George "Spanky" McFarland Movies

John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty and Mama Cass are featured in this retrospective of their work as The Mamas & The Papas. Features the music that made them famous, discussions with surviving group members and film clips. Dick Clark, Mick Fleetwood and Joe Cocker also appear. ~ All Movie Guide

With a title like I Escaped from the Gestapo, it's a wonder that there's any suspense at all in this Monogram programmer. Dean Jagger stars as Lane, an imprisoned counterfeiter who is sprung from jail by a group of sinister-looking gentlemen. It soon develops that Lane is expected to apply his counterfeiting skills on behalf of the Nazis, who hope to destroy America's economy by flooding the market with phony money. But Lane's patriotism outweighs his mercenary instincts, and he turns the tables on the villains. Particularly well cast, I Escaped from the Gestapo features such reliables as John Carradine, Sidney Blackmer and Ian Keith, as well as Mary Brian in one of her handful of "comeback" films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Weighing themselves on a penny machine, the Our Gang kids receive a fortune card predicting that they will receive "unexpected riches." Acting upon this, the kids decide to dig for buried treasure, using a fradulent map provided by one of their wise-guy acquaintances. Though the treasure hunt comes a-cropper, the fortune card's prediction comes true in an unexpected fashion. Originally released on November 28, 1942, the one-reel Unexpected Riches represented Spanky McFarland's final Our Gang appearance, ending an incredible ten-year run with the comedy series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Future film star Stephen McNally (here billed as Horace McNally) appears in this Our Gang one-reeler as Bill Patterson, ace director at Mammoth Studios. On the say-so of studio casting director J.D. Broderick (Bryon Shores), Patterson agrees to give a screen test to the Our Gang kids' talented dog Rover. Alas, the petulant pooch does not take direction well, nor does he respond positively when the cameraman announces that he's "ready to shoot." Originally released on August 22, 1942, Rover's Big Chance could charitably be described as a one-joke film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Our Gang member Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas has told so many lies that no one believes his claim of seeing a marauding monkey in a nearby "haunted" house. This time, however, Buckwheat is telling the truth: The monkey, a harmless circus escapee, is indeed wandering the corridors of the abandoned structure. But the kids don't know that, and when they decide to teach Buckwheat a lesson by disguising Billy "Froggy" Laughlin as a chimp, it is they who end up scared witless. Don't Lie was originally released on April 4, 1942. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Upset because, as a leap year baby, he only has a birthday every four years, Our Gang member Billy "Froggy" Laughlin bemoans the fact that he has never had a birthday party. The gang decides to throw a surprise party in Froggy's honor, but to keep him in the dark, they pretend to kick him out of the clubhouse. Vengefully, Froggy sneaks back and sets all sorts of booby-traps for the other gang members. But -- you guessed it -- when the party takes place, it is Froggy who bears the brunt of his pre-set pranks. Originally released on May 30, 1942, the one-reel Our Gang comedy Surprised Parties is but a pale shadow of the series' vintage entries of the '20s and '30s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Junior con man Freddie "Slicker" Walburn sells the Our Gang kids some "invisible rays," with which they hope to power their homemade mechanical robot. Miracle of miracles, the robot not only begins to move, but actually performs several of the gang's household chores. In truth, the robot is being manipulated by Slicker's cohort Billy Ray "Boxcar" Smith, but the kids don't find out until their rampaging mechanical man nearly lays waste to the entire neighborhood. The one-reel Our Gang comedy Robot Wrecks was originally released on July 12, 1941. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When neighborhood nemesis Freddie "Slicker" Walburn and his cronies tie knots in the Our Gang kids' clothes while the kids are swimming, a total war is declared. Commandeered by Spanky McFarland, the gang staves off Slicker's "troops" with a barrage of fruit, vegetables, rotten eggs and Limburger cheese. For a while, it looks as though Slicker has gained the upper hand, but the gang successfully mounts an aerial counteroffensive. Beyond a few clever gags, the most interesting aspect of this derivative Our Gang one-reeler is its location, a vacant lot located not far from a busy Los Angeles oil field. Fightin' Fools was originally released January 25, 1941. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title of this one-reel Our Gang comedy is explained when Gang member Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer comes face to face with his wealthy lookalike Cornelius (also played by Switzer). This fateful meeting provides a golden opportunity for both boys: By trading places with his double, Alfalfa will be able to weasel out of his yard work and live a life of luxury, while Cornelius will be able to escape the rigors of dancing lessons, baths, and the like, and briefly enjoy the benefits of being a "regular kid." But the consequences of the boys' identity-trading serves only to lend credence to the old saw "Stay in your own backyard." Originally released on January 20, 1940, Alfalfa's Double fails to live up to the promise of its premise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In his final Our Gang appearance, Tommy Bond essays his usual role as the Gang's eternal nemesis Butch. This time, Butch wins the heart of little Darla Hood, leaving heartbroken Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer to cry in his alphabet soup. Mistaking the boy's doldrums for indigestion, Alfalfa's dad (William Newell) prepares to give his son a good dose of Seidlitz Powder -- or, as Alfie calls it, "Settles-It" Powder. Later on, the kids pay a visit to Butch's jerry-built chemistry lab, where the young troublemaker is mixing up what he thinks is an explosive. Recognizing the mixture as Settles-It Powder, the crafty Alfalfa offers himself as Butch's guinea pig, "bravely" downing the concoction in hopes of impressing Darla. Alas, the powders haven't been properly combined, and before long a bloated Alfalfa is floating into the sky, while the rest of the gang frantically scurries to his rescue. Filmed in November of 1939, the one-reel Bubbling Troubles was held back from release until May 25, 1940. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Of the many MGM Our Gang comedies focused on whiny child actor Robert Blake, the one-reel All About Hash is often cited as the worst of the bunch. It seems that little Mickey (Blake) is upset over the fact that his parents (Louis Jean Heydt and Peggy Shannon) spend every Monday night arguing. The reason: Mickey's mom invariably serves hash from the Sunday-dinner leftovers, and Mickey's dad hates hash. To teach the two adults a lesson, the Our Gang kids stage a skit on a local radio program, ending with a heartfelt plea by Mickey to stop the quarrelling. All About Hash was originally released on March 30, 1940. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An unofficial reworking of such silent Our Gang comedies as Tire Troubleand Boys Will Be Joys, as well as the 1936 two-reeler Second Childhood, the one-reel talkie Kiddie Kure is a tour de force for that marvelous character actor Thurston Hall. While playing baseball near the home of wealthy hypochondriac Mr. Morton (Hall), the Our Gang kids inadvertently break one of Morton's windows. This mishap coincides with a plan hatched by Morton's wife (Josephine Whitell) to get her husband's mind off his imaginary illnesses by adopting some children. Hoping to prove that he'd be an unsuitable parent, Morton pretends that he's crazy, the better to scare away the gang and to dissuade Mrs. Morton from her adoption scheme. Instead, the kids prove to Morton that he doesn't need all his pills and poultices, thereby giving the old man a new lease on life and a better appreciation of children. Originally released on November 23, 1940, Kiddie Kure marked the final Our Gang appearance of series stalwart Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide