''Wild Poses'' is

short subject A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. 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 ...

in 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 ...

'' (''The Little Rascals'') series. It was produced and 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, ...

for

Hal Roach Studios Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and business partners Dan Linthicum and I.H. Nance as the Rolin Film Company on Ju ...

and first released on October 28, 1933 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 ...

. It was the 125th ''Our Gang'' short that was released. A sequel to the previous ''Our Gang'' short, ''

Bedtime Worries ''Bedtime Worries'' is a 1933 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 124th (36th talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short released. Plot On the day he is promoted to head clerk (or "head cluck," as Spanky mistakenly ...

,'' ''Wild Poses'' features a brief cameo by

Laurel & Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in ...

Plot

Otto Phocus (

Franklin Pangborn Franklin Pangborn (January 23, 1889 – July 20, 1958) was an American comedic character actor famous for playing small but memorable roles with comic flair. He appeared in many Preston Sturges movies as well as the W. C. Fields films '' Interna ...

) is a haughty

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

hellbent on taking a formal portrait of a terrified Spanky (

George McFarland George McFarland (October 2, 1928 – June 30, 1993) was an American actor most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in the ''Our Gang'' series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. The ''Our Gang'' shorts were later syndicated ...

). The little guy has been told by the gang that Phocus plans to "shoot" him; thinking the camera is a cannon. This leads Spanky to avoid having his picture taken, and his habit of punching Phocus in the face with regularity. Phocus serves as Spanky's foil in other ways as well. He tries to get Spanky to pose with an exaggerated sweet smile on his face; when Spanky sees Phocus' ridiculous grimace he turns to his Dad (

Emerson Treacy Emerson Treacy (September 17, 1900 – January 10, 1967) was a film, Broadway, and radio actor. Career Treacy was teamed with comedienne Gay Seabrook to form the double-act Treacy and Seabrook. The team was very successful on radio and in thea ...

) and says, "Hey Pop, do you see what I see?" Later, when Spanky's friends have filled the rubber shutter bulb with water, and Phocus squeezes it, squirting Spanky's Dad with water, his Mom (

Gay Seabrook Gay Seabrook (born Gladys Johnson; April 1, 1901 – April 18, 1970) was a film, Broadway and radio actress. Early years Seabrook was the daughter of Rufus Johnson, a newspaper circulation manager. Career In the mid 1920s, Seabrook portrayed M ...

) tells Spanky, "That's how they take

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

pictures." Finally, after having successfully taken Spanky's picture, Phocus discovers the gang exposed his photographic plates, rendering "all my lovely work for nothing!". Spanky responds to the photographers request for "one more bust" with a punch in the nose before his family leaves the studio in disgust.

Cast

The Gang

as Spanky * Matthew Beard as Stymie *

Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods on ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...

as Tommy * Jerry Tucker as Jerry * Georgie Billings as Darby

Additional cast

as Gay, Spanky's mother *

as Emerson, Spanky's father *

as Otto Phocus, the portrait photographer * Georgie Billings as Georgie *

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Ha ...

and

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his c ...

as Babies *

George Stevens, Jr. George Cooper Stevens Jr. (born April 3, 1932) is an American writer, playwright, director, and producer. He is the founder of the American Film Institute, creator of the AFI Life Achievement Award, and co-creator of the Kennedy Center Honors. H ...

as Role unknown (scenes deleted)

Laurel and Hardy cameo

At the beginning of the film, a

salesman Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...

is seen soliciting Otto Phocus' services throughout a residential neighborhood. At one home, he tells a

housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...

that she has "two of the most photogenic children" he has ever seen. The camera cuts to reveal the woman's two children, portrayed in a brief cameo by

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

, dressed in baby clothes and using giant sets from their short '' Brats'' (1930). Laurel and Hardy briefly fight over a baby bottle, until Laurel eye-pokes Hardy and emerges victorious as the scene transitions to set the main plot in motion.

Notes

''Wild Poses'' was the last ''

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 ...

directed by Robert McGowan until 1936's ''

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 The action takes place at an expansive California golf course, where the gang merrily play their ow ...

''. The entire film employs background music again, now a mix of Leroy Shield recordings and other studio recordings. The film was done with a feel of a sitcom and focuses again around Spanky. The depleted gang, now only three children (Georgie Billings plays a kid Darby who is with his mom and not part of the gang) basically is in the background throughout the episode, though unlike ''

'', they do not appear to be homeless.

References

External links

* * * {{Amg movie, 225669 1933 films 1933 comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Robert F. McGowan Hal Roach Studios short films Our Gang films Films with screenplays by H. M. Walker 1933 short films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films