Arbor Day (film): Difference between revisions

Arbor Day
Arbor Day
Directed by	Fred C. Newmeyer
Produced by	Hal Roach
Starring	George McFarland; Carl Switzer; George Branso; Olive Branso; George Guhl; Maurice Cass; Darla Hood; Billie Thomas; Rosina Lawrence; Hattie McDaniel
Cinematography	Milton R. Krasner
Edited by	Bert Jordan
Music by	Marvin Hatley
Distributed by	MGM
Release date	May 2, 1936;
Running time	17' 14"
Country	United States
Language	English

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Arbor Day is a 1936 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer. It was the 145th Our Gang short to be released.^[1]

Plot

Spanky attempts to hide from the truant officer and avoid going to school, where he is being forced to participate in the Green Street Grammar School's annual Arbor Day show. Alfalfa tries to talk him out of his fears, but truant officer Smithers happens along to personally usher both children to school himself.

Meanwhile, a husband and wife midget pair (George and Olive Brasno) walk out on their circus sideshow jobs. They disguise themselves as children to enjoy a day about town, but Smithers mistakes them for actual children and takes them to school. At school, the kids trudge through their Arbor Day recitals and songs (Alfalfa contributes a squeaky rendition of Joyce Kilmer's "Trees" set to music by Oscar Rasbach.) When the midgets-in-disguise offer to join in the show, they contribute a shimmy routine which shocks the entire audience of faculty and parents. The circus proprietor turns up to apprehend the two midgets, who, as they are carried away back to the circus, call out to the recital audience "Come over and see a good show sometime!" Principal Cass then informs Smithers he's fired, to Spanky and Alfala's delight.

Cast

The Gang

Darla Hood as Darla
George McFarland as Spanky
Carl Switzer as Alfalfa
Billie Thomas as Buckwheat

Additional cast

Daniel Boone - Brown-haired boy in pageant
Gloria Brown as Ballet dancer
Betsy Gay as Ballet dancer
George Brasno as Man Midget
Olive Brasno as Woman Midget
Maurice Cass as Mr. Cass
George Guhl as Truant Officer Smithers
Rosina Lawrence as Miss Lawrence
Hattie McDaniel as Buckwheat's mother
Dick Rush as Murphy, the side show barker
Kathryn Sheldon as Miss Argyle
May Wallace as Autograph Seeker
John Collum as Classroom extra
Jack Egger as Classroom extra
Bobby Dunn as Crowd Extra
Rolfe Sedan as Crowd Extra

Notes

Arbor Day marks a return Our Gang appearance for George and Olive Brasno, a brother-sister midget team who appeared in Shrimps for a Day a year prior. George Guhl portrays their nemesis truant officer. The film also features future Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel as the mother of Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, and Rosina Lawrence in her first appearance as the Gang's schoolteacher Miss Lawrence. Arbor Day was the last regular two-reel Our Gang comedy. All further releases in the series—save for the special release Our Gang Follies of 1938—would be one reel (approximately ten minutes) in length.^[2]
While not edited substantially for inclusion in the Little Rascals television syndication package from the 1950s to the 1990s, Arbor Day was moderately edited for time constraints when broadcast as part of the American Movie Classics network's Little Rascals package from 2001 to 2003.

References

^ Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. pp. 191–192. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
^ Erickson, Hal (2011). "Arbor Day (1936)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2010.

External links

Arbor Day at IMDb

[1] Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. pp. 191–192. Retrieved March 3, 2024.

[NY_Times-2] Erickson, Hal (2011). "Arbor Day (1936)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2010.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|1936 film}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = Arbor Day
-| image          =Arbor day.JPEG
+| image          = Arbor day.JPEG
-| image size     =
 | caption        =
 | director       = [[Fred C. Newmeyer]]
@@ Line 8: / Line 9: @@
 | writer         =
 | narrator       =
-| starring       = [[George McFarland]] <br /> [[Carl Switzer]] <br /> [[George Branso]] <br /> [[Olive Branso]] <br /> [[George Guhl]] <br /> [[Maurice Cass]] <br /> [[Darla Hood]] <br /> [[Billie Thomas]] <br /> [[Rosina Lawrence]] <br /> [[Hattie McDaniel]]
+| starring       = [[George McFarland]]<br />[[Carl Switzer]]<br />[[George Branso]]<br />[[Olive Branso]]<br />[[George Guhl]]<br />[[Maurice Cass]]<br />[[Darla Hood]]<br />[[Billie Thomas]]<br />[[Rosina Lawrence]]<br />[[Hattie McDaniel]]
 | music          = [[Marvin Hatley]]
 | cinematography = [[Milton R. Krasner]]
 | editing        = [[Bert Jordan]]
 | distributor    = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]]
-| released       = 2 May 1936
+| released       = {{Film date|1936|05|02}}
 | runtime        = 17' 14"
-| country        = {{Film US}}
+| country        = United States
 | language       = English
 | budget         =
-| preceded by    = ''[[Second Childhood (film)|Second Childhood]]''
-| followed by    = ''[[Bored of Education]]''
 }}
-'''''Arbor Day''''' is a [[1936 in film|1936]] ''[[Our Gang]]'' [[short subject|short]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[Fred C. Newmeyer]].  It was the 145th ''[[Our Gang]]'' short that was released.
+'''''Arbor Day''''' is a 1936 ''[[Our Gang]]'' [[short subject|short]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[Fred C. Newmeyer]].  It was the 145th ''Our Gang'' short to be released.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maltin |first1=Leonard |last2=Bann |first2=Richard W. |title=Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals |date=1977 |publisher=Crown Publishers |pages=191-192 |url=https://archive.org/details/ourganglifetimes0000malt/page/190/mode/2up |access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref>
 ==Plot==
-Spanky attempts to hide from the truant officer and avoid going to school, where he is being forced to participate in the Spring Street School's annual [[Arbor Day]] show. Alfalfa tries to talk him out of his fears, but truant officer Smithers happens along to personally usher both children to school himself.
+Spanky attempts to hide from the truant officer and avoid going to school, where he is being forced to participate in the Green Street Grammar School's annual [[Arbor Day]] show. Alfalfa tries to talk him out of his fears, but truant officer Smithers happens along to personally usher both children to school himself.
-Meanwhile, a husband and wife midget pair (George and Olive Brasno) walk out on their circus sideshow jobs. They disguise themselves as children to enjoy a day about town, but Smithers mistakes them for actual children and takes them to school. At school, the kids trudge through their Arbor Day recitals and songs (Alfalfa contributes a squeaky rendition of [[Joyce Kilmer]]'s "[[Trees (poem)|Trees]]" set to song). When the principal calls upon the midgets-in-disguise to join in the show, they contribute a shimmy routine which shocks the entire audience of faculty and parents. The circus proprietor turns up to apprehend the two midgets, who, as they are carried away back to the circus, call out to the recital audience "Come by and see a ''good'' show sometime!"
+Meanwhile, a husband and wife midget pair (George and Olive Brasno) walk out on their circus sideshow jobs. They disguise themselves as children to enjoy a day about town, but Smithers mistakes them for actual children and takes them to school. At school, the kids trudge through their Arbor Day recitals and songs (Alfalfa contributes a squeaky rendition of [[Joyce Kilmer]]'s "[[Trees (poem)|Trees]]" set to music by [[Oscar Rasbach]].) When the midgets-in-disguise offer to join in the show, they contribute a shimmy routine which shocks the entire audience of faculty and parents. The circus proprietor turns up to apprehend the two midgets, who, as they are carried away back to the circus, call out to the recital audience "Come over and see a ''good'' show sometime!" Principal Cass then informs Smithers he's fired, to Spanky and Alfala's delight.
-==Notes==
-*''Arbor Day'' marks a return ''Our Gang'' appearance for [[George Brasno|George]] and [[Olive Brasno]], a brother-sister [[midget]] team who appeared in ''[[Shrimps for a Day]]'' a year prior. [[George Guhl]] portrays their nemesis truant officer. The film also features future [[Academy Award]] winner [[Hattie McDaniel]] as the mother of Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, and [[Rosina Lawrence]] in her first appearance as the Gang's schoolteacher Miss Lawrence. ''Arbor Day'' was the last regular two-reel ''Our Gang'' comedy. All further releases in the series—save for the special release ''[[Our Gang Follies of 1938]]''—would be one reel (approximately ten minutes) in length.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite web |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/225685/Arbor-Day/overview |title=New York Times: Arbor Day |accessdate=2008-09-21|work=NY Times}}</ref>
-*While not edited substantially for inclusion in the ''Little Rascals'' [[television syndication]] package from the 1950s to the 1990s, ''Arbor Day'' was moderately edited for time constraints when broadcast as part of the [[American Movie Classics]] network's ''Little Rascals'' package from 2001 to 2003.
 ==Cast==
+===The Gang===
-* [[Carl Switzer]] - Alfalfa
-* [[Billie Thomas]] - Buckwheat
+* [[Darla Hood]] as Darla
-* [[George McFarland]] - Spanky
+* [[George McFarland]] as Spanky
-* [[Darla Hood]] - Darla
+* [[Carl Switzer]] as Alfalfa
+* [[Billie Thomas]] as Buckwheat
-* [[Daniel Boone (actor)|Daniel Boone]] - Brown-haired boy in pageant
-* [[George Brasno]] - Boy Midget
-* [[Olive Brasno]] - Girl Midget
-* [[Gloria Browne]] - Ballet dancer
-* [[Maurice Cass]] - Principal Cass
-* [[Bobby Dunn]] - Crowd Extra
-* [[Betty Gay]] - Dancing girl
-* [[George Guhl]] - Truant Officer Smithers
-* [[Rosina Lawrence]] - Miss Lawrence
-* [[Hattie McDaniel]] - Buckwheat's mother
-* [[Dick Rush]] - Murphy, the side show barker
-* [[Rolfe Sedan]] - Crowd Extra
-* [[Kathryn Sheldon]] - Miss Argyle
-* [[May Wallace]] - Autograph Seeker
-* [[John Collum]] - Crowd Extra
-==See also==
+===Additional cast===
+* Daniel Boone - Brown-haired boy in pageant
-* [[List of American films of 1936]]
+* Gloria Brown as Ballet dancer
-* [[Our Gang filmography]]
+* [[Betsy Gay]] as Ballet dancer
+* [[George Brasno]] as Man Midget
+* [[Olive Brasno]] as Woman Midget
+* [[Maurice Cass]] as Mr. Cass
+* George Guhl as Truant Officer Smithers
+* [[Rosina Lawrence]] as Miss Lawrence
+* [[Hattie McDaniel]] as Buckwheat's mother
+* Dick Rush as Murphy, the side show barker
+* [[Kathryn Sheldon]] as Miss Argyle
+* [[May Wallace]] as Autograph Seeker
+* [[John Collum]] as Classroom extra
+* Jack Egger as Classroom extra
+* [[Bobby Dunn]] as Crowd Extra
+* [[Rolfe Sedan]] as Crowd Extra
+==Notes==
+*''Arbor Day'' marks a return ''Our Gang'' appearance for [[George Brasno|George]] and [[Olive Brasno]], a brother-sister [[midget]] team who appeared in ''[[Shrimps for a Day]]'' a year prior. [[George Guhl]] portrays their nemesis truant officer. The film also features future [[Academy Award]] winner [[Hattie McDaniel]] as the mother of Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, and [[Rosina Lawrence]] in her first appearance as the Gang's schoolteacher Miss Lawrence. ''Arbor Day'' was the last regular two-reel ''Our Gang'' comedy. All further releases in the series—save for the special release ''[[Our Gang Follies of 1938]]''—would be one reel (approximately ten minutes) in length.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/225685/Arbor-Day/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520175602/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/225685/Arbor-Day/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 20, 2011 |title=Arbor Day (1936)|accessdate=August 7, 2010| first=Hal |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |publisher=[[Baseline (database)|Baseline]] & [[All Movie Guide]] |author-link=Hal Erickson (author) |date=2011 | last=Erickson}}</ref>
+*While not edited substantially for inclusion in the ''Little Rascals'' [[television syndication]] package from the 1950s to the 1990s, ''Arbor Day'' was moderately edited for time constraints when broadcast as part of the [[American Movie Classics]] network's ''Little Rascals'' package from 2001 to 2003.
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
+==See also==
+*[[Our Gang filmography|''Our Gang'' filmography]]
 ==External links==
-*{{Imdb title|id=0027305|title=Arbor Day}}
+*{{IMDb title|0027305|Arbor Day}}
+{{Our Gang}}
+{{Fred C. Newmeyer}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbor Day (Film)}}
 [[Category:1936 films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
-[[Category:Black-and-white films]]
+[[Category:1936 comedy films]]
-[[Category:1930s comedy films]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Fred C. Newmeyer]]
-[[Category:Short films]]
+[[Category:Hal Roach Studios short films]]
 [[Category:Our Gang films]]
-[[Category:MGM films]]
+[[Category:1930s American films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Marvin Hatley]]

v t e Our Gang / The Little Rascals
Filmography Personnel
Films	Our Gang (1922) When the Wind Blows (1930) Hi'-Neighbor! (1934) For Pete's Sake! (1934) The First Round-Up (1934) Honky Donkey (1934) Mike Fright (1934) Washee Ironee (1934) Mama's Little Pirate (1934) Anniversary Trouble (1935) Beginner's Luck (1935) Teacher's Beau (1935) Sprucin' Up (1935) Little Papa (1935) Little Sinner (1935) Our Gang Follies of 1936 (1935) The Lucky Corner (1936) Second Childhood (1936) General Spanky (1936) Feed 'em and Weep (1938) The Little Rascals (1994) The Little Rascals Save the Day (2014)
Television	The Little Rascals Christmas Special (1979) The Little Rascals (1982–1983)
Category