Series: Our Gang Director: Robert F. McGowan, Charles Oelze Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Art Lloyd Editor: Richard C. Currier Stars: Joe Cobb, Allen Hoskins, Jay R. Smith, Clifton Young, Jackie Condon, Elmer Lowry, Jean Darling Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 26 June 1927 Length: 2 reels Production No.: K-19 Filming dates: February 16 - March 4, 1927 Rating: -/10

Baby Brother

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"The story of a little boy who had everything he wanted - except a baby brother - and a shotgun."  The film opens with Joe Cobb sitting at a musical piano with his Pekingese dog whilst two servants of the house walk past him. A close-up shot on the boy reveals he is not actually playing the instrument, but rather it is a mechanical piano which is playing a pre-programmed tune. The words on the lyric sheet spell out and highlight the boy's sadness as he sits there crying. In the next room his father makes a telephone call as Joe speeds up the piano to try and lighten his mood. The father momentarily puts the telephone receiver down when the servant brings him a drink. This is unseen by the father, who then picks it up and holds the glass to his ear. The snobbish mother comes down the stairs to observe. The father instructs her to tell Joe to stop making the "racket" with the piano, claiming he sounds more like a trained seal than a son. The mother ridicules Joe for "looking funny" when he cries. The mother tells the nursemaid (Anita Garvin) to keep Joe out all day because she doesn't want her bridge game interrupted. The nursemaid is disgusted with the mother's arrogance and comforts the crying boy. The nursemaid wipes Joe's nose and offers to take him down to her own neighborhood, where there are lots of other little boys. He is immediately excited. Some of the gang are out in the yard tossing a baseball when we are introduced to a small group of baby children. REVIEW INCOMPLETE

Trivia • Copyrighted May 18, 1927 • The 61st film in the series. • This was the first of 62 appearances in the series for Wheezer - who went by the character name of 'Horatio' in this film. • The piano was made in Boston, USA. The words that spell out in the musical piano are; "I'm lonesone, I guess, that's all."

	Joe Cobb Joe
	Jackie Condon Jackie
	Jean Darling Jean
	Allen Hoskins Farina
	Jannie Hoskins Mango
	Bobby Hutchins Horatio
	Scooter Lowry Scooter
	Jay R. Smith Jay
	Clifton Young Bonedust
	Eulalie Jensen Joe's mother
	Mildred Kornman Jackie's sister
	David Monahan Boy
	Richard Smith Coolidge
	Robert Smith Tunney
	Anita Garvin Amorous nursemaid
	Chet Brandenburg Shoeshine worker
	Gustav Schaffrath Gus, one of Barr's midgets
	Ben Hall Man with glasses
	Oliver Hardy Nursemaid's boyfriend
	Lyle Tayo Party guest
	Symona Boniface Party guest
	Alice Belcher Mother with big nose
	Silas D. Wilcox Officer
	Lincoln Plumer Joe's father
	J. Parks Jones [?]
	F.F. Guenste Butler
	UNIDENTIFIED Baby

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

POSTER (click any image to enlarge)

STILLS (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/rps/061.html (Robert Demoss/The Lucky Corner Matthew Lydick (identification of Eulalie Jensen) Steve Rydzewski (info on J. Parks Jones) Jesse Brisson (identification of F.F. Guenste and Alice Belcher) Bob Peterson (still) This page was last updated on: 05 October 2023