Bring Home The Turkey

technical details:

Production K-15.

Filmed September 29 to October 15, 1926. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.

Copyrighted January 14, 1927, by Pathé Exchange, Inc. Registration no. LU23532. Renewed January 10, 1955, with registration no. R142085. This copyright expired at the end of 2022, and the film is now in the public domain.

Released January 16, 1927. It was the 56th film in the series to be released.

Silent two-reeler.

Probable opening title: '"Our Gang" Comedies - Hal Roach presents His Rascals in "Bring Home The Turkey".'

Released into TV syndication as Mischief Makers episode no. 1034, "Little Orphans," copyrighted Sep. 1, 1960, with registration number LP17339.

the crew:

Produced by Hal Roach

Probably credited in the film as a presenter.

Supervised by F. Richard Jones

Probably credited in the film as supervising director.

Directed by Robert F. McGowan and Anthony Mack

This credit probably appears in the film, but without McGowan's middle initial. The F stands for Francis. Mack was his nephew, whose real name was Robert A. (for Anthony) McGowan. Rob Stone's list credits only the uncle. The payroll summaries from this period credit the nephew as an assistant director. Rob Stone's list also states that the nephew shot a trailer for Ernie Morrison on September 29th and 30th.

Assistant Director: Charles Oelze

According to Rob Stone's list as well as the payroll summaries.

Photographed by Art Lloyd

According to Rob Stone's list. This credit might not have appeared in the film.

Assistant Cameraman: W. V. Draper

This credit derives from Draper's payroll status as the Our Gang assistant cameraman during this period.

Edited by Richard Currier

This credit probably appears in the film.

Cutter: Lloyd Campbell

This credit derives from Campbell's payroll status as the Our Gang cutter during this period.

Titles by H. M. Walker

This credit probably appears in the film.

Props by Don Sandstrom and Timothy O'Donnell

According to Rob Stone's list.

Story by Hal E. Roach

This credit probably doesn't appear in the film. Robert Kelly was listed as a writer for the Our Gang series during this period in the payroll summaries.

Teacher: Fern Carter

Released by Pathé Exchange, Inc.

Passed by the National Board of Review

Probably 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

laboratory superintendent - Charles Levin

still photographer - Clarence "Stax" Graves

transportation director - Bob Davis

possible uncredited involvement

writing - Robert F. McGowan, Robert A. McGowan, Carl Harbaugh and Frank Butler may have been among the gag writers.

animal training - Tony Campanaro may have been among the animal trainers.

the kids:

Allen "Farina" Hoskins as "Farina"

Featured role. He's taken away from Uncle Tom and ends up at the orphanage, but sends a message asking to be rescued.

Jannie "Mango" Hoskins as "Mango"

Supporting role. She lives with Farina and Uncle Tom, until she's taken to the orphanage. She takes part in abusing the bad guys during the big fight scene.

Reginald Ballard as "Pleurisy"

Supporting role. He's the baby who lives with Uncle Tom and the two Hoskins kids. In Farina's note to Uncle Tom, his named is spelled "Plurisy."

Johnny Downs

Supporting role. Being the oldest, he's basically the leader among the kids, asking Uncle Tom to rescue the white kids along with the black kids.

Joe Cobb

Supporting role. He's mostly part of the ensemble in this one, but has a comical moment at the top of a ladder.

Jackie Condon

Supporting role. He's mostly part of the ensemble, but he's also the one that first sees the bad guys when they arrive at Uncle Tom's house and later gets to hammer Tenbrook on the head.

Jay R. Smith

Supporting role. He's mostly part of the ensemble, but has a moment hammering one of the detectives on the head.

Peggy Eames

Supporting role. She's mostly part of the ensemble, but there is one scene in which she has a bit of dialogue with Joe.

Elmer "Scooter" Lowry

Supporting role. In the footage that I've viewed, he's purely part of the ensemble.

Mildred Kornman

Small part. She's seen to best effect during the scene where the kids are sitting at the outdoor table.

Jean Darling

Small part. She was making her series debut and mostly appears as part of the ensemble.

Lois Mannis

Small part. She's one of the orphans, but isn't seen too much. In the shot where three girls with messy faces are sitting at a table, she's the brunette between Jean and Jane.

Jane Eloise Elliott

Small part. She's also one of the orphans, but isn't seen too much. In the shot with the three girls at the table, she's the chubby toddler to the far right.

possible other kids

On the first day of shooting, Malcolm Potts, Mahlon Potts and Elsworth White were each paid two and a half dollars as day workers. This amount is bizarrely low, usually only appearing in the ledgers when some overtime pay was due. However, these three are nowhere else in the ledger making the standard rate. Malcolm and Mahlon were African-American twins who were around a year old, so given all of this, I'm thinking they all showed up for the role of "Pleurisy," worked a partial day, and then were sent home when Reginald Ballard was selected.

the animals:

dog 057

Supporting role. This dog belongs to Uncle Tom, and carries the note to him from Farina, among several other duties. This dog was later featured in "Love My Dog" (no. 59).

Dinah the Mule

Small part. She pulls Uncle Tom's wagon.

other animals

A goat and two mice join in the early morning exercising. There's also at least one chicken at Uncle Tom's home.

the adults:

Tom Wilson as "Uncle Tom"

Lead role. He's the star of the short. The black kids are taken away from him, but he takes them back, along with the white kids.

Michael Visaroff as "Old 'Wart-head'"

Featured role. He manages the orphanage and chases the kids around with a bullwhip.

J. H. Wells as "Judge Farrell"

Small part. He winds up saving the day and setting the kids up in a much better situation. I'm not familiar with this actor, but there was only one shooting date for this final scene, and he's the only new name for that date that wasn't a woman.

Louise Emmons as the headmistress

Small part. While talking about the food she's preparing, she convinces the eavesdropping Farina that she's going to serve up the children for breakfast. She reprised this role in "Mush And Milk" (no. 123). Somebody is doubling for her in the last part of the film, since she didn't work on that day.

Sheila Hayward

Small part. She's the other woman working at the orphanage before it's reformed. Like with Emmons, somebody doubled for her in the last part of the film.

Noah Young, Harry Tenbrook, Clarence Morehouse and Charlie Hall as the detectives

Small parts. They arrive at Uncle Tom's house to retrieve the kids. Young seems to be the leader among them. In the film, there are three of them, but only Young and Tenbrook worked on both of the shooting dates involved in this scene. It appears that Hall worked on the first day and was replaced the next day by Morehouse. Tenbrook is definitely the one hammered on the head by Jackie Condon, and Morehouse is the one hammered on the head by Jay R. Smith.

Virginia Griffith, Marian Mills, Jane Shipman and Lyle Tayo

Small parts. These four only worked for one day of shooting and it was the same day for all of them, so they must be the women who work at the orphanage after it's been reformed. One of these women is dressed as though she's the judge's wife.

other adults

Bit parts. The payroll ledger reveals that Charley Lloyd and Chet Brandenburg did one day of shooting together, suggesting that perhaps they're the two that join Visaroff in taking Farina and his siblings away from Uncle Tom. There's also a separate date in which Harry Graham, Ray Allman, Wallie Carr and Joe Huber worked on the film, but perhaps this was for a scene that doesn't show up in the available print.

in still images

At least five portraits of Abraham Lincoln, as well as various other people, adorn the walls of Uncle Tom's home.

the locations:

Motor Avenue

Footage was shot at this location on October 6th. It appears that Uncle Tom's home was on or near this street, judging by the day workers involved on this date. This house was previously seen in "Your Own Back Yard" (no. 44), "Monkey Business" (no. 48) and "Thundering Fleas" (no. 51).

Hal E. Roach Ranch

Footage was shot near this location on October 8th, though it's identified by its original name, Arnaz Ranch. It appears that the outdoor picnic that Uncle Tom treats the kids to is near the access road leading to the ranch.

miscellaneous:

15 shooting dates went into the making of this film. A week and a half after shooting finished for "Telling Whoppers" (no. 56), the 'start' date arrived for "Bring Home The Turkey" on Sep. 29th. Shooting continued until the 'finish' date of Oct. 15th. No shooting took place on Oct. 3rd or 10th, which were both Sundays. Robert F. McGowan directed on all of the shooting dates. Two weeks after the finish date, the Our Gang unit began shooting "Seeing The World" (no. 55).

Judging by the payroll ledger, the initial shooting dates from Sep. 29th to Oct. 5th involved Uncle Tom's home before the orphans have moved in. The rest of the shooting dates include the various orphans and staff at the orphanage. It appears that the officials took Farina and his siblings away on Oct. 6th, the detectives came to retrieve the orphans from Uncle Tom's place on Oct. 8th and the happy ending happened on Oct. 15th.

The orphans live at Happyland Home.

Uncle Tom plays a record called Musical Health Builder No. 1, or The "Daily Dozen."

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

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

© Robert Demoss.