Clown Princes

Clown Princes
Directed by	George Sidney
Produced by	Jack Chertok
Written by	Hal Law; Robert A. McGowan
Starring	Carl Switzer; George McFarland; Eugene Lee; Darla Hood; Shirley Coates; Billie Thomas; Leonard Landy; Clarence Wilson
Music by	David Snell
Cinematography	Jackson Rose
Edited by	Roy Brickner
Distributed by	MGM
Release date	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.

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 Sniffles 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

The Gang

Darla Hood as Darla
Eugene Gordon Lee as Porky
George McFarland as Spanky
Carl Switzer as Alfalfa
Billie Thomas as Buckwheat
Shirley Coates as Muggsy
Gary Jasgar as Slapsie
Leonard Landy as Leonard

Additional cast

Joe Geil as World's Tallest Man / Audience member
Clarence Wilson as The landlord

Orchestra and audience extras

Jimmy Brown, Hugh Chapman, Freddie Chapman, James Gubitosi, Larry Harris, Payne Johnson, Joe Levine, Gerald Mackey, Gloria Mackey, Harold Switzer,

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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 0-517-58325-9. p. 235-236.

External links

Clown Princes on IMDb
Clown Princes at the TCM Movie Database

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[MGMfinance-1] 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 0-517-58325-9. p. 235-236.