This Hal Roach comedy short, The Pinch Singer, is the one hundred forty-third entry in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the fifty-fifth talkie. In this one, there's a radio contest with a $50 prize. Alfalfa tries to audition three times but Spanky has Pete the Pup ring the gong each time. When Darla does her number she's the one picked to enter the show. But she doesn't arrive in time. Guess who goes in her place? The authors of the book, "The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang"-Leonard Maltin & Richard W. Bann, thought this was a contrived entry that "was fed too many sweets, and without the proper nutrients never grew into the kind of healthy comedy it might have been." Me, I was amused enough by the whole thing to not even care! If there's any material that gave me pause, it's the scene when Alf does blackface during one of his auditions as well as another three-person act that does the same thing during the actual contest. Otherwise, The Pinch Singer was entertaining enough for me. P.S. Regular Roach composer Marvin Hatley appears as the conductor of the orchestra in the radio studio scenes. Once when someone says "Take it away, Marvin!" and then again when Alf gives him the sheet music. And Darla appears for the second time in the series as a blonde as she was also shooting The Bohemian Girl at about the same time. And this was the official first time that one Fred Newmeyer directed an Our Gang episode though he had previously been involved in the series when he directed the first one actually called Our Gang. But most of his scenes from that were scrapped and Robert McGowan was the one who did the version that was eventually released.
3 Reviews
The second variety act short in a row.
planktonrules24 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
As I said in my review for the last Our Gang comedy, I dislike musical review shorts--and they made two in a row with "The Our Gang Follies of 1936" and "The Pinch Singer". Of the two, "The Pinch Singer" is a bit better.
The film begins with the kids hearing about a talent show being announced over the radio. The gang decide to have tryouts--and the best will go to the station to represent them. All the acts are pretty bad. Alfalfa tries to sing--and gets the gong. So, he changes costumes repeatedly to try to fool everyone--but with that voice it's hard to mistake it for anyone else. In a VERY politically incorrect moment, he even tries it in black-face (and another black-face group sings later in the film). The winner turns out to be Darla--singing a VERY creepy rendition of "I'm in the Mood for Love". Think about it--a tiny overly made up girl singing a suggestive song about love...yikes!
Alfalfa and Spanky show up together at the station but for some odd reason that is never explained, Darla shows up late. So late, in fact, that Alfalfa goes on instead. He is simply horrible--even by Alfalfa standards. Yet, inexplicably, he wins (and this can't all be blamed on the gang all calling in to vote for him). I assume the audience members all suffered from a severe case of mass hysteria! All in all, rather cute...but too much singing and too much black-face (once is more than enough!).
By the way, Hal Roach regular Charlie Hall is listed as playing a druggist. I didn't see this at all in the film. Could he have been originally in the film but somehow gotten edited out of the version I saw?
The film begins with the kids hearing about a talent show being announced over the radio. The gang decide to have tryouts--and the best will go to the station to represent them. All the acts are pretty bad. Alfalfa tries to sing--and gets the gong. So, he changes costumes repeatedly to try to fool everyone--but with that voice it's hard to mistake it for anyone else. In a VERY politically incorrect moment, he even tries it in black-face (and another black-face group sings later in the film). The winner turns out to be Darla--singing a VERY creepy rendition of "I'm in the Mood for Love". Think about it--a tiny overly made up girl singing a suggestive song about love...yikes!
Alfalfa and Spanky show up together at the station but for some odd reason that is never explained, Darla shows up late. So late, in fact, that Alfalfa goes on instead. He is simply horrible--even by Alfalfa standards. Yet, inexplicably, he wins (and this can't all be blamed on the gang all calling in to vote for him). I assume the audience members all suffered from a severe case of mass hysteria! All in all, rather cute...but too much singing and too much black-face (once is more than enough!).
By the way, Hal Roach regular Charlie Hall is listed as playing a druggist. I didn't see this at all in the film. Could he have been originally in the film but somehow gotten edited out of the version I saw?
Singing On The Radio With The Little Rascals
Ron Oliver1 April 2000
An OUR GANG Comedy Short.
The Kids are interested in winning the $50 offered by a local radio station for the best amateur childrens performance. Holding an audition amongst themselves - which Alfalfa tries to rig - Darla is selected for her Baby Rose Marie-like rendition of Im In The Mood For Love. When she doesnt make it in time to the station, however, it gives Alfalfa the perfect opportunity to become celebrated as THE PINCH SINGER...
A funny little film. Spanky runs the audition like a pint-size Major Bowes. Buckwheats whistling is hilarious - as is Alfalfas attempts at vocalizing...
The Kids are interested in winning the $50 offered by a local radio station for the best amateur childrens performance. Holding an audition amongst themselves - which Alfalfa tries to rig - Darla is selected for her Baby Rose Marie-like rendition of Im In The Mood For Love. When she doesnt make it in time to the station, however, it gives Alfalfa the perfect opportunity to become celebrated as THE PINCH SINGER...
A funny little film. Spanky runs the audition like a pint-size Major Bowes. Buckwheats whistling is hilarious - as is Alfalfas attempts at vocalizing...
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