Family Troubles (Our Gang short)
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| Family Troubles | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Herbert Glazer |
| Written by | Hal Law Robert A. McGowan |
| Starring | Janet Burston Billy "Froggy" Laughlin Robert Blake Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas Mickey Laughlin Dickie Hall Beverly Hudson |
| Cinematography | Walter Lundin |
| Editing by | Leon Bourgeau |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release date(s) |  April 3, 1943 |
| Country | US |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Family Troubles is a one-reel comedy short subject and is an episode of the Our Gang series. It was released to theatres on April 3, 1943, produced by Loew's Incorporated for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and directed by Herbert Glazer.
The film casts Janet Burston in the lead role and co-stars Billy "Froggy" Laughlin, Robert Blake, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, Mickey Laughlin (Froggy's younger brother, who is given the nickname of "Happy"), Dickie Hall (as a kid who witnesses the gang helping Janet leave home) and teenager Beverly Hudson as Janet's sister Aurelia. Adult actors include Sarah Padden and Harry C. Bradley as Mr. and Mrs. Tom and Mary Jones, Barbara Bedford and Byron Shores as Janet's parents Mary and Jasper, and Elspeth Dudgeon as Aunt Aurelia (after whom Janet's sister was named).
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Janet feels that her parents don't love her anymore because they made her older sister the definite center of attention during her aunt's visit. Filled with anger and despair, she decides to run away. The gang volunteers to help Janet become "adapted" by another couple and choose elderly Mr. and Mrs. Jones as potential candidates. One boy overhears their plans and immediately confronts Janet's parents, who call the police.
When the gang pay the Joneses a visit and offer Janet to them, the Joneses quickly realize that Janet is a runaway and decide to teach her and the gang a lesson. They agree to adopt her but make her life a living hell by forcing her to scrub the kitchen floor (which causes Janet to wail, "Why did I ever leave home?") and show where she will sleep (which is under the kitchen table). When Mrs. Jones decides that Janet is unhappy enough, she walks out of the kitchen to phone Janet's parents, believing that Janet will happily run to them with open arms. But once Mrs. Jones leaves, Janet (with the help of the gang) runs away again.
The gang soon discover that the police are searching for them, so they run and hide in a cave. While trying to cook some food, they burn it and create heavy smoke, which leaves their faces covered with soot and ashes. Once they see that the smoke will hide their true identities, they bring Janet back home and tell Janet's parents why she wanted to run away.
Janet's family now realize how fortunate they are to have her. Mary apologizes for being neglectful and unfeeling towards her and assures that it will never happen again. With everything happy, Froggy says, "All's well that ends well, I always say." Jasper corrects him, saying that the phrase was originally made by Shakespeare. "He did? Shucks!" answers a disappointed Froggy.
[edit] Trivia
The song that Janet's sister sings for her aunt is entitled "She May Have Seen Better Days." It was written by James Thornton and published in 1894 and was a hit in 1896 for George J. Gaskin.
[edit] Sources
- Demoss, Robert: Family Troubles
- Maltin, Leonard and Richard W. Bann (1992). The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang. Crown.
