Fightin' Fools

Fightin' Fools
Fightin' Fools
Directed by	Edward Cahn
Written by	Hal Law; Robert A. McGowan
Cinematography	Clyde De Vinna
Edited by	Leon Borgeau
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	January 25, 1941;
Running time	8:53
Country	United States
Language	English

Fightin' Fools is a 1941 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Edward Cahn. It was the 195th Our Gang short to be released.^[1]

Plot

The gang is swimming in their favorite swimming hole, except for Tubby, who is scared to jump in. He finally does and his great weight and size causes all the water to splash out of the swimming hole, leaving the gang dry.

Meanwhile, bully Slicker and his friends tie knots in the Gang's clothes and when the gang finds them, a total war is declared. Commandeered by Spanky, Buckwheat, and Tubby, the gang staves off Slicker's "troops" with a barrage of fruit, vegetables, rotten eggs and Limburger cheese. For a while, it looks as though Slicker has gained the upper hand, but the gang successfully mounts an aerial counteroffensive.^[2]

Notes

Though this film is not generally rated highly, it does have a few aspects that set it apart from other Our Gang films of the era. The cast is entirely made up of children, one of very few such instances at M-G-M. It is also one of the few Our Gang shorts since the mid-1930s to be filmed almost entirely outdoors. Finally there is a strong emphasis on sight gags, though they occur at a relatively low density compared to earlier films. Nonetheless these things taken together make this perhaps the closest the M-G-M era ever came to the feel of the McGowan era Our Gang. There is evidence within the film that this may be a conscious effort. The war takes place on "McGowan's Lot." Might be a remake or a nod to the previous Our Gang Little Rascals 1923 silent short Dogs of War.

Cast

The Gang

Mickey Gubitosi as Mickey
Billy Laughlin as Froggy
George McFarland as Spanky
Billie Thomas as Buckwheat
Leonard Landy as Leonard
Joe Strauch, Jr. as Tubby

Additional cast

Freddie Walburn as Slicker
Hugh "Dewey" Binyon as Member of Slicker's gang
Vincent Graeff as Member of Slicker's gang
Tommy Tobin as Member of Slicker's gang

References

^ Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-517-52675-0. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
^ Hal Erickson. "New York Times: Fightin'-Fools". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2008.

External links

Fightin' Fools at IMDb
Fightin' Fools at the TCM Movie Database

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[1] Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-517-52675-0. Retrieved March 3, 2024.

[NY_Times-2] Hal Erickson. "New York Times: Fightin'-Fools". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2008.

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