Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer Movies
Juvenile performer Carl Switzer and his brother, Harold, began singing at local functions in their Illinois hometown. While visiting an aunt in California, the Switzer boys accompanied their mother to Hal Roach Studios, then proceeded to warble a hillbilly ditty in the Roach cafeteria. This performance won them both contracts at Roach, though only Carl achieved any sort of stardom. Nicknamed "Alfalfa," Carl became a popular member of the Our Gang kids, his performances distinguished by his cowlicked hair, vacuous grin, and off-key singing. Few who have seen The Our Gang Follies of 1938 can ever forget the sight of Alfalfa being pelted with tomatoes as he bravely vocalizes the immortal aria "I'm the Bar-ber of Sevilllllle!" The boy remained with Our Gang when Roach sold the property to MGM in 1938; his last Gang short was 1940's Kiddie Kure. Switzer found it hard to get film roles after his Our Gang tenure, especially when he began to mature. By the early '50s, his movie appearances had dwindled to bits. Switzer's handful of worthwhile adult film roles include a 100-year-old Indian in director William Wellman's Track of the Cat (1954); he was also a semi-regular on Roy Rogers' TV series. Throughout most of the 1950s, he supported himself as a hunting guide and bartender. Miles removed from the lovable Alfalfa, 32-year-old Carl Switzer was killed in a boozy brawl over a 50-dollar debt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1935
Although Spanky McFarland would like to play football with the rest of the "Our Gang" kids, he is stuck at home taking care of his baby brother. Hoping to lull the kid to sleep, thereby allowing himself to sneak out of the house, Spanky tries all sorts of "sure-fire" beddie-bye methods. But neither he nor his co-conspirator Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer are able to coerce the little brat into drifting off dreamland --- though they do briefly fall asleep themselves. A none too successful reworking of the 1932 Laurel and Hardy two-reeler Their First Mistake, the "Our Gang" comedy "Little Papa" was originally released on September 21, 1935. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1935
Anxious to go fishing, Spanky McFarland skips out of Sunday school, despite the admonitions of his pal Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer that "Something's going to happen to you." Actually, everything happens to Spanky and his kid brother (Eugene "Porky" Lee) in the course of the morning. Chased out of a private estate by cantankerous Clarence Wilson, the two boys wander into a dark, mysterious woods --- just as a group of black worshippers are holding a mass baptism ceremony. Inevitably, the kids scare the worshippers, and vice versa, culminating in a hectic chase (accompanied by the strains of LeRoy Shield's "Fastie", a nervous agitato orginally written for the 1935 Laurel and Hardy feature Bonnie Scotland. Originally released on October 26, 1935, "Little Sinner" has been withdrawn from most "Little Rascals" TV packages due to its racial content; those few stations that have run the film in recent years have been forced to rely upon prints so severely edited that they're hardly worth the bother. Fortunately for film historians and purists, the film is available in its entirety on home video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1937
Acting as if the previous "Our Gang" one-reeler Hearts are Thumps never happened, the Gang's male members, headed by Spanky McFarland, decide to create the He-Man Woman Hater's Club. When the kids ask who will be elected president, Spanky nominates his pal Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer in absentia -- because everyone knows that Alfalfa "hates women." Alas, at this very moment Alfie is writing a love letter to his sweetheart Darla Hood. Just as he sends Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas and Eugene "Porky" Lee to deliver the note, Alfalfa is informed that he has been unanimously elected president of Spanky's new club. Without even asking what the club is all about, Alfie declares that all rules must be obeyed, lest the members suffer a paddling at the hands of "sergeant-at-arms" Henry "Spike" Lee. Only then does he discover that he has agreed to take charge of the He-Man Woman Hater's Club -- and from this point forward, it's every He-Man for himself! One of the best-remembered "Our Gang" comedies, Mail and Female was originally released on November 13, 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1945
Man Alive is an inventive and consistently amusing farce dominated by stars Pat O'Brien and Adolphe Menjou. The former plays Speed, a moderately successful garage owner. Wrongly convinced that his wife Connie (Ellen Drew) has fallen in love with his old friend Gordon (Rudy Vallee), Speed goes off on a toot. During a long and drunken night, he gives his clothes and his car to an old tramp named Willie the Wino (Jack Norton). With Speed as his passenger, Willie piles the car into a river; he is drowned, but Speed is rescued by showboat entrepreneur Kismet (Menjou). When the car is recovered, it is assumed that the body inside is Speed's. At first determined to prove to his grieving "widow" that he's still alive, Speed is convinced by Kismet to test Connie's loyalty, leading to a series of zany consequences. Former "Our Gang" member Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer figures prominently in the hectic closing scenes. Alas, Man Alive failed to make back its cost when first released, convincing RKO Radio to lay off such whimsical fare in the future. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Adolphe Menjou, (more)
- 1938
Filmed on MGM's standing Dr. Kildare sets, the one-reel Our Gang comedy Men in Fright gets under way as Gang members Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Spanky McFarland, Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas, Eugene "Porky" Lee, and Leonard Landy pay a visit to their hospitalized friend Darla Hood. Thanks to a convenient plot device, Alfalfa is mistaken for a tonsillectomy patient and subjected to laughing gas. Once this complication has been straightened out, the kids burrow through a picnic basket full of such delicacies as pickles, ice cream, and hot dogs, with the expected results (conveyed via a clever bit of animation). Men in Fright was originally released on October 15, 1938. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1957
The title tells practically all in the American-International exploitationer Motorcycle Gang. The film's main conflict arises from the rivalry between "good" cyclist Randy (Steve Tyrrell) and his "bad" counterpart Nick (John Ashley). Recently released from a jail term, Nick forces Randy (who received probation for the hit-and-run accident which landed Nick in the slammer) into a clandestine race. Despite the fact that he's a "clean" cycle-hog who likes to keep on the right side of the law, Randy agrees to the race, with near-disastrous results. One of the featured cycle punks is played by Carl Switzer, who despite his raffish appearance still closely resembles the "Alfalfa" character he'd essayed in the Our Gang comedies. Motorcycle Gang was released on a double bill with Sorority Girl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Neyland, Steve Terrell, (more)
- 1942
So far as W.C. Fields fans are concerned, Ann Hegan Rice's sentimental 1901 novel Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch was definitively filmed in 1934. After seven reels' worth of a lachrymose plot about the impoverished Mrs. Wiggs (Pauline Lord) holding her large family together while her husband was off on a "mysterious mission," Fields strolled in as the mail-order husband to neighbor lady ZaSu Pitts, and promptly stole the show. The 1942 remake of Mrs. Wiggs substituted the amusing but hardly immortal Hugh Herbert for W.C. Fields, allowing star Fay Bainter to retain the spotlight. The story is substantially the same as before, including the mortgage on the home, the death of the frailest Wiggs child, and the eleventh-hour appearance of Mr. Wiggs, who solves all financial and emotional problems before lying down to take a nap. The 1942 Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch was actually the third film version of the Rice novel; the first had been released in 1919, with Mary Carr in the title role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fay Bainter, Carolyn Lee, (more)
- 1942
Each of Bob Hope's "My Favorite" films (My Favorite Blonde, My Favorite Brunette, My Favorite Spy) was, by accident or design, a parody of a dead-serious movie genre. 1942's My Favorite Blonde, for example, was a takeoff of Alfred Hitchcock in general and Hitchcock's 39 Steps in particular. Two-bit vaudeville entertainer Hope gets mixed up with gorgeous blonde British-spy Madeline Carroll. The "maguffin" (Hitchcock's nickname for "gimmick") which ties the two stars together is a ring which contains the microfilmed plans for a revolutionary new bomber. Hope and Carroll are forced to take it on the lam when Hope is framed for murder by Nazi-agents Gale Sondergaard, George Zucco et. al. Highlights include Hope eluding capture by impersonating a famed psychologist (watch for Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as Hope's most contentious "patient"). Madeline Carroll also got several opportunities to shine comedically, especially when she lapsed into cloying baby talk while posing as Hope's wife. Bob Hope was hesitant to work with My Favorite Blonde director Sidney Lanfield, having heard of Lanfield's reputation as an on-set dictator. However, the two got along so swimmingly that they would collaborate on such future top-notch Hope farces as Let's Face It (1943) and The Lemon Drop Kid (1951). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1937
Comedian Johnny Arthur, who played Spanky McFarland's absent-minded father in the 1935 "Our Gang" comedy Anniversary Trouble, returns as the father of another Gang member, Darla Hood, in the one-reel entry Our Gang: Night 'N' Gales. Though he'd rather spend his evening in peace and quiet, Mr. Hood (Arthur) is forced to endure the offkey harmonizing of the Four Nightengales, a junior singing aggegation comprised of Spanky, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas and Eugene "Porky" Lee. After interminable choruses of "Home Sweet Home", the four boys are finally ready to leave, but are forced to stay in the Hood home due to a sudden rainstorm. Both Darla and her mother (Elaine Shepherd) are delighted, but Mr. Hood is dismayed, especially when he is told that he must share his bed with the Four Nightengales. Driven crazy by the boys' unintentionally disruptive shenanigans, Mr. Hood escapes to the living room and tries to sleep on the couch, covering himself with a bear rug to keep warm. You guessed it: The kids mistake him for a real bear, and comic chaos ensues. Highlighting this little comedy is a surrealistic dream sequence, underscored by the Nathaniel Shilkret composition "Funny and Mysterious" (a familiar leitmotif in many a Laurel and Hardy feature). Night 'N' Gales was originally released on July 24, 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
Also known as A Miracle Can Happen, On Our Merry Way is a multipart comedy linked by inquiring reporter Burgess Meredith. It is Meredith's job to interview several people, asking them what effect children have had on their lives. First he checks with two itinerant musicians (James Stewart and Henry Fonda), who earn extra under-the-counter money by fixing a music contest so the mayor's son will win. Next he meets Hollywood extras Dorothy Lamour and Victor Moore, who are hired to work with a precocious child star. Finally, the old "Ransom of Red Chief" twist is given to the tale of hoboes Fred MacMurray and William Demarest, who find themselves at the mercy of a preteen prankster, whose wealthy uncle (Hugh Herbert) won't take the kid back unless the hoboes pay him. Meredith returns to the newspaper office with a black eye, which earns him the sympathy and affection of coworker Paulette Goddard. Though the direction is credited to Leslie Fenton, portions of On Our Merry Way were actually directed (sans credit) by George Stevens and King Vidor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burgess Meredith, Paulette Goddard, (more)
- 1935
The first of "Our Gang"'s musical revues, this one gets under way as master of ceremonies Spanky McFarland entices the local kiddies to attend the Gang's "big show," staged in Spanky's basement. "There's dancing music, and hotcha too," Spanky sings, "It's only a penny --- it won't break you." Highlights include, in order of presentation, an opening chorus number (&"Hello, Hello, Hello"); The Bryan Sisters' rendition of "How You Gonna Keep Him Down on the Farm" (with the not inconsiberable assistance of Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas); Darla Hood, making her "Our Gang" debut with a zingy performance of "I'll Never Say 'Never Again' Again"; the spooky "Ghost Frolic" (a segment often cut to ribbons on TV); Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer's version of the Pinky Tomlin hit "The Object of My Affection"; and the grand finale, "The Florydory Girls", with Spanky and the male cast members pressed into service as "drag" performers. One of the best and most successful "Our Gang" entries of all, "Our Gang Follies of 1936" was originally released on November 30, 1935. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1937
Briefly digressing from "Our Gang"'s new one-reel format, the series' December 18, 1937 release, Our Gang Follies of 1938, was expanded to two reels -- and the result is often considered to be the best "Gang" comedy of all. Another musical short in the tradition of Our Gang Follies of 1936 and Reunion in Rhythm, this one begins in the basement "theater" of Spanky McFarland, who serves as emcee of a lavish kiddie revue, built primarily around the talents of Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, "King of the Crooners." Alas, Alfalfa has decided to forego swing music in favor of grand opera, and to that end he walks out of the show and heads to the Cosmopolitan Opera House, where Mr. Barnaby (Henry Brandon), the troupe's bemused manager, jokingly signs Alfalfa to a contract -- effective twenty years later. Falling asleep, Alfalfa begins dreaming of his future, envisioning his name in lights all over Broadway. Alfie's dream turns into a nightmare when he loses his "gift" on the eve of his operatic debut, whereupon the now aged and wizened Barnaby forces the hapless crooner to sing in the streets. Our hero is rescued when he ventures into fashionable Club Spanky, where lead singer Darla Hood and orchestra leader Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas are now making "hundreds of thousands of dollars." Though at first insisting that he's a "slave to his art," Alfie finally breaks down and agrees to return to crooning -- but his dream, and the film, aren't quite over yet. Seldom has the imagination of a child been so vividly conveyed as in Our Gang Follies of 1938, wherein the standard "show-biz movie" cliches are played out and exaggerated for all they're worth. As a bonus, the film scores as both an uproarious comedy and a legitimately entertaining musical. Highlights include Alfalfa's unforgettable renditions of "I'm the Barber of Seville" and "Learn to Croon"; Darla's interpretation of "The Love Bug Will Get You If You Don't Watch Out"; "Loch Lomond", performed by Annabella Logan (who grew up to become fabled jazz singer Annie Ross); and "That Foolish Feeling" and "There's No Two Ways About It", sung and danced by Georgia Jean LaRue and Phil MacMahon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
Hal Roach's enduring Our Gang comedy shorts tickled audiences between 1922 and 1944. Originally an off-shoot from the extremely popular Sunshine Sammy series, the Our Gang shorts followed the lively adventures of a group of mischievous children as they played and learned the foibles of life. The series gave many juvenile actors their start, most notably Jackie Cooper, who grew up to be a successful leading man, Robert Blake, who had a television and film career, and Darla Hood, who later staffed a couple musicals and became a successful singer of commercial jingles. In early episodes, a slender Oliver Hardy appears. The Little Rascals is the name ascribed to the syndicated, televised episodes from the series. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1938
Once again, Our Gang members Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and Tommy "Butch" Bond are bitter rivals for the affections of little Darla Hood. The nerdish Waldo (Darwood Kaye) comes up with a solution: Alfalfa and Butch will compete for the title of Junior Mayor during Boys' Week, and whichever one wins will earn the honor of escorting Darla to the annual Strawberry Festival. But despite the strenuous efforts of both young candidates, a "dark horse" wins not only the election, but also the girl. Originally released on August 27, 1938, the one-reel Our Gang comedy Party Fever was among the earliest directorial efforts of George Sidney (The Harvey Girls, Show Boat, Bye Bye Birdie). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, (more)
Pat (Katharine Hepburn), a college phys-ed instructor, enters into professional competition as a golf and tennis player. Mike (Spencer Tracy), a likeable but unscrupulous sports promoter, first attempts to bribe Pat to lose, but later becomes her manager. Pat performs brilliantly until her insufferable fiance Collier West (William Ching) shows up; West always manages to make Pat so nervous that she can't win to save her life. At long last, West walks out, having found Pat in a compromising situation with Mike. Though she'd previously kept her distance from Mike, Pat suddenly realizes that she's fallen in love with him and--after a few crooked gamblers are disposed of--Pat and Mike become partners on a permanent basis. Pat & Mike reunited Tracy and Hepburn with their favorite director, George Cukor, and their favorite scenarists, Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. Watch for real-life golf and tennis champs Gussie Moran, Babe Didrickson Zaharias, Don Budge, Alice Marble, Frank Parker, Betty Hicks, Helen Dettweilerand Beverly Hanson as "themselves" -- and also keep an eye out for ex-ballplayer Chuck Connors, making his acting debut as a highway patrolman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, (more)
- 1936
Hoping to attract customers to Spanky McFarland's barnyard production of Romeo and Juliet, star performer Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer proposes a "pay as you exit" policy: If the kids like the show, they'll pay the alotted one-cent admission on the way out. Alas, the show is nearly over before it starts when leading lady Darla Hood walks out, complaining that Alfalfa has been eating onions (which, he insists, improves his splendid speaking voice). After stalling for time, Spanky hits upon a replacement for Darla: black youngster Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas, decked out in a glorious blonde wig! Joe Cobb, an "Our Gang" star from the series' silent days, makes an amusing return appearance. Among the "mood songs" played on the Victrola by stagehand Eugene "Porky" Lee in the course of the show are LeRoy Shield's familiar background tunes "In My Canoe" and "Hide and Go Seek, as well as "Walking the Deck, a tune written for (but deleted from) the 1936 Laurel and Hardy feature Our Relations. The one-reel "Pay as You Exit" was originally released on October 24, 1936. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Darla Hood, (more)
- 1938
Hoping to get even for all the practical jokes perpetrated by neighborhood troublemaker Tommy "Butch" Bond, the Our Gang kids plan to sabotage Butch's birthday party. The weapon of choice is a firecracker, which is substituted for one of the birthday candles. Unfortunately, the kids in general and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer in particular are unable to escape from the party before the big (and tasty) explosion. Essentially a single-joke effort, the one-reel Our Gang comedy Practical Jokers was originally released on December 17, 1938. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1950
Singing cowboy Rex Allen continued currying favor with audiences and exhibitors alike with Redwood Forest Trail. The story gets under way when Allen decides to help out a heavily mortgaged boy's camp. A nasty lumber baron wants to dismantle the camp so he can cut down all the trees. Believing that the underprivileged camp kids are somehow responsible for her father's death, mortgage-holder Julie Wescott (Jeff Donnell) intends to sell to the lumber interests. Allen not only proves who really killed Julie's father, but also routs the villains -- and still has time to sing three songs. Rex Allen's semicomical sidekick is played by Carl Switzer, the former Alfalfa of Our Gang fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Allen, Jeff Donnell, (more)
Based on the long-running comic strip by Gene Byrne, PRC's Reg'lar Fellers was intended as the first of a series of 6-reel comedies built around the talents of juvenile performers Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and Billy Lee. The plot is set in motion by Hetty Carter (Sarah Padden), a wealthy dowager who hates all kids because of her son's ill-fated marriage. With her boy in jail on a trumped-up charge, Hetty takes out her hostilities on her long-suffering daugther-in-law Caroline (Maren Mayo) and her grandson. Hetty eventually changes her ways thanks to the intervention of "Reg'lar Fellers" Pinhead (Lee), Bump Hudson (Switzer), Jimmy Dugan (Buddy Boles), Aggie Reilly (Janet Dempsey), Skeeter (Jerry Wilson) and Pudd'nhead (Malcolm Hutton), who foils the plans of con artists Ferrell (Don Stowell) and Lubec (Lew Luana) to swindle the old lady. Silent film devotees were gratified to see two old favorites, Marguerite de La Motte and Pat O'Malley, in substantial supporting rolls. Reg'lar Fellers was pleasant enough, but no series was ever forthcoming. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Padden, Roscoe Ates, (more)
- 1937
A followup to the musical-revue short Our Gang Follies of 1936, the one-reel Reunion in Rhythm was apparently filmed under the title Our Gang Follies of 1937. Its release title reflected the fact that, in addition to such current Gang members as Spanky McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Darla Hood, Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas, and Eugene "Porky" Lee, the film also features return appearances by former "Our Gang" stalwarts Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, Joe Cobb and Mathew "Stymie" Beard. The occasion is a class reunion at Adams Street Grammar School, where the students stage a show for the entertainment of the alumni. Musical highlights include "Baby Face", performed by Darla and Porky; &"Broadway Rhythm", performed by Spanky and the ensemble; and a medley of &"Going Hollywood" and "I'm Through With Love", sung by Alfalfa and Georgia Jean LaRue. Originally released on January 9, 1937, "Reunion in Rhythm" is the least satisfying of the "Our Gang" musicals, perhaps because the kids seem a tad over-rehearsed this time out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1937
Upset at being forced to do the household chores all weekend long, Our Gang-ers Spanky McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas and Eugene "Porky" Lee decide to run away from home. Taking a breather in the tiny village of Jenksville, the boys manage to cadge a meal from kindly storekeeper Mrs. Jenks (May Wallace). But when she finds out that the kids are runaways, she passes this information along to her husband, Constable Hi Jenks (Otis Harlan), who jovially decides to teach the boys a lesson. Pretending to arrest the four youngsters, Constable Jenks dresses them in convict stripes and forces them to work on the rockpile, figuring that after an hour or so they'll be glad to return home. But an unanticipated swarm of bees brings this little morality play to a sudden and painful conclusion for all concerned. One of the few "Our Gang" one-reelers to boast an original background-music score (courtesy of Marvin Hatley), "Roamin' Holiday" was originally released on June 12, 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1944
In this romantic wartime comedy, four female defense plant workers share a house with four male workers. The situation is on the up and up as the men and women work different shifts and they are only making due because there is a housing shortage. Unfortunately, they soon begin to fight about who gets the house during certain hours. Romance ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Frazee, Frank Albertson, (more)
- 1937
Our Gang members Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and Spanky McFarland form the Sekret Revengers Club, dedicated to protecting such smaller, more vulnerable children as Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas and Eugene "Porky" Lee. When Buckwheat and Porky report that their marbles have been stolen by bullies Butch (Tommy Bond) and Woim (Leonard Kibrick), Alfalfa and Spanky vow to retrieve the marbles. Alas, Butch and Woim prove to be more formidable than expected, forcing the two Sekret Revengers to run for their lives. Everything comes together during a ballet recital, in which Alfalfa, dressed in ballerina drag, finds himself at the mercy of "mystery dancer" Butch. The one-reel comedy Our Gang: Rushin' Ballet was originally released on April 24, 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
- 1938
In this often funny crime melodrama, a librarian moves to a small town and finds herself the butt of local gossip. While the town young men strut their stuff before her, the old biddies make her the topic of many bridge parties. The initially harmless gossip takes a nasty twist when a murder occurs and the girl finds herself shouldering the blame. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lew Ayres, Louise Campbell, (more)
- 1936
Veteran character actress Zeffie Tilbury steals the show in this immensely satisfying "Our Gang" comedy. On the occasion of her 65th birthday, a crotchety hypochondric (Tilbury) goes through her daily rant as her snooty servants (Sidney Bracey and Greta Gould) ply her with colorful but uncessary pills. Her "celebration" is interrupted when a toy plane owned by the "Our Gang" kids crashes through her dining room window and shatters a vase. Forced to do the old lady's yardwork to pay for the damage, the kids ever so gradually win her heart, mostly by refusing to mollycoddle her as her servants have done for so many years. Before long, the Gang's new "Grandma" is singing along with Spanky McFarland and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, demolishing her pill bottles with a slingshot, embarking upon a wild roller-skate ride through her drafty mansion --- and having the time of her life in the process. "Second Childhood" was originally released on April 11, 1936. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, (more)
