Little Sinner

Released: October 26, 1935
Director: Gus Meins
Episode length: 16:51 (7/34)
Alfalfa's screen time: 1:33 (33/34) 7% (34/34)
Lines of dialogue spoken by Alfalfa: 7 (30/34)
Song: None
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Skip episode synopsis and go directly to commentary

A group of kids, including Alfalfa, Jerry Tucker, and Sid Kibrick, are congregated in front of a church (get it? Congregated?). For the first time, Alfalfa is wearing the Sunday school suit and bow tie outfit for which he would become known throughout his career. He is also holding a hat.

Jerry: Wonder what's keepin' Spanky?
Alfalfa: I dunno—he told me he'd be a little bit late—and got somethin' on his mind!
Jerry: I wonder what it is?
Alfalfa [throwing up his hands and shrugging shoulders]: I dunno....

The scene shifts to a backyard stoop where Spanky, Buckwheat, and Porky are sitting. This is Porky's first-ever appearance in the Little Rascals. Appropriately, he is chomping on an apple, which would be his snack of choice throughout his Little Rascals career. Spanky is holding a fishing pole, and obviously seems to be in some kind of distress. He remarks to Buckwheat and Porky that although he knows he is due at Sunday school, he thinks he should go fishing instead.

Spanky eventually decides to report to church, but he has a plan to sneak away unnoticed and still go fishing. In fact, he is carrying his fishing pole when he joins the other kids. (A historical moment: This is the first scene in Little Rascals series history populated at the same time by Alfalfa, Spanky, Buckwheat, and Porky.) Alfalfa lectures Spanky about his plan, saying that "boys who don't go to Sunday School is bad!"

A little later, the pastor arrives. He greets all the children, and Spanky ducks into some nearby hedges in order to evade the pastor. But Buckwheat cheerfully chirps to the pastor, "Spanky's here!", causing the chagrined Spanky to emerge from the hedges. He has stuck his fishing pole in the back of his clothing, making him walk stiffly. When the reverend inquires about the strange posture, Spanky speculates that he might have rheumatism. The reverend chuckles and tells all the children that his sermon later will have a lesson "for every one of you!" Then the reverend excuses himself. Spanky, unmoved, asks defiantly if anybody else wants to go fishing with him. Nobody volunteers, so Spanky announces he'll go alone. Looking at Buckwheat, he says "...and tattletales don't go!"

Although he has said he'll go alone, Spanky enlists Porky to go with him. Soon they find a peaceful, idyllic lake where Spanky tries out his new fishing pole. Porky, happily munching on some daisies, trails behind Spanky (incidentally, the two are cast as brothers in this first Porky outing). Buckwheat then shows up, apparently eager to get back in Spanky's good graces by bringing some worms. But there is a hole in his worm holder (a woman's handbag), and a duck is waddling along behind and grabbing all the worms form the bag, unbeknownst to Buckwheat. Spanky greets Buckwheat, who says he has worms, but there is only one left, and the duck is getting ready to consume it. Spanky grabs the other end of the worm is able to take it away after a brief tug of war with the duck.

Clarence "Shrimps For a Day" Wilson shows up and chases the boys away from the lake, not before Spanky accidentally hooks the grouch's hat while casting, sending it into the lake. As they wander deeper into the thickening woods, they begin hearing some haunting Black spiritual singing in the distance. We are shown a mass baptism taking place at another lake (the long shot looks like stock footage), and eavesdrop on a conversation between two of the attendees:

First man: Brother, what time is this here baptize supposed to start?
Second man [pointing towards sky]: Just as soon as the eclipse totalizes!

As soon as the "totalization" occurs, it seems as if night has fallen, further frightening the by-now skittish Spanky, Buckwheat, and Porky. As Spanky trudges along warily, he thinks back to the warnings he had gotten from the other kids. Over Spanky's head, we see superimposed images of three kids, one at a time repeating their warnings. One of these images belongs to Alfalfa.

Alfalfa [repeating his earlier warning]: Boys who don't go to Sunday School is bad!

Then two of the baptism attendees wander by the kids. They are wearing flowing, ghostly-looking white robes. Soon, the three flee the woods in fright, and along the way we see some cute gags two of which involve a bear and a scarecrow that comes to life.

Spanky reaches the church just as mass is concluding. He enters through the side entrance, and the camera pans to the front entrance to show Spanky leaving as if he had been at mass the whole time. Referring to the sermon he has just delivered, the reverend asks Spanky if he learned a good lesson, to which a perspiring Spanky gasps "And how!"

Buckwheat, Spanky, and Porky, stuck in the deep, deep
forest in a studio publicity still from "Little Sinner".

Commentary
"Little Sinner" is one of the more unusual Little Rascals episodes. It has rarely even seen the light of the day in local programming packages, for two reasons: the characterization of the African-Americans in the baptism scene, along with the theme of a prominent Little Rascals cast member brazenly— almost disrespectfully— ditching church in favor of a fishing trip.

It's a shame that most Little Rascals fans have never seen this episode (unless they were lucky enough to purchase Cabin Fever's home video collection before it went of print.) "Little Sinner" contains several interesting images and scenes: the exteriors in front of the church (which looks like it could have been a real house of worship); the picturesque lake setting; the foreboding spiritual singing in the woods; the special-effects images of the kids haunting Spanky; and the mass baptism scene. The episode is also noteworthy for the debut of Eugene (Gordon) Lee as Porky. Barely two years old, the youngster does not even deliver a line of dialogue in the film, but his escapades during the fishing trip showcase the impish personality for which Porky would soon become so beloved.


Eugene (Gordon) "Porky" Lee
with toy rabbit.

Especially interesting is the sequence in which he trails behind Spanky, who is dragging behind him a fish that he had caught in the lake prior to being chased away by the typically crotchety Clarence Wilson. Porky makes several attempts at grabbing the fish, obviously intending on taking a bite out of it (he comes close...) And by the way, were those real daisies that he snacked on in an earlier scene by the lake?

This episode is virtually Alfalfa-free. He appears only in the church exteriors and again briefly as one of the kids Spanky imagines speaking to him in the woods. This is the first episode that we see Alfalfa in his now-famous suit and bow tie. Presumably, this was going to be a one-shot deal in order to portray Alfalfa appropriately dressed for Sunday services, but the Hal Roach creative team must have liked the way Alfalfa looked in this outfit. Thereafter, it would be his primary mode of dress with a few rare exceptions.

"Little Sinners" is an interesting and generally effective episode but it suffers from lethargic pacing, and, to make matters worse, hardly gives our hero any screen time at all. What a gyp!

4alfalfa.com gives this episode

3 cowlicks (out of a possible 5)

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