Cast: Carl Switzer, George McFarland, Eugene Lee, Darla Hood, Billie Thomas, Henry Brandon
Tonight at the Saps At Sea tent meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting Patsy Currier, Payne Johnson and Priscilla Montgomery, all of whom are featured in this short Our Gang film. I was lucky enough to get their autographs and had the pleasure of watching this short.
PLOT: Alfalfa (Carl Switzer), dubbed "King Of Crooners," is the star of another big show in Spanky's (George McFarland) basement. To the disappointment of the audience full of youngsters, Alfalfa tears into an off-key rendition of "The Barber Of Seville." To be honest with you, I didn't think the kid sounded half that bad.
Anyway, everyone boos him and when Spanky tells him off, Alfalfa goes to the Cosmopolitan opera house with Porky (Eugene Lee) in tow, wanting to appear in the next opera. Barnaby (Henry Brandon), the owner, tells him that they don't need him now, but jokingly offers the boy a contract, telling him to come back in twenty years. Alfalfa naively agrees and returns to the gang's show. Spanky calls BS on the contract, Alfalfa calls BS on Spanky and goes to take a nap backstage. He dreams that twenty years have passed and he is getting a great big opera debut. He utters only a few bars of "The Barber Of Seville" when the audience begins to throw food at him. Can you believe that? They throw food at a ten-year-old. Big jerks. Anyway, Barnaby, now an old man, kicks him onto the street and tells him that he must walk the streets performing opera. They happen upon "Club Spanky." Spanky, now rich and famous, invites them in, but when Alfalfa tries to perform, Barnaby catches him. Alfalfa wakes up from his dream and goes out to perform as a crooner and the gang finishes the show to applause.
REVIEW: Aren't these kids just precious? I applaud Hal Roach for giving the kids a chance, and for breaking the racial issues of the day by including the African-American Buckwheat (Billie Thomas). 4 out of 5 stars. So cute.
Part 1:
Part 2:
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