals
Bit parts. The three kittens that are rigged up to play Mickey's piano.
bugwatch
Mickey has a trained fly that does acrobatic stunts.

the adults:

Joseph "Ernie" Morrison as "Prof. T. Jefferson Culpepper"
Supporting role. He's featured very strongly in this short.
Charles Stevenson as one of the car thieves
Small part. He's shown towards the end of the film.
Roy Brooks as one of the car thieves
Small part. Listed as Lincoln Stedman by Maltin & Bann, but it looks like Brooks to me.
woman 013 as the teacher
Small part. She appears in the classroom scene.
Molly Thompson as Mickey and Jackie's mother
Small part. She appears early in the film.
Richard Daniels as Mickey and Jackie's father
Small part. He appears early in the film.
other adults
Small parts and bit parts.
(1.) The motorcycle cop, who appears at the end of the film.
(2.) At least fifteen black men attending Culpepper's seminar.

the locations:

Palms Lumber Company
This location, at 10321 National Boulevard, is shown as the boys take off with the Professor's car.

miscellaneous:

15 days of shooting went into the making of this film. The 1923 datebook reads 'starting' for Feb. 12th, which was the Monday following the final Saturday of intial shooting for "Dogs Of War!" (no. 14). On Feb. 15th, filming was divided between "Lodge Night" and "Giants Vs. Yanks" (no. 12). On the 20th and 22nd, "Lodge Night" stepped aside while additional filming took place for "Dogs Of War!" and on the 23rd, shooting was divided between these two films. It should be noted, too, that no production number is specified for Mar. 2nd, but it's likely to have been A-15. No shooting took place on Feb. 11th, 18th, 25th, or Mar. 4th, which were all Sundays, nor on Feb. 24th, when the Gang made a personal appearance at Miller's. I haven't yet learned just what 'Miller's' was.

Mary Kornman's name is absent from the studio payroll summaries after the week ending Feb. 24th, not to return for another month. This means that the classroom sequence was probably filmed prior to this date.

The datebook also gives details regarding what the weather was like on each of the shooting dates. On most dates, the weather was described as 'clear.' However, it's described as 'medium' on Feb. 12th, 'cloudy' on the 13th, and 'hazy' on the 19th. It was described as 'raining' on the 12th and 'rain AM cloudy PM' on Mar. 3rd. No description is given for Feb. 18th, Feb. 25th, or Mar. 4th.

This film was the third of six in the third 'series' of Our Gang films.

The Motion Picture News of July 28th carried the following review by E. F. Supple: "Hal Roach scores again in this new offering of the 'Our Gang' comedy series. The main feature of the action is a third degree of the 'Cluck Cluck Klams,' in which the kids initiate Kewpie - the fat member of the aggragation - into their mystic brotherhood. With the hay loft of a barn for their lodge room, the kids stage their initiation in truly hilarious fashion. All the trappings and props and the mock solemnity associated with such an occasion are present in force, and there is no letting up in the fun from the time that Kewpie is warned to report for the initiation until the meeting is broken up by the sudden entry of two auto bandits, in whose capture the kids play a thrilling part. The meeting is not convened without some difficulty: First, Freckles and his kid brother are faced with the task of practicing their music lessons after school. The expedient resorted to by the two kids to elude the alert parental ear is as ingenious as it is funny. 'Sunshine' Sammy and Farina are scheduled to participate in a meeting of colored folk philosophers, but when the kids produce a pair of dice the philosophy is abandoned for the more alluring game of chance and in the resultant excitement Sammy and Farina escape to the barn. What strikes us particularly about these kids is their naturalness, which, of course, speaks highly for the remarkable direction employed in the staging of these comedies. 'Cluck Cluck Klams' we believe will sustain the reputation for real interest and genuine fun that previous numbers of this series have deservingly won."

40 still images were printed into numerous press photos to promote this film.

This film was released into TV syndication as Those Lovable Scallawags With Their Gangs episode "Latest Prank."

A wanted poster is signed by Big "Bob" McGowan.


See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.


© Robert Demoss.


My thanks to the following people for assisting with this page:
Rob Stone (for providing the production number and shooting dates)
Joe Moore (for providing the copyright information)
Matthew Lydick (for pointing out Cliff Daniels and for the correct spelling of Gabe Saenz's last name)


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