- Shrimps for a Day
Infobox Film
name = Shrimps for a Day
image_size =
caption =
director =Gus Meins
producer =Hal Roach
writer =
narrator =
starring =
music =Marvin Hatley
cinematography = Francis Corby
editing = Louis McManus
distributor = MGM
released =8 December ,1934
runtime = 20 minutes
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by = "Mama's Little Pirate "
followed_by = "Anniversary Trouble "
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0025786"Shrimps for a Day" is a 1934 "
Our Gang " shortcomedy film directed byGus Meins . It was the 133rd "Our Gang " short (45th talking episode) that was released.Plot
Like the previous "Mama's Little Pirate," "Shrimps for a Day" was an "Our Gang" foray into pure fantasy. In this one, the Our Gang kids are cast as the inmates of the Happy Home Orphanage, a inaptly-named organization run by the nasty and dishonest Mr. and Mrs. Crutch. Invited to a garden party at the home of wealthy Mr. Wade, the children enjoy a good time and are showered with gifts, though they know full well that their new clothes and toys will be appropriated and sold by the Crutches once they return to the orphanage. Meanwhile, Mr. Wade's daughter Mary (Doris McMahan) and her boyfriend Dick (Joe Young) stumble upon a magic lamp, which grants them their wish --- to be children again. Now played by midget actors George and Olive Brasno, Dick and Mary are summarily rounded up by the Crutches and bundled off to the orphanage, where they manage to get the goods on the underhanded operation. Spanky has some funny scenes where he refuses to take castor oil and pushes in Mr. Crutch's mouth. During a sleepless night, Spanky helps Dick escape out the window. Dick runs to Mary's house where he finds the lamp and wishes he was an adult again. He then returns to being an adult and leads Mr. Wade back to the orphanage. They find Mary running from Mr. Cructh (who is stepping on tacs). Mary then wishes she was big again with the lamp. She returns as an adult and shocks the Crutches and Mr. Wade. The closing gag is a gem, with little Spanky McFarland getting sweet revenge against Mr. Crutch by wishing he was Spanky's size. Mr Cruch becomes small and Spanky gets some revenge on him. cite web |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/225676/Shrimps-for-a-Day/overview |title=New York Times: Shrimps for a Day |accessdate=2008-09-20|work=NY Times]
Today, "Shrimps For A Day" is one of a handful of "Our Gang" films in the
public domain , as its copyright was not renewed in the 1990s. It was one of 11 Little Rascals films to not be offered on VHS home video until 1995, before it entered Public Domain and when all the episodes became available in their totally original form. Today its available on numerous low budget DVD collections but with different title cards. It will be available in its original form as of October 28, 2008 along with the rest of the Hal Roach talking Our Gang episodes.Cast
*
George McFarland - Spanky
*Scotty Beckett - Scotty Beckett
* Matthew Beard - Stymie
*Jerry Tucker
*Marianne Edwards - Marianne
*Alvin Buckelew
*Leonard Kibrick
*Jacqueline Taylor - Jane (as Jackie Taylor)
*Billie Thomas - Buckwheat
*Tommy McFarland
*Mildred Kornman
*Rex Downing
*Sidney Kibrick
*Donald Profitt
*John Collum
*Bobby Beard
*Carolina Beard
*Betty Jane Beard
*Clarence Wilson - Mr. Crutch
*George Brasno - Dick as a child
*Olive Brasno - Mary as a child
*Richard Brasno - Mr. Crutch as a child (as Dick Brasno)
*Rosa Gore - Mrs. Crutch
*Wilfred Lucas - Mr. Wade, the sponsor
*Doris McMahan - Mary
* Roger Moore - Dick (as Joe Young)
* Herbert Evans - The butleree also
*
Our Gang filmography References
External links
*imdb title|id=0025786|title=Shrimps for a Day
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