''Sprucin' Up'' is a 1935 ''

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, who also pr ...

'' short

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Gus Meins Gus Meins (March 6, 1893 – August 1, 1940), born Gustave Peter Ludwig Luley, was an American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Career Meins started out in the ‘teens as a cartoonist for the ''Los Angeles Evening Herald'' ...

. It was the 137th ''Our Gang'' short to be released.

Plot

Hoping to get on the good side of the new truant officer (

Dick Elliott Richard Damon Elliott (April 30, 1886 – December 22, 1961) was an American character actor who played in over 240 films from the 1930s until the time of his death. Early years Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Career Elliott p ...

), the gang goes out of their way to impress the man's cute daughter (

Marianne Edwards Marianne Edwards (December 9, 1930 – November 8, 2013) was an American child actress who appeared in the ''Our Gang'' film series from 1934 to 1936. She also appeared in several feature films in the 1930s, including ''Gold Diggers Of 1933'', ...

), even unto making such sacrifices as taking baths, combing hair, shining shoes, and washing behind the ears. Both Spanky and Alfalfa pay a social call on Marianne, and before long, the two lifelong pals have become romantic rivals. Ultimately, Spanky and Alfalfa stage an athletic competition to determine who is the better man, an undertaking with prickly results.

Note

''Sprucin' Up'' was originally going to be known as ''Good Night Ladies''. According to The Lucky Corner Web Site, the boys can be identified in the scene where they are sitting on the curb, from left to right as: Harold Switzer, Robert Lenz, Alvin Buckelew, Scotty Beckett, George "Spanky" McFarland, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, and Donald Proffitt.

Cast

The Gang

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

as Spanky *

Carl Switzer Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

as Alfalfa *

Scotty Beckett Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the ''Our Gang'' shorts and later costarred on '' Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''. Early life and career Born in Oakland, Califo ...

as Scotty *

Billie Thomas Billie may refer to: People *Billie (given name), the given name Other * ''Billie'' (1965 film), a 1965 film starring Patty Duke * ''Billie'' (2019 film), a documentary about Billie Holiday * ''Billie'' (musical), 1928 Broadway musical by ...

as Buckwheat * Alvin Buckelew as Alvin * Donald Proffitt as Our Gang member * Robert Lentz as Our Gang member *

Harold Switzer Harold Frederick Switzer (January 16, 1925 – April 14, 1967) was an American child actor, most notable for appearing in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series as an extra. He was the older brother of gang member Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. Ear ...

as Harold *

Pete the Pup Pete the Pup (September 9, 1929 – January 28, 1946), also called the Mississippi Man Mauler, was an American dog actor known to portray "Pete, the dog with the ring around his eye" in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' comedies series (later known as '' ...

as himself

Additional cast

as Miss Jones, the new girl * Jerry Tucker as Percy *

Harry Bernard Harry Bernard (January 13, 1878 – November 4, 1940) was an American actor and comedian. He is best remembered for his appearance in numerous comedy films by Mack Sennett and Hal Roach.https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0076236/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm ...

as Officer Riley * James P. Burtis as Real estate agent *

as Mr. Jones, father *

Bess Flowers Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress best known for her work as an extra in hundreds of films. She was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in more than 350 feature films and numerous ...

as Scotty's mother * Leota Lorraine as Spanky's mother *

Lillian Rich Lillian Rose Rich (1 January 1900 – 5 January 1954) was an English-born actress of the silent film, silent era. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1919 and 1940. Biography Rich was born in Herne Hill, London, on 1 January 1900. I ...

as Mrs. Jones, mother * Gertrude Sutton as Alfalfa's mother * Viola Richard as Second pedestrian * Lester Dorr as First pedestrian *

Billy Bletcher William Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979) was an American actor. He was known for voice roles for various classic animated characters, most notably Pete in Walt Disney's ''Mickey Mouse'' short films and the Big Bad Wolf in Di ...

as Scotty's father (scenes deleted) *

Blanche Payson Blanche Payson (born Mary Elizabeth Bush, September 20, 1881 – July 4, 1964) was an American film actress. Biography Payson was born in Santa Barbara, California, as Mary Elizabeth Bush to Thomas and Sarah Bush. She first attracted publ ...

as Scotty's mother (scenes deleted)

References

External links

* 1935 films American black-and-white films 1935 comedy films Films directed by Gus Meins Hal Roach Studios short films Our Gang films 1935 short films 1930s American films Films scored by Marvin Hatley Films scored by Leroy Shield 1930s English-language films {{short-comedy-film-stub