- Clown Princes
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Clown Princes 
Directed by George Sidney Produced by Jack Chertok Written by Hal Law
Robert A. McGowanStarring Carl Switzer
George McFarland
Eugene Lee
Darla Hood
Shirley Coates
Billie Thomas
Leonard Landy
Clarence WilsonMusic by David Snell Cinematography Jackson Rose Editing by Roy Brickner Distributed by MGM Release date(s) April 15, 1939 Running time 10' 29" Country United States Language English Budget $21, 243 [1] Clown Princes is a 1939 Our Gang short comedy film directed by George Sidney. Produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 178th Our Gang short to be released.
Contents
Plot
When the gang goes to Porky's house, they learn that his family is in danger of eviction unless they pay their landlord the balance remaining on their rent. The gang decides to raise the money by setting up a circus in Porky's barn, with Spanky as the ringleader. A sideshow outside introduces the kid circus' young patrons to Oogie-Boogie, the Wildman from Borneo (Buckwheat), Mademoiselle Darla, the Greatest Rattlesnake Charmer in the World, and the World's Shortest and Tallest Men (Slapsie in a beard and Joe "Corky" Geil on stilts). Also included in the sideshow are the Head Without a Body (Porky), and The Famous Sime and Neez Twins - two boys with their clothes stitched together, revealed as such when Violet the Goat eats the grass skirt covering the stitching.
Inside the main show, the gang's circus show includes a clown act, Spanky and Leonard as "a couple of swell acrobats", and lady lion-tamer Darla. When Darla's "lions" break away and everyone scrambles to catch them, Spanky runs into the landlord, to whom he pays the rest of Porky's rent.
The circus show's marquee attraction is "Daredevil Alfalfa" singing "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", with Alfalfa's trapeze being held aloft by a pulley system attached to a horse. When a bee turns up and spooks the horse, Alfalfa finds himself pulled and jerked through the air before finally crashing through the ceiling of the barn.
Cast
- Carl Switzer - Alfalfa
- George McFarland - Spanky
- Darla Hood - Darla
- Eugene Gordon Lee - Porky
- Billie Thomas - Buckwheat
- Shirley Coates - Muggsy
- Gary Jasgar - Slapsie
- Leonard Landy - Leonard
- Harold Switzer - Extra
- Joe Geil - The world's tallest man
- Hugh Chapman - Extra
- Freddie Chapman - Extra
- Larry Harris - Drum player
- Payne Johnson - Extra
- Clarence Wilson - The Landlord
See also
References
- ^ Maltin, Leonard & Bann, Richard W (1977, rev. 1992). The Little Rascals: The Life & Times of Our Gang. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press. ISBN 051-758325-9. p. 235-236.
External links
Categories:- American films
- English-language films
- 1939 films
- Black-and-white films
- Films directed by George Sidney
- Short films
- Our Gang films
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films
- 1930s comedy films
- 1930s comedy film stubs
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