Arbor Day (film)
Encyclopedia
Arbor Day is a 1936 Our Gang
short
comedy film
directed by Fred C. Newmeyer
. It was the 145th Our Gang short that was released.
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 song (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 by and see a good show sometime!" Principal Cass then informs Smithers he's fired, to Spanky and Alfala's delight.
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
short
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Fred C. Newmeyer
Fred C. Newmeyer
Fred C. Newmeyer was an American actor and film director. A native of Central City, Colorado, he is best known for directing a handful of films in the Our Gang series and for directing Harold Lloyd movies The Freshman and Girl Shy. Newmeyer also had an extensive directing and acting resume in...
. It was the 145th Our Gang short that was released.
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 DayArbor Day
Arbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States during 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and an estimated 1 million trees were planted that day.Many...
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
Joyce Kilmer
Alfred Joyce Kilmer was an American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, Kilmer is remembered most for a short poem entitled "Trees" , which was published in...
's "Trees" set to song (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 by and see a good show sometime!" Principal Cass then informs Smithers he's fired, to Spanky and Alfala's delight.
Cast
- Carl SwitzerCarl SwitzerCarl Dean "Alfalfa" Switzer was an American child actor, professional dog breeder and hunting guide, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.-Early life and family:Switzer was born in Paris,...
- Alfalfa - Billie Thomas - Buckwheat
- George McFarlandGeorge McFarlandGeorge Robert Phillips "Spanky" McFarland was an American actor most famous for his appearances as a child in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s...
- Spanky - Darla HoodDarla HoodDarla Jean Hood was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the Our Gang series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of James Claude Hood and Elizabeth Davner...
- Darla - Daniel Boone - Brown-haired boy in pageant
- George Brasno - Boy Midget
- Olive Brasno - Girl Midget
- Gloria Browne - Ballet dancer
- Maurice CassMaurice CassMaurice Cass was a character actor in numerous films and television shows. Born in Lithuania, he came to the US to pursue an acting career....
- Principal Cass - Bobby DunnBobby DunnBobby Dunn was a comic actor who appeared in several Laurel & Hardy comedies, beginning with Duck Soup, and notably as the shoplifter in Tit for Tat.-Biography:...
- Crowd Extra - Betty Gay - Dancing girl
- George Guhl - Truant Officer Smithers
- Rosina LawrenceRosina LawrenceRosina Lawrence was a Canadian-born American actress, singer, and dancer. She was a native of Ottawa, Ontario.-Career:...
- Miss Lawrence - Hattie McDanielHattie McDanielHattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind ....
- Buckwheat's mother - Dick Rush - Murphy, the side show barker
- Rolfe SedanRolfe SedanRolfe Sedan was an American character actor.Born Edward Sedan in New York City, his mother was a Broadway theatre fashion designer and his father a symphony conductor....
- Crowd Extra - Kathryn SheldonKathryn SheldonKathryn Sheldon was an American film actress who appeared in over 100 films between 1916 and 1956.Modern viewers will recognize Sheldon as the domineering Nell in the Three Stooges short film Rockin' thru the Rockies....
- Miss Argyle - May Wallace - Autograph Seeker
- John CollumJohn CollumJohn K. Collum was an American child actor of the 1930s.-Career:Born in Illinois, Collum was the son of Hal Roach's casting director, Joseph Collum, and appeared in twenty-six of Roach's Our Gang comedies from 1932 to 1938...
- Crowd Extra