Teacher's Pet (1930 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Teacher's Pet (1930) is a two-reel comedy short subject; part of the Our Gang (Little Rascals) series. It was produced by Hal Roach, directed by Robert F. McGowan, and originally released to theatres by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on October 11, 1930.

Contents 1 Cast 2 A film of firsts 3 Plot 4 Release and reaction

[edit] Cast

The short was the second major starring vehicle for Jackie Cooper, after the previous season's The First Seven Years. The short also stars Allen "Farina" Hoskins, Norman "Chubby" Chaney, Buddy McDonald, Mary Ann Jackson, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, Dorothy DeBorba, and Donald Haines.

[edit] A film of firsts

Teacher's Pet marks the first Our Gang appearances of June Marlowe, as the "lovely schoolteacher" Miss Crabtree, and of Matthew Beard, here identified as "Hercules", and later called "Stymie".

The short was also the first in the series to use the now-popular Our Gang theme song, "Good Old Days", composed by Leroy Shield and featuring a notable saxophone solo. Teacher's Pet was also the first of three Our Gang films in what is now considered the "Jackie/Miss Crabtree trilogy", which were the first sound Our Gang films to successfully balance comedy with drama and emotion. All three of the films (the other two are School's Out and Love Business) are opened not with text title cards, but with live-action title cards recited to the audience by two twin girls, Betty Jean and Beverly McCrane:

(in unison) "Dear Ladies and Gentlemen; Hal Roach presents, for your entertainment and approval, His Rascals, in their latest Our Gang comedy entitled Teacher's Pet.

(first twin) Direction by Robert McGowan....

(second twin) ...photography by Art Lloyd...

(first twin) ...edited by Richard Currier...

(second twin) ...recording by Elmer Raguse...

(in unison)...and dialogue by H.M. Walker. We thank you!

The same duo introduced one Laurel and Hardy short, Another Fine Mess (also produced in 1930) in the same fashion.

Recently, some friends and I were discussing films of the transition period between the silent movies of the mid 20's and the talkies of the late 20's. I posed the following question: Which actor has had the most enduring impact on succeeding generations of audiences? The responses were givens: Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Rudolph Valentino--and Miss Crabtree. None of us was surprised at this last choice; we were somewhat abashed to realize that none us knew the name of the actress who played the sweet blond teacher of the early Little Rascal comedies. Her name, as we later learned, was June Marlowe, a veteran of more than two dozen forgettable silent films. She made her initial appearance in Teacher's Pet, and was such a hit that producer Hal Roach quickly used her again in two sequals, School's Out, and Love Business. The reason Miss Crabtree made such a impact in 1930 is the same reason that once one sees her (hopefully as a child), then one can never forget the warmth and love that she doled out and received. In Teacher's Pet, the previous teacher of the Little Rascals, Miss McGillicuddy, has married, leaving an opening for Miss Crabtree to fill. The Rascals,led by a very young Jackie Cooper, are quite sure that any woman named Crabtree must be a real sourpuss. They plot to drive her away with juvenile antics like sneezing powder and itchy ants. As Jackie heads to school, a lovely woman gives him a ride in her big car. Jackie,not realizing that she is the reviled Miss Crabtree, immediately falls in puppy love with her and tells her all the gory details. She drops him off and when he arrives at school, he sees that his recent female acquaintance and Miss Crabtree are one and the same. After some predictable comeuppances on the part of the Rascals, Jackie is shamed and runs out to cry. Miss Crabtree follows him to welcome him back into the fold with cake and ice cream. Now this may sound like rather light fare to generate an impact that reverberates even today, but as I viewed Teacher's Pet for the first time in decades, I could see that beneath the juvenile mischief of the Rascals and the smiles of Miss Crabtree lay some serious psychological and social subtexts. As the movie opens, the Rascals are bemoaning the loss of their beloved Miss McGillicuddy. To Jackie and the other Rascals, Miss McGillicuddy gave them warmth and love. Into this loveless void steps Miss Crabtree, who merely by her presence, re-establishes the primacy of the enduring power of love. With her smiles, her laughter, her voice, Miss Crabtree is transfigured into the icon of the loving Madonna, who need do no more than simply be there to reassure the Rascals and the audience, first of the 20's and now of the turn of the century, that love and caring can never disappear from a world filled with angst. It is to this fount of love that audiences have been responding for seven decades. In School's Out, Miss Crabtree ever so gently faces some serious issues that intrude on the light comedy of the series. Farina complains sadly that his daddy is in jail more than not. Chubby discloses that his father beats him with 'some fluency.' To these all too common social disasters, Miss Crabtree simply envelops the Rascals with her loving persona, assuring them that if she can't change their condition, she can at least make it more bearable. The plot of School's Out is another piece of fluff involving yet a second case of mistaken identity, this time with her brother, who the Rascals fear will marry Miss Crabtree and take her away as Miss McGillicuddy was taken away. Though this plot may be slight, it still fills the screen with the unmistakable dread of loss of love. Miss Crabtree is the living symbol that reassuring love can never be truly lost, only postponed. In Love Business, Miss Crabtree makes her final appearance as the object of the attention of the love-struck Jackie Cooper and of Chubby. Both Jackie and Chubby vie for the hand of the lovely Miss Crabtree, only to realize that love comes in more than one flavor, and if one cannot have the taste that one prefers, there are other kinds. For these three movies, which are available on one cassette, watching them is an emotional experience. Yes, I grant that June Marlowe does not have the depth or range of later more formidable actresses, but in this series she did not need them. What was needed then--and perhaps now--is a gentle reminder that sweetness and kindness are qualities that can never vanish from our consciousness. It can be no coincidence that millions of fans fondly remember Miss Crabtree as the reason that their lives were touched in a way that resonates decades later.

[edit] Plot

It is the first day of school, and the gang is less-than-happy about it. Their beloved teacher, Miss McGillicuddy, got married, and now the kids will have a new teacher for the upcoming school year. The kids know not what the new teacher will look like, only her name, a rather pungent moniker of "Miss Crabtree". They imagine this "Miss Crabtree" to be a dried-up old hag, and concoct a plan to disrupt the class with items such as a white mouse, red ants, and sneezing powder. Then, the kids are to have their younger siblings - Wheezer, Dorothy, and Hercules - come in and tell Miss Crabtree that they need to be excused to go home ..."and then, we're all goin' swimmin'!"

Jackie, the mastermind of the operation, asks Wheezer if he remembers what to say. Wheezer says "Mama wants Jack home right away; she's gonna shoot Papa!" Jackie says "No, that's too strong, just say "important business."

However, the plan falls apart when Jackie takes a ride to school from a beautiful young lady (June Marlowe) with a shiny roadster. Unbeknownst to Jackie, his benefactor is actually Miss Crabtree, and he tells her everything about the plan to harass the new teacher. She drops Jack off a mile from the school, and Jack tells her "y'know, you're almost as pretty as Miss McGillicuddy...all except in your nose."

After telling the gang about the beautiful lady that gave him the ride, Jack is shocked to find that the lady with the roadster and Miss Crabtree are one and the same. She spends the class period identifying Jack's co-conspirators (Farina, Chubby, and Buddy), and suspends the foursome for the day just as some delivery boys (Baldwin Cooke and Gordon Douglas) bring in a wealth of cake and ice cream as a first-day treat for the class. After being shooed outside, the kids all turn on Jack, with an angry Farina remarking "yeah, my pal," making a throat-cutting gesture to accent his anger. Farina, Chubby, and Buddy decide to go back inside, apologize, and hope that they can "get in on that ice cream". Jack decides that he "can't ever go back; I'm too ashamed", and sits under a tree in the schoolyard and begins sobbing. After accepting the other three pranksters' apologies and giving them their treats, Miss Crabtree goes outside looking for Jack, and, upon finding him, quietly presents him with a plate of cake and a bowl of ice cream, showing that she forgives him. Amidst tears, Jack looks up at Miss Crabtree and tells her "gee, you're pretty, Miss Crabtree. You're even prettier than Miss McGillicuddy," and solemnly tries to eat his desert but the ice cream falls as the film dissolves to its end title card.

[edit] Release and reaction

Teacher's Pet is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, Our Gang comedies ever made. Jackie Cooper's performance in this film paved the way for his roles in major MGM feature films such as Skippy and The Champ; by the spring of 1931, Hal Roach had sold his contract to MGM so that Cooper could make features full-time. Miss Crabtree would go on to appear in five more Our Gang shorts, and remains today not only the most popular Our Gang adult character, but also one of the most popular fictional schoolteachers of all time.

Teacher's Pet was remade by Hal Roach in 1936 as Bored of Education. Directed by Gordon Douglas (the walk-on delivery boy in the original), Starring the mid/late 1930s Our Gang lineup of Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Darla, and Porky, Bored of Education won the 1936 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film.