The Pinch Singer is a 1936 Our Gang

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 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 142rd Our Gang short that was released, although it was produced before the short which followed it on the release schedule, Divot Diggers

Divot Diggers

Divot Diggers is a 1936 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan; It was the 142nd Our Gang short to be released.-Plot:...

.

Plot

The gang's Eagles Club holds auditions for a performer to send to a local amateur radio talent contest with a $50 prize. Despite Alfalfa's repeated attempts to upstage his competition, Darla is elected to represent the club at the talent contest. However, when Darla does not turn up at the radio station, Spanky runs to look for her, while Alfalfa decides to take it upon himself and take Darla's place on the radio program.

Alfalfa begins crooning "I'm in the Mood for Love

I'm in the Mood for Love

"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...

". When the gang hears Alfalfa on the radio, they race to the nearest drugstore and rig the contest, calling in vote after vote for Alfalfa. Spanky turns up with Darla just as Alfalfa finishes his performance. As Spanky starts to berate Alfalfa for acting on his own, the emcee informs him that "he's won the prize". Suddenly, Spanky has nothing but confidence in Alfalfa's future singing efforts...at which Alfalfa abruptly silences with a gong.

Cast

• Carl Switzer
  Carl Switzer
  Carl 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,...
  
   as Alfalfa
• Darla Hood
  Darla Hood
  Darla 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...
  
   as Darla
• George McFarland
  George McFarland
  George 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...
  
   as Spanky
• Billie Thomas as Buckwheat
• Eugene Lee as Porky
• Margaret Kerry
  Margaret Kerry
  Margaret Kerry is an American actress, motivational speaker and radio host best known for her 1953 work as the model for Tinker Bell in the Walt Disney Pictures animated feature, Peter Pan.-Career:...
  
   (as Peggy Lynch)
• Dickie DeNuet
• Jerry Tucker
  Jerry Tucker
  Jerry Tucker is a former American child actor, most notable for appearing as the "rich kid" in the Our Gang short subjects series semi-regularly from 1931 to 1938....
  
  
• Harold Switzer
  Harold Switzer
  Harold Frederick Switzer was an American child actor, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as an extra...
  
  
• Tommy McFarland
• Joe Strauch Jr.
• Marianne Edwards
  Marianne Edwards
  Marianne Edwards was a child actress who appeared in the Our Gang film series from 1934 to 1936. She also appeared in several feature films in the 30's, including Gold Diggers Of 1933, Babes In Toyland with Laurel & Hardy, Stand Up and Cheer! with Shirley Temple and The Wizard Of Oz.Edwards' most...
  
  
• Sidney Kibrick
  Sidney Kibrick
  Sidney Kibrick is an American former child actor, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1935 to 1939. From 1937 to 1939, he portrayed "The Woim", the sidekick of the neighborhood bully "Butch", played by Tommy Bond.He is the brother of the late Leonard Kibrick,...
  
  
• Rex Downing
• John Collum
  John Collum
  John 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...
  
  
• Bud Murray Dancers
• Pete The Pup
  Pete the Pup
  Pete the Pup was a Pit Bull character in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies during the 1920s and 1930s...
  
   as Petie
• Chet Brandenburg
  Chet Brandenburg
  Chet Brandenburg , was an American actor. He appeared in 33 films between 1924 and 1957.He was born in Kentucky and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.-Selected filmography:* The Pinch Singer...
  
   as Audience extra
• Eddie Craven as Elevator boy
• Blair Davies as Radio announcer
• Gail Goodson as Information girl
• Charlie Hall as Druggist and audience extra
• Marvin Hatley
  Marvin Hatley
  Thomas Marvin Hatley , professionally known simply as Marvin Hatley, was an American film composer and musical director, best known for his work for the Hal Roach studio from 1929 until 1940....
  
   as Music conductor
• Bill Madsen as Page