Mail and Female

Released: November 13, 1937
Director: Fred Newmeyer
Episode length: 10:13 (18-t/34)
Alfalfa's screen time: 5:26 (1:10 of which as "Cousin Amelia") (5/34)
53% (14/34)
Lines of dialogue spoken by Alfalfa: 54 (5/34)
Song: None
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Skip episode synopsis and go directly to commentary

Spanky is chairing a meeting in an archetypal Little Rascals barn space. The topic of discussion is the fact that the McGillicuddy girls recently held a birthday party yet failed to invite Spanky or any of the boys. To retaliate, Spanky suggests setting up a club called the "He-Man Woman Haters". As its president, Spanky further suggests appointing Alfalfa who, he says, "hates women". Spanky dispatches Buckwheat and Porky to find Alfalfa and inform him of the nomination.


William "Buckwheat" Thomas, ca.
"Mail and Female"


And where is Alfalfa? Off in the bushes composing a mash note to Darla. Buckwheat tells Alfalfa he is wanted at the barn. Alfalfa asks Buckwheat and Porky to deliver his note to Darla. When Alfalfa reports to the barn, he is treated as a conquering hero and congratulated on his presidency. The problem is, he isn't quite sure what he is president of. When he is informed that it is the He-Man Women Haters Club, he immediately bolts from the barn, leaving his constituency in a state of confusion.

While running to Darla's house to try and retrieve the note, he passes Buckwheat and Porky, who then continue on to the barn and inform Spanky of Alfalfa's destination. Spanky takes the two youngsters, along with Spike (the He-Men's Sergeant at Arms) and goes to Darla's house to confront Alfalfa. Meantime, Alfalfa has been pleading with Darla to have his note back. As we will find out, Darla doesn't know what Alfalfa is talking about—Buckwheat has for some reason not even delivered the note to Darla. But as he sees the He-Men approaching from the window, Alfalfa begs Darla to hide him someplace. He takes refuge in the closet just as the boys ring Darla's front bell.

Spanky explains why they are there. After conducting a cursory search through the Hood house, they are ready to retreat when they hear a sound from the closet. Confident that Alfalfa is hiding there, the boys creep up to the door, and upon opening it, are shocked to see a girl with a pretty dress and flowing gold curls. It is, of course, Alfalfa in drag. He introduces himself as Amelia, Darla's cousin from New York. Spanky and Spike, the two most vociferous He-Men, suddenly become smitten and forget all about the mission statement of the club. After some cookies, lemonade, and flirting, Alfalfa sheds the Amelia outfit and confronts the four boys about their dalliance with Amelia. As per the club's by-laws, the four boys are due some swats on the behind (even poor Buckwheat and Porky, who stayed faithful to the He-Men creed). Buckwheat stoops over to get his swat from Alfalfa, and the undelivered love letter to Darla falls out of his hat. Spanky reads it, exposes Alfalfa as a He-Man hypocrite, and chases him out the window. Alfalfa jumps into the Hood's backyard pond to escape his pals' retribution as the episode concludes.

Commentary
"Mail and Female" is a worthy successor to the original "He Man Woman Haters" episode, "Hearts Are Thumps", produced seven months earlier. One puzzling aspect of this episode is introduced in the opening scene when Spanky complains to his clubmates that the McGillicuddy sisters (possibly an inside wink to the legendary, never-seen Miss McGillicuddy of the Jackie Cooper era?) failed to invite any of the boys to her recent birthday party. To retaliate, Spanky proposes forming a "new" club, the He-Man Woman Haters. ("New"? Wha...???) Nominating the notoriously jelly-legged Alfalfa as the club's president also is a rather dubious move, considering his track record with the ladies. But we quibble...

While his performance is not as understated as in "Hearts Are Thumps"—and he does not come off quite as sympathetically—Alfalfa still does a fine job in a very challenging role, especially during his turn in drag as Darla's "Cousin Amelia" from New York. It is difficult to conceive of anybody else in the Little Rascals cast pulling this off as successfully—or even being entrusted with such a task. As mentioned in our commentary for "Sprucin' Up", this episode marks the first and only time in his Little Rascals career (Hal Roach era) that Spanky loses his head over a girl. Naturally, it has to be Alfalfa in drag (the only other time that Spanky showed any significant interest in a girl was in "Beginner's Luck", when he offered to hand over his amateur contest winnings to Marianne so she could buy the rented dress she wore in her performance. But Spanky's interest in Marianne in this episode was, to us, more brotherly than romantic.) Alfalfa's distress at Darla's house just before Spanky and company catch up to him is also a very impressive piece of acting.

There are other very amusing moments. Little-used Henry "Spike" Lee turns in a memorable performance as the Woman Haters' Sergeant At Arms, his biggest Little Rascals role. When he is appointed Sergeant At Arms, Alfalfa presents him with a paddle and announces that anybody who breaks the rules of the club (Alfalfa doesn't even know at this point what kind of club he presides over!) will have to answer to Spike and his paddle. Spike's response is the classic "And I'm just the one that can do it, too!" And later, at Darla's house, Amelia sits down on the window seat snug in the middle of Spanky and Spike, and asks the blushing redhead if he likes girls. Spike shyly replies "Yeah", and immediately turns away in giggling embarrassment.

Another moment worth mentioning: In the above-referenced scene when Alfalfa appoints Spike as Sergeant At Arms, Alfalfa tells the kids that "any man who breaks the rules of this club shall get five swats from...my pal here". That little pause seemed to represent a moment where Alfalfa might have forgotten Spike's name in "real life", and improvised the "my pal here" part. Pure speculation on our part, but that pause is a little odd...

Buckwheat and Porky also shine as the skeptical observers to all this goofy stuff about girls, especially while in Darla's living room during distribution of the refreshments.

"Mail and Female" is representative of the types of episodes that helped to secure the Little Rascals' place in the hearts of generations of viewers, and 4alfalfa.com awards it

4 cowlicks (out of a possible 5)

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