Reg'lar Fellers (1941)

Based on the comic strip by Gene Byrnes, the "Reg'lar Fellers", and one girl-feller, tinker with building a land/water machine, form a kid-band and go on the radio, celebrate a birthday, ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Dreifuss

Writers:

Gene Byrnes (based on the cartoon strip by), Arthur Hoerl (screenplay)

Stars:

Billy Lee, Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer, Buddy Boles

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Lee	...	Pinhead Duffy
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer	...	Bump Hudson
Buddy Boles	...	Jimmy Dugan
Janet Dempsey	...	Aggie Reilly
Henry 'Spike' Lee	...	Skeeter (as Jerry Wilson)
Malcolm Hutton	...	Puddin'Head Duffy
Sarah Padden	...	Hetty Carter
Roscoe Ates	...	Emory McQuade
Danna Callahan	...	Jane Watson
Diane Ware	...	Hazel Barry
Leonard Grassi	...	Warren Hamilton
Sharon Lynne	...	Baby Carter
Maren Mayo	...	Caroline Carter
Netta Packer	...	Martha
Jack C. Smith	...	Officer Flynn

Storyline

Based on the comic strip by Gene Byrnes, the "Reg'lar Fellers", and one girl-feller, tinker with building a land/water machine, form a kid-band and go on the radio, celebrate a birthday, get involved with gangsters...and reunite a wealthy recluse with her baby granddaughter and estranged daughter-in-law.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son relationship | mother in law daughter in law relationship | husband wife relationship | grandmother granddaughter relationship | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

"WE'RE IN THE MOVIES NOW!"

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1941 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's earliest documented telecast was scheduled Saturday 21 April 1945 on New York City's pioneer television station WNBT (Channel 1); it was re-scheduled Saturday 28 April 1945, implying that there may have been a problem with the originally scheduled telecast. In Cincinnati it first aired Sunday 11 April 1948 on WLWT (Channel 4), in St. Louis Saturday 24 April 1948 on KSD (Channel 5), in Detroit Wednesday 2 February 1949 on WXYZ (Channel 7), in Chicago Saturday 23 April 1949 on WGN (Channel 9), in Albuquerque Saturday 28 May 1949 on KOB (Channel 4), and, on the West Coast, in Los Angeles Saturday 10 December 1949 on KECA (Channel 7).

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Connections

Edited into The Our Gang Story (1994)

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Soundtracks

Hooray for Fun
by Ethel Meglin and Dean Harmon

User Reviews

Live-Action Version Of The Comic Strip

It's a gang of kids in a small town who get involved in scrapes and eventually a couple of crooks who come to rob a rich old lady. Director Arthur Dreifus shows little skill in directing his cast of superannuated child actors, all of whom talk very loudly, as if the sound equipment might not pick up their voices. Although not top-credited, the most famous is Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, in his first role after he left Our Gang.

It's based on Gene Byrne's comic strip, which ran from 1920 through 1949 (although the Reg'lar Fellers had been introduced in Byrne's earlier strips, possibly as far back as 1917). At its peak, the strip was carried in more than 800 newspapers, and was the basis of a summer replacement series for Jack Benny in 1941; Dick and Joyce van Paten were members of the cast. Earlier, Ub Iwerks had done one movie cartoon, the last of his Comicolor series.

Although there are some good performers in this live-action movie, including Roscoe Ates, Sarah Padden and far down the cast list, Marguerite de la Motte, the usual PRC stinginess and lack of care makes this one rather poor on its own. Even if you do want to hear Alfalfa sing.