Bored of Education (1936)

Spanky and Alfalfa fake a tooth-ache to get out of school.

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writer:

Jack Jevne (story department)

Stars:

Darla Hood, Eugene 'Porky' Lee, George 'Spanky' McFarland

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Credited cast:
Darla Hood	...	Darla (as Our Gang)
Eugene 'Porky' Lee	...	Porky (as Our Gang)
George 'Spanky' McFarland	...	Spanky (as Our Gang)
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer	...	Alfalfa (as Our Gang)
Billie 'Buckwheat' Thomas	...	Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
Pete the Pup	...	Pete (as Our Gang)
Rosina Lawrence	...	Miss Lawrence
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patricia Barry	...	Student
Daniel Boone	...	Student
John 'Uh huh' Collum	...	Student
Richard DeNeut	...	Student (as Dickie De Nuet)
Jack Egan	...	Ice cream attendant
Joe Geil	...	Student
Barbara Goodrich	...	Student
Dorian Johnston	...	Student

Storyline

Most of the "Our Gang" kids are reluctant to attend class on the first day of the school year. Spanky comes up with a plan to get himself and Alfalfa out of class; Alfalfa will feign a toothache (using a balloon in his mouth and a handkerchief around his head), and Spanky will help take him home. However, the new teacher, Miss Lawrence, overhears the boys' plan and orders ice cream for the class in an effort to dissuade Alfalfa and Spanky from skipping school.

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Plot Keywords:

school | toothache | new teacher | ice cream | balloon | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Short

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bored of Education

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bored of Education (1936) is Hal Roach's only "Little Rascals" short to win an Academy Award, as best short of the year. Hal Roach won more with Oliver & Hardy.

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Connections

Featured in Our Gang: Inside the Clubhouse (1984)

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Soundtracks

Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Marvin Hatley
Lyrics by Thomas Moore
Sung by Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer

User Reviews

Uggh...more singing.

I am a grouch. After having seen most of the sound Our Gang comedies, I really have come to hate Alfalfa (and, to a lesser extent, Darla). That's because starting in the Alfalfa/Darla era, there suddenly was singing and sometimes dancing in the film. And, in the case of Alfalfa, a little of his deliberately horrible singing goes a long way--at least for me.

In this installment, the boys are complaining about having to return to school after their vacation. Spanky gets the bright idea of having Alfalfa pretend to have a toothache so they can go home. But, the teacher overhears this and foils their plans. In the end, she makes Alfalfa sing--perhaps in an evil plan to torture Spanky (as well as the audience). All in all, this is a fair short but far from their best--which is very confusing since this one, inexplicably, won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short. Why? I have no idea.