''The Pooch'' is a 1932 ''

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 ...

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

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, ...

. It was the 115th (27th talking) ''Our Gang'' short that was released.

Plot

The film follows cheerful vagrant Stymie and the younger Spanky as they trek through the neighborhood in search of food, with their dog, Pete the Pup, in tow. Their attempts at procuring food are mostly unsuccessful; the pair are turned away from a restaurant for not having any money. Their luck changes, however, when Stymie manages to scheme a woman out of some food under the pretense that it is for Petey, his dog. Soon after, a mean dogcatcher (Budd Fine) is seen with the rest of the gang's dogs in the back of his truck. Stymie, who wants to get back in the good graces of the gang after having previously stolen their pies, intends to win back their affections by freeing their dogs from the dogcatcher's wagon. He is successful, and, after a brief misunderstanding, is allowed back into the gang. Enraged, the dogcatcher tries to capture Petey. The gang fights back, with Stymie grappling onto the dog catcher's leg and biting him, as Spanky and the other kids pelt the dogcatcher with rocks, eggs, and lettuce. This is to no avail, as the dogcatcher eventually escapes their attack and vengefully bundles Petey off to the pound, intending to consign the dog to the gas chamber unless Stymie brings him five dollars. Desperately, Stymie prays for the five dollars necessary to spring Pete, whereupon a five-dollar bill blows out of the hands of a lady shopper and lands at Stymie's feet. After outsmarting a cop whom thinks Stymie has stolen the money, he and the gang race to the dog pound. An employee walks up to the dog catcher and informs him that he can't get Pete gassed, saying that it would make those kids upset. The dog catcher dismisses him. As the dog catcher seals Petey inside the gas chamber, the employee attempts to get the dog catcher's attention once more and is once again angrily dismissed. Upon the gang's arrival, the dog catcher smugly declares that he has already gassed Petey and that the dog is now dead. Stymie begins to cry, and he and the gang sulk until the employee from earlier returns, kneels down to comfort Stymie, and assures him that Petey is not dead. To the dismay of the dogcatcher, the employee informs him that the chamber cannot operate, as there is no gas in the cylinders. The dogcatcher opens the door to the gas chamber to find Petey sitting inside, alive. Petey rushes out and chases the dog catcher, with the gang following.

Cast

The Gang

* George McFarland as Spanky * Matthew Beard as Stymie *

Sherwood Bailey Sherwood Bailey (August 6, 1923 – August 6, 1987) was an American child actor and civil engineer. His parents were nonprofessionals. He is most noted for appearing as Spud, the red-headed, freckle-faced bad boy and enemy of the gang in the '' ...

as Spud * Dorothy DeBorba as Dorothy *

Kendall McComas Kendall McComas (October 29, 1916 – October 15, 1981) was an American child actor. Career Born in Holton, Kansas, McComas first appeared in the '' Mickey McGuire'' short subjects series as a member of Mickey McGuire's gang and stayed throug ...

as Breezy Brisbane *

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 *

Harold Wertz Harold Wertz (August 3, 1927 – November 21, 1999) was an American child actor. Early years Wertz was born in Denison, Texas, and raised in Long Beach, California. He attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach. Our Gang Back in 19 ...

as Bouncy *

Pete the Pup Pete the Pup (original, 1924 – June 1930; second Pete, September 9, 1929 – January 28, 1946) was a character in Hal Roach's '' Our Gang'' comedies (later known as ''The Little Rascals'') during the 1930s, otherwise known as "Pete, the dog w ...

as Himself * Laughing Gravy as Himself

Additional cast

* Artye Folz as Girl who Reads * Dickie Jackson as Boy with donuts *

Harry Bernard Harry Bernard (January 13, 1878 – November 4, 1940) was an American actor and comedian best remembered for his appearance in numerous comedy films by Mack Sennett and Hal Roach. Harry Bernard appeared in over 150 films between 1915 and 1940, ...

as Officer *

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. ...

as Diner attendant *

Estelle Etterre Estelle Etterre (sometimes billed as Belle Hare; July 26, 1899 – March 7, 1996) was an American actress. She appeared in many early 1930s Hal Roach films, such as the Laurel and Hardy short films '' County Hospital'', '' The Chimp'' (both 193 ...

as First housewife
Budd Fine
as Budd, the dog catcher *

Dick Gilbert Dick Gilbert (July 12, 1889 – May 6, 1960), was an American actor mainly associated with the Hal Roach Studios, where he appeared in numerous Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy comedies. He appeared in 52 films between 1922 and 1952 A former ...

as Co-worker at dog pound *

May Wallace May Wallace (August 23, 1877 – December 11, 1938) was an American film actress. Biography Wallace was born in 1877 in Russiaville, Indiana. As a film actress, she often played supporting roles for producer Hal Roach in his Laurel and ...

as Second housewife

Note

*''The Pooch'' is a semi-remake of the 1927 film ''

Love My Dog ''Love My Dog'' is a 1927 American short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 59th '' Our Gang'' short subject released. It was remade in 1932 as ''The Pooch''. Plot After Farina and Joe's dog Oleander is taken to the ...

''. *This is the last entry featuring the second

. His trainer was fired from Hal Roach studios. Other unrelated dogs aired as Pete the Pup until 1938. *This episode was edited for perceived racial content toward African Americans and the mistreatment of children by about five minutes from the syndicated Little Rascals television in 1971. The film was reinstated in its entirety on its

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

airings from 2001-2003.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pooch, The 1932 films American black-and-white films 1932 comedy films Films directed by Robert F. McGowan Hal Roach Studios short films Our Gang films Films with screenplays by H. M. Walker Films about dogs 1930s American films 1930s English-language films