The Little Rascals Save the Day
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''The Little Rascals Save the Day'' (titled ''The Little Rascals 2: Rascals' Beginning'' in development) is a 2014 American
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
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 ...
released by
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...
. Succeeding the 1994 film, it is the second feature film adaptation of
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 ...
's ''
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 ...
'', a series of
short film 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 ...
s of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s (many of which were broadcast on television as ''The Little Rascals'') which centered on the adventures of a group of neighborhood children. With a screenplay by William Robertson and Alex Zammwho also directed''The Little Rascals Save The Day'' presents several of the ''Our Gang'' characters in an updated setting, and features re-interpretations of several of the original shorts. It is the second of Universal's feature-length ''Our Gang'' adaptations, following 1994's theatrical release ''
The Little Rascals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''.


Plot

On the last day of school before summer vacation, Spanky, Alfalfa, Mary Ann, and Stymie try to leave early by having Buckwheat and Porky tell Miss Crabtree that they need to go home. Miss Crabtree agrees to let the four kids go, forcing them out of her surprise ice cream cake party for the class. The Rascals head over to Grandma Larson's bakery, and bump into Officer Kennedy along the way. Kennedy is dating Miss Crabtree, and the kids ask him why he has not proposed to her. They form The International Silver String Submarine Band as there is a big talent show. The band plans on playing Sonny & Cher's " I Got You Babe" for the talent show but wind up sounding terrible. Alfalfa suggests making the performance better by getting Darla to sing the song with him. During band practice, Grandma is asked to visit the local bank and leaves the kids in charge of her bakery. The gang is asked to prepare a red velvet cake, but they put too much yeast in, causing the inflating dessert to explode in the kitchen. Meanwhile, a bank officer informs Grandma that she owes the bank $10,000. If she is unable to pay the money in two weeks, she will lose her bakery. To make matters worse, Waldo Kaye's father wants to buy the bakery and replace it with a shopping mall. Waldo wants the kids' tree house for himself and ends up setting off the burglar alarm. Spanky suggests the gang get jobs in order to help save Grandma's bakery. Porky, Buckwheat, Mary Ann and Stymie all offer their services in professional working environments but are turned away at each one. Spanky and Alfalfa get jobs as Mr. Kaye's caddies at the local country club, but the two are quickly kicked out of the club and fired after Spanky interrupts Officer Kennedy's date with Miss Crabtree by accidentally hitting a golf ball at the policeman's forehead. This does not stop Spanky. He suggests a pet washing business, which quickly goes haywire after he mistakenly replaces a bottle of shampoo with one containing green dye. The fur of several pets turns green, including Darla's cat. Alfalfa tries to make up for it by offering Darla a ride to the library on his bicycle, but she instead decides to go with Waldo in his toy car. This gives Spanky the idea for the Rascals to build their own taxi cab. This business also ends poorly after Waldo cuts the car's brake wires, sending them down a steep hill and into a gazebo. Darla, who was riding in the taxi, once again leaves Alfalfa for Waldo. Officer Kennedy, who has constantly had his dates with Miss Crabtree interrupted by the Rascals, yells at the kids for ruining yet another attempt at proposing marriage to the schoolteacher. Angered that Kennedy does not like children, Miss Crabtree breaks up with him. Spanky next decides to have Alfalfa get into the wrestling ring against the mysterious Masked Marvel. Porky is to play Alfalfa's opponent, which he accidentally says to Waldo. Waldo then hires Butch and Woim to stop Alfalfa from winning the wrestling match. Butch takes Porky's place in the ring and easily beats Alfalfa. To make matters worse, Waldo convinces Spanky to bet the money he had made from the match to him in the event that Alfalfa loses. Angered at their leader's poor decision and his bossy attitude, the rest of the gang turn against Spanky, but after a talk with Grandma, Spanky is able to rekindle his friendship with the others. The kids now begin rehearsing for the talent show, their last chance at earning the $10,000 for Grandma. Meanwhile, Miss Crabtree agrees to continue dating Officer Kennedy on the condition that he attends the kids' talent show with her. Kennedy reluctantly agrees. At the talent show, the gang are up against several professional acts including a song-and-dance routine by Waldo and Darla, but Waldo continuously pushes Darla out of the spotlight and she eventually leaves him after he attempts to sabotage the International Silver String Submarine Band's performance. The band's rendition of "I Got You Babe" starts poorly and gradually gets fair, and gets even better when Darla arrives to sing with Alfalfa. The Rascals win the $10,000, Darla officially joins the gang's band (and becomes Alfalfa's girlfriend), Grandma's bakery is saved, and Miss Crabtree agrees to marry Officer Kennedy. During the end credits, Waldo gets a "tree house" from his Dad as promised, in the form of a miniature of their own huge mansion. When his Dad offers Waldo to christen it himself, Waldo proudly announces it a members-only place and strikes the bottle to one of its pillars. However, instead of the bottle, the pillar develops a crack, which then spreads throughout the house and within a moment, it shatters to dust. Waldo's Dad comments to a shocked Waldo, that he might still have the receipt.


Cast

*
Jet Jurgensmeyer Jet Jurgensmeyer (born November 27, 2004) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, playing the role of Spanky in the 2014 film ''The Little Rascals Save the Day'', and Bobby Anderson in the 2016 Disney Channel television film ...
as Spanky * Drew Justice as
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 ...
* Connor Berry as Stymie *
Jenna Ortega Jenna Marie Ortega (born September 27, 2002) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, receiving recognition for her role as young Jane in The CW comedy-drama series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019). Her breakthrough ro ...
as Mary Ann * Camden Gray as
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 ...
* Isaiah "Zay Zay" Fredericks as
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 ...
* Jules as Petey *
Eden Wood Eden Wood (born February 18, 2005) is an American actress and reality television star. She is known for her role as Darla in ''The Little Rascals Save the Day'', and her many appearances on the reality television show ''Toddlers & Tiaras''. Fil ...
as Darla * Grant Palmer as
Waldo Waldo may refer to: People * Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Waldo (surname), a list of people * Waldo (footballer) (1934-2019), full name Waldo Machado da Silva, Brazilian footballer Places Canada * Waldo, ...
*
Lex Medlin Lex Medlin (born March 30, 1969) is an American actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of television commercials and sitcoms. A star of the 2006 Fox TV sitcom '' Happy Hour'', he is noted for his droll facial expressions and anything-for-a-lau ...
as Officer Kennedy * Valerie Azlynn as Miss Crabtree ** River Alexander in singing voice * Chase Vacnin as Butch *
Rio Mangini Rio Mangini (born October 6, 2002) is an American actor, musician, and composer. He is known for his roles as Ace McFumbles in ''Bella and the Bulldogs'' and as McQuaid in ''Everything Sucks!'' Life and career Rio Mangini is the son of Academy ...
as Woim *
Brian Stepanek Brian Patrick Stepanek (born February 6, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Arwin Hawkhauser on the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and Brian on ''Brian O'Brian''. He was also a Sector Seve ...
as Sergio * French Stewart as Bank Officer *
Robert Torti Robert Felix Torti (born October 22, 1961) is an American actor. Torti originated the roles of Jesus and Jack in both the New York City and Los Angeles stage productions of ''Reefer Madness''. Earlier in his career, Torti was honored with a To ...
as TV Show Host Leo McCarey * Bug Hall as Delivery Man/Ice Cream Man (Hall played Alfalfa in the 1994 film.) * Mindy Sterling as Talent Coordinator *
Greg Germann Gregory Andrew Germann ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American actor who is known for playing Richard Fish on the television series '' Ally McBeal'', which earned him a Screen Actors Guild award. He also is known for his roles as Eric "Rico" ...
as Ray "Big Ray" Kaye * Doris Roberts as Grandma Additionally, Billy Johnston appears as Freckle-Faced Boy; Jim Blanchette appears as Customer #1; James Hallett appears as Golf Club Manager; Steve Monroe appears as Mailman; Cathy Giannone appears as Customer #2; and Dashell Zamm appears as McKibble the Magnificent.


Notable themes

Many of the gags and subplots in the film were borrowed from the original ''Our Gang/Little Rascals'' shorts. These include: * The "high-sign" originally appeared in the Little Rascals short '' Anniversary Trouble''. * The kids getting themselves kicked out of school during a classroom party originally appeared in the Little Rascals short '' Teacher's Pet''. * The main plot, involving saving Grandma's bakery, was borrowed from the Little Rascals film ''
Helping Grandma ''Helping Grandma'' is a 1931 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 103rd (15th talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot An elderly woman named Mrs. Margaret Mack owns a small grocery store, ...
''. * The kids' band, The International Silver String Submarine Band, was original featured in the Little Rascals film '' Mike Fright''. In a deleted scene, Spanky and Alfalfa interrupt Butch's trombone performance by eating lemons. This gag was also borrowed from ''Mike Fright''. * The kids preparing a cake was borrowed from 1932's ''
Birthday Blues ''Birthday Blues'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 118th (31st talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot When their pennypinching father refuses to buy a birthday gift for th ...
''. The sounds that the cake makes inside of the oven are also based on those made by the cake in ''Birthday Blues''. * Spanky and Alfalfa getting jobs as caddies was the plot for the Little Rascals comedy ''
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 ...
''. * A parrot says, "Remarkable!", a nod to the Our Gang film '' Forgotten Babies''. In a deleted scene, the parrot also says, "Yum, yum! Eat 'em up!", a nod to ''
The Kid From Borneo ''The Kid from Borneo'' is a short subject film in the ''Our Gang'' (Little Rascals) comedy series. It was produced and directed by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach Studios, and was originally released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on April ...
''. * The kids' handmade taxi, and the idea of it going down a steep hill were borrowed from ''
Free Wheeling ''Free Wheeling'' is a 1932 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 117th (29th talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Confined to a neck brace, poor little rich boy Dickie would like to ...
''. * Alfalfa fighting the Masked Marvel, which turns out to be Butch, was originally featured in the Little Rascals comedy ''
Came the Brawn ''Came the Brawn'' is a 1938 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 165th entry in the ''Our Gang'' series. Notes ''Came the Brawn'' marked ...
''. The film features a handful of inside jokes for fans of both the original Little Rascals and the 1994 film adaptation. These include: * The kids attend Robert McGowan Elementary School. Robert McGowan directed over 100 of the 220 original Little Rascals shorts between 1922 and 1933. * Miss Crabtree's first name is June, while Officer Kennedy's first name is Edgar. This is a nod to June Marlowe and Edgar Kennedy, the actors who portrayed Miss Crabtree and Officer Kennedy in the original Little Rascals shorts. * A marquee on a movie theater reads "
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 ...
Film Festival. Hal Roach was the producer creator of the Our Gang/Little Rascals series. * The talent show host is named Leo McCarey. McCarey worked on several of the original Little Rascals shorts. * Bug Hall, who portrayed
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 ...
in the 1994 film, cameos as an ice cream man. In a deleted scene, he suggests that Alfalfa reminds him of himself when he was younger. *The "figurine" on the cab is the same as the figurine on "Blur 2: The Sequel".


See also

* ''
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 ...
'' (original ''Little Rascals'' film series) * ''
The Little Rascals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (animated TV series) * ''
The Little Rascals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1994 feature film)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Rascals Save The Day, The 2014 films Our Gang 2014 direct-to-video films 2010s children's comedy films Films directed by Alex Zamm American children's comedy films Universal Pictures direct-to-video films 2014 comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films