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| Episode Commentary |
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Beginner's Luck Released:
February 23, 1935 Skip
episode synopsis and go directly to commentary "The Little Rascals" and Little Rascals characters © and TM King World Productions, Inc. This website based in part upon a television series distributed by King World Productions and Turner Entertainment Company/ MGM.
On the day of the contest, there is a considerable amount of commotion backstage. Two small boys dressed in cowboy outfits comprise one of the acts scheduled to appear: "The Arizona Nightingales". The boys (played by Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and his brother, Harold) accost the harried master of ceremonies. "Here we are, all ready!" they shout to the MC, who replies that he will come to them later on. In the excitement, little Alfalfa has somehow gotten poked in the eye, although he continues with the scene as if nothing has happened. As the MC continues walking, Alfalfa and Harold recede into the background, and from a distance we see Alfalfa put his hand over his injured eye. Soon after, all the acts are waiting together in the wings for their cue. Most of the children are accompanied by their nervous mothers. The MC informs Spanky's mother that he will be the first act, and she objects: "Spanky is too much of an artist to open the show!" Spanky looks up at the MC. Spanky: Yeah, why don't you put on the sheepherders? [referring to Alfalfa and Harold, standing nearby]. Alfalfa seethes at Spanky's insult. Alfalfa:
Them's fightin' words, pardner!!...We're cowboys from the mountains! Alfalfa and Harold roll their eyes in response to Spanky's disparaging remarks. The MC opts to appease Spanky's mother and put on the Arizona Nightingales first. Alfalfa and Harold stride confidently out to the stage with the MC, who introduces the pint-sized duo as The Nevada Nightingales. Alfalfa indignantly glares up at the MC and corrects him: "Ari-zona!!" Alfalfa and Harold perform a spirited version of "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain", with Harold accompanying on guitar (learn more about this song at Alfalfa's Greatest Hits, or stop by this internal link later.) Alfalfa
and Harold leave the stage following completion of their number.
Alfalfa has no further dialogue in this episode, and appears only
fleetingly in the off-stage crowd of performers thereafter. The balance of "Beginner's Luck" consists of performances of varying quality. The Cabin Kids, a real-life quintet of African American children, sing "Dinah". And a hilariously unpolished version of "Honolulu Baby" is presented by the Flora-Dora Dollies, a group of tiny chorus girls (not to be confused with the legendary, unseen "Flory-Dory Girls" which would be introduced next year in "Our Gang Follies of 1936") While watching the parade of acts from the wings, Spanky strikes up a friendship with little Marianne Edwards, who is due to appear as "Daisy Dimples". Marianne is nervous about going on-stage, but her mother gently reminds her that the potential first-prize money will enable them to buy the pretty rented dress Marianne is wearing for the occasion. Despite Spanky whispering down to his pals in the front row to give Marianne a warm reaction, the little girl freezes up once on-stage and runs off in tears without performing a note. Spanky consoles his little friend by telling her he will win the first prize, then turn over the prize money to her so she can buy the dress. One problem: His friends still plan to disrupt Spanky's performance, per his earlier request. Just prior to going on-stage, Spanky asks his mother to tell his pals that he "wants to win", but the kids ignore her message and proceed to bombard Spanky with peashooter projectiles and all sorts of disruptive noises once he goes on stage. But the audience roars with laughter at Spanky's plight, and his impressive efforts to finish his performance while dodging the peashooter missiles earn him the first prize. Spanky's embarrassed mother gets her comeuppance while trying to drag her son off-stage during his performance, as the episode fades to black.
Commentary And it was an eventful first appearance: As mentioned above, in his very first seconds on film, the poor kid gets poked in the eye by someone or something (despite repeated viewings, we still can't figure out exactly what happened; our best guess is that he gets nicked by his brother's guitar.) This entire sequence happens so quickly that it might go unnoticed by all but the most sharp-eyed Little Rascals viewer. Although Alfalfa is obviously stunned, if not really hurt, he continues on without missing a beat. Throughout his career, Alfalfa would become known for his ability to complete most of his scenes in one take, and this talent is demonstrated in his very first scene. When Alfalfa and Harold walk out on stage with Tom Herbert (the actor who played the MC) to perform "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain", keep an eye on Alfalfa as the MC begins to address the audience. Almost imperceptibly, Alfalfa's lips move silently along with Herbert's. This would seem to indicate that Alfalfa had memorized not only his own part, but was reciting along with Herbert, as a way of helping him with the timing of his own lines. We would see him do this again during the dinner scene in "Teacher's Beau", his second Little Rascals appearance. Appropriately, Alfalfa's first sustained bit of dialogue was with Spanky. It is not at all unreasonable to claim that Alfalfa and Spanky would go on to form one of the most memorable comedy duos in the history of film, including not only child stars, but adult performers as well. And in "Beginner's Luck", we see Spanky at perhaps the peak of his Little Rascals career. It is amazing to consider that Spanky was barely six years old at the time this episode was filmed. Throughout the entire episode, his skillful delivery of dialogue, timing, stage presence, and intelligence are absolutely astonishing.
"Beginner's Luck" had its origins as a follow-up to the enormously well-received "Mike Fright" of the preceding year. Henceforth, the "musical revue" would become a Little Rascals staple, and the episodes showcasing these amateur acts would become some of the best-loved entries in the series. 4alfalfa gives "Beginner's Luck"
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"The Little Rascals" and Little Rascals characters © and TM King World Productions, Inc. This website based in part upon a television series distributed by King World Productions and Turner Entertainment Co./ MGM. Episode commentary © 4alfalfa.com |
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