Series: Our Gang Director: Gordon Douglas Producer: Hal Roach Photography: Art Lloyd Editor: William H. Ziegler Sound: William Randall Stars: Carl Switzer, George McFarland, Tommy Bond, Sidney Kibrick, Billie Thomas, Eugene Lee Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 24 April 1937 Length: 1 reel Production No.: K-9 Filming dates: March 9-13, 1937 Rating: 3/10

Rushin' Ballet

Available on BLU-RAY & DVD:

Porky and Buckwheat are playing some game of marbles out in the yard with Buckwheat cleaning house after he uses some kind of magic marble to win. Along come Butch and Woim who take over from them. Porky and Buckwheat report back to headquarters where Spanky and Alfalfa are running a protection racket. The boys reveal that they had their marbles stolen and were assaulted with tomatoes by the bullies and Spanky decides they need protection. Alfalfa confronts the bullies but they quickly dismiss him after Butch challenges Alfalfa as to what he is going to do about it? Spanky isn't satisfied with the way Alfalfa has dealt with the situation and therefore takes matters into his own hands by throwing tomatoes at the bullies. This gets their attention and the bullies give chase! Spanky and Alfalfa dress up in girl's clothes and hide inside the basement of a building where a dance recital is taking place. Butch and Woim are hot on their tails but cannot find them. As Spanky and Alfalfa make their escape they are accosted by the recital teacher who ushers them on stage believing them to be part of the act. The boys perform on stage with four girls much to the weird humour of the audience. After the dance is over the teacher pulls the boys aside to tell them off but Alfalfa ends up back on the stage where he is joined by Butch and Woim who rough him up before Butch spins him around in the air and throws him off the stage. The audience applaud Butch and Woim but it's Buckwheat and Porky who get the last laugh when they throw tomatoes into their faces from the side of the stage before walking away singing to themelves.

Favourite bit Honetsly, this was a tough one. The whole film was dreadful. But I'll settle for the opening scene where Buckwheat is kicking Porky's ass at marbles.

Trivia • Copyrighted April 22, 1937. • Film #155 in the series. • Filmed after Three Smart Boys, but was released before it. • When Spanky asks Buckwheat how old he is Buckwheat replies '4'. He had just turned 6 at the time of filming. Porky says that he is '3 or so' (or at least that's what I think he says). He was actually 3 and a half at the time. • Some sources list Rae-Nell Laskey as a dancer, but I think this is wrong. • Robert DeMoss/The Lucky Corner website lists Ernie Alexander as an audience member despite him not being listed in the Maltin/Bann book. I am pretty sure Ernie Alexander is NOT in the film. • Some sources list Darla Hood as a dancer. It is widely believed that she is the girl who we see only from behind as she leaves the stage at around the 6:51 mark. The recital teacher taps her on the shoulder and says "very nice children, very nice" and Darla responds with "thank you" as she carries on walking with a boy. My opinion • Utter crap. The scenes with Alfalfa and Spanky on stage getting the rough treatment from the bullies brings laughter from the audience. All I can say to that is the audience are really easily entertained then because it absolutely sucks. The story is so thin, the acting is so bad, the plot is so unbelievable and the film is rubbish.

	Carl Switzer Alfalfa
	George McFarland Judge Spanky
	Tommy Bond Butch
	Sidney Kibrick Woim
	Billie Thomas Buckwheat
	Eugene Lee Porky
	Darwood Kaye Dancer who gets replaced
	Harold Switzer Dancer who gets replaced
	John Collum Audience member
	Gloria Browne Dancer
	Camille Williams Dancer
	Priscilla Montgomery Dancer
	Elaine Merk Dancer
	Darla Hood Dancer exiting stage
	Kathryn Sheldon Dance recital teacher
	Fred Holmes Audience member
	Otto Malde Audience member
	Helen Ainsworth Pianist
	Helen Servis Cellist
	Tony Campanaro Audience member

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

POSTER (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: The Little Rascals: The Life And Times Of Our Gang by Leonard Maltin & Richard W. Bann (book) http://theluckycorner.com/rmt/155.html (Robert Demoss/The Lucky Corner) http://ourgang.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Rushin%27_Ballet (Our Gang Wiki) Jesse Brisson (identification of Helen Servis, Helen Ainsworth, Otto Malde) This page was last updated on: 02 July 2024