''Teacher's Pet'' is a 1930 two-reel comedy short, part of the ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

'' (Little Rascals) series. It was produced by

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...

, directed by

Robert F. McGowan Robert Francis McGowan (July 11, 1882 – January 27, 1955) was an American film director and producer, best known as the senior director of the ''Our Gang'' short subjects film series from 1922 until 1933. Career Before moving to Los Angeles, ...

, and originally released to theatres by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

on October 11, 1930. It was the 101st ''

'' short to be released.

Plot

It is the first day of school, and the gang is less than happy about it. Their beloved teacher, Miss McGillicuddy, got married, and now the kids will have a new teacher for the upcoming school year. The kids do not know what the new teacher will look like, only her name, a rather pungent moniker of "Miss Crabtree". They imagine this "Miss Crabtree" to be a dried-up old hag, and concoct a plan to disrupt the class with items such as a white mouse, red ants, and

sneezing powder Sneezing powder is a group of powders or powder-like substances that induce sneezing when someone is exposed to them. This is usually done as a practical joke or prank to an unsuspecting victim. Sneezing powders containing ''Veratrum album'' alkal ...

. Then, the kids are to have their younger siblings — Wheezer,

Dorothy Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Characters *Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum * Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...

, and

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

— come in and tell Miss Crabtree that they need to be excused to go home ... "and then, we're all goin' swimmin'!"

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

, the mastermind of the operation, asks Wheezer if he remembers what to say. Wheezer says "Mama wants Jack home right away; she's gonna shoot Papa!" Jackie says "No, that's too strong; just say 'important business'." However, the plan falls apart when Jackie takes a ride to school from a beautiful young lady (

June Marlowe June Marlowe (born Gisela Valaria Goetten, November 6, 1903 – March 10, 1984) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. She was best known for her performance of "Miss Crabtree" in the ''Our Gang'' sho ...

) with a shiny roadster. Unbeknownst to Jackie, his benefactor is actually Miss Crabtree, and he tells her ''everything'' about the plan to harass the new teacher. She drops Jack off a mile from the school, and Jack tells her, "Y'know, you're almost as pretty as Miss McGillicuddy ... all except in your nose." After telling the gang about the beautiful lady that gave him the ride, Jack is shocked to find that the lady with the roadster and Miss Crabtree are one and the same. She spends the class period identifying Jack's co-conspirators ( Farina, Chubby, and

Buddy Buddy may refer to: People *Buddy (nickname) *Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present) *Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992) *Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...

), and suspends the foursome for the day just as some delivery boys (

Baldwin Cooke Baldwin Gardiner Cooke (March 10, 1888 – December 31, 1953), also known as Baldy Cooke, was a comedic American actor. Born in New York, Cooke and his wife, Alice, toured in vaudeville with Stan Laurel, remaining close friends over the years. ...

and Gordon Douglas) bring in a wealth of cake and ice cream as a first-day treat for the class. After being shooed outside, the kids all turn on Jack, with an angry Farina remarking "Yeah, ''my pal''", making a throat-cutting gesture to accent his anger. Farina, Chubby, and Buddy decide to go back inside, apologize, and hope that they can "get in on that ice cream". Jack decides that he "can't ever go back; I'm too ashamed", sits under a tree in the schoolyard and begins sobbing. After accepting the other three pranksters' apologies and giving them their treats, Miss Crabtree goes outside looking for Jack, and upon finding him quietly presents him with a plate of cake and a bowl of ice cream, showing that she forgives him. Amidst tears, Jack looks up at Miss Crabtree and tells her "Gee, you're pretty, Miss Crabtree – you're even prettier than Miss McGillicuddy", and solemnly tries to eat his dessert.

Cast

The Gang

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

as Jackie * Matthew Beard as Hercules *

Norman Chaney Norman Myers Chaney (October 18, 1914 – May 29, 1936) was an American child actor, notable for appearing in 19 ''Our Gang'' comedies as "Chubby" from 1929 to 1931. Early life and career Chaney was born on October 18, 1914 (though Richard ...

as Chubby * Dorothy DeBorba as Dorothy *

Allen Hoskins Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

as Farina *

Bobby Hutchins Robert E. Hutchins (March 29, 1925 – May 17, 1945) was an American child actor who was a regular in the '' Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1927 to 1933. A native of Tacoma, Washington, he was given the nickname of Wheezer after running a ...

as Wheezer *

Mary Ann Jackson Mary Ann Jackson (January 14, 1923 – December 17, 2003) was an American child actress who appeared in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1928 to 1931. She was born and died in Los Angeles, California. Career Mary Ann Jackson's f ...

as Mary Ann *

Buddy McDonald Thomas "Buddy"/"Bud" McDonald (October 1, 1922 – September 22, 2008) was an American child actor. He is perhaps best known as one of the ''Our Gang'' kids of the early sound period, and McDonald is prominently featured in the ''Our Gang'' shor ...

as Buddy

Additional cast

* Artye Folz as Third pea-shooter victim *

Donald Haines Donald Haines (May 9, 1919 – February 20, 1943) was an American child actor who had recurring appearances in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1930 to 1933. He appeared in ''Our Gang'' during the early sound days along with Nor ...

as Don *

as Miss June Crabtree *

as First caterer *

William Courtright William Courtright (February 10, 1848 – March 6, 1933) was an American film actor. Early years He was born Theodore Courtright in New Milford, Illinois, and was educated in the public schools of Ione, California. When he was 16, he ran ...

as Old man talking with Miss Crabtree (in his last film role) * Gordon Douglas as Second caterer * Beverly and Betty Mae Crane as the Title readers *

Mildred Kornman Mildred Gene Kornman (July 10, 1925 – August 19, 2022), also billed as Ricki VanDusen, was an American actress, model, businesswoman, and photographer. At the time of her death, she was one of the last living actresses of the silent era. L ...

as Classroom extra *

Bobby Mallon Robert Howard Mallon (April 7, 1919 - September 10, 2008) was an American actor. Early life He was born in Greybull, Wyoming. Career Mallon was known for playing Bobby in 13 of the ''Our Gang''/'' Little Rascals'' series of movies produced by ...

as Classroom extra * Billy Seay as Classroom extra * Barbara Roach as Classroom extra

Notability

''Teacher's Pet'' marks the first ''Our Gang'' appearances of

, as the "lovely schoolteacher" Miss Crabtree, and of Matthew Beard, here identified as "Hercules", and later called "Stymie". The short was also the first in the series to use the now-popular ''Our Gang'' theme song, "Good Old Days", composed by

Leroy Shield Leroy Bernard Shield (October 2, 1893 – January 9, 1962) was an American film score and radio composer. He is best known for the themes and incidental music he wrote for the classic Hal Roach comedy short films of the 1930s, including the ''Our ...

and featuring a notable saxophone solo. ''Teacher's Pet'' was also the first of three ''Our Gang'' films in what is now considered the "Jackie/Miss Crabtree trilogy", which were the first sound ''Our Gang'' films to successfully balance comedy with drama and emotion. All three of the films (the other two are '' School's Out'' and ''

Love Business ''Love Business'' is a 1931 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 104th (16th talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Jackie is hopelessly in love with Miss Crabtree. At the same time, his ...

'') are opened not with text title cards, but with live-action title cards recited to the audience by twin girls, Betty Jean and Beverly McCrane: :''(in unison) "Dear Ladies and Gentlemen; Hal Roach presents, for your entertainment and approval, ''His Rascals'', in their latest ''Our Gang'' comedy entitled ''Teacher's Pet''.'' :''(first twin) Direction by Robert McGowan....'' :''(second twin) ...

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

Art Lloyd Arthur Lloyd (October 17, 1897 – November 25, 1954) was an American cameraman and cinematographer who worked for Hal Roach Studios and filmed many of the Laurel and Hardy and ''Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals' ...

...'' :''(first twin) ...

edited Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

Richard Currier Richard Carlton "Dick" Currier (August 26, 1892 – December 14, 1984) was an American Film editing, film editor known principally for his work at Hal Roach, Hal Roach Studios. Biography Currier was born in Denver, Colorado. From 1920 to 1932 he ...

...'' :''(second twin) ...

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

Elmer Raguse Elmer R. Raguse (May 9, 1901 – March 2, 1972) was an American sound engineer mostly associated with the Hal Roach Studios. He was nominated for eight Academy Awards in the categories Best Sound Recording and Best Effects. Editor Richard ...

...'' :''(in unison)...and

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is c ...

H.M. Walker Harley M. Walker (June 27, 1878 – June 23, 1937) was a member of the Hal Roach Studios production company from 1916 until his resignation in 1932. The title cards he wrote for Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase, ''Our Gang'' and Laurel and Hardy come ...

. We thank you!''

Release and legacy

''Teacher's Pet'' is considered a quintessential entry in the ''Our Gang'' series. Jackie Cooper's performance in this film paved the way for his roles in major

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

feature films such as '' Skippy'' and '' The Champ''. By the spring of 1931, Hal Roach had sold his contract to MGM so that Cooper could make features full-time. Miss Crabtree would go on to appear in five more ''Our Gang'' shorts, and she remains today not only the most popular adult character from ''Our Gang'', but also one of the most popular fictional schoolteachers of all time. ''Teacher's Pet'' was remade by Hal Roach in 1936 as ''

Bored of Education ''Bored of Education'' is a 1936 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 146th entry in the ''Our Gang'' series to be released. Plot It is t ...

''. Directed by Gordon Douglas (who coincidentally has a walk-on as a delivery boy in ''Teacher's Pet''), and starring the mid/late 1930s ''Our Gang'' line-up of Spanky,

Alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

Buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as '' Fago ...

, Darla, and

Porky Porky may refer to: As a nickname * Frank Biscan (1920-1959), Major League Baseball pitcher * Gordon Brown (Canadian football) (born 1927), Canadian Football League retired player * Porky Chedwick, Pittsburgh radio disk jockey of the 1950s and 196 ...

, ''Bored of Education'' won the 1937 Academy Award for Short Subjects (One-Reel). The television syndication print distributed by

King World King World Productions, Inc. (also known as King World Entertainment, King World Enterprises, or simply King World) was a production company and syndicator of television programming in the United States independently established in 1964 until acq ...

was edited in 1971 to remove scenes considered in bad taste, but these scenes were reinstated in the early 1990s.

References

External links

*
''Teacher's Pet''
at ''TheLuckyCorner.com'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Teacher's Pet (1930 Film) 1930 films Hal Roach Studios short films American black-and-white films 1930 comedy films Films directed by Robert F. McGowan Our Gang films Films with screenplays by H. M. Walker Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films