Helping Grandma

Helping Grandma
Directed by Robert F. McGowan
Produced by Robert F. McGowan
Hal Roach
Written by H. M. Walker
Music by Leroy Shield
Marvin Hatley
Cinematography Art Lloyd
Edited by Richard C. Currier
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • January 3, 1931
Running time
 20:47
Country United States
Language English

Helping Grandma is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan.[1] It was the 103rd (15th talking episode) Our Gang short that was released.

Plot

An older woman owns a small grocery store and the gang helps her run it by waiting on customers, delivering groceries, and keeping her company. They call her Grandma, though she is not any one kid's grandmother but everyone's grandma. She loves the gang and the gang loves her. A chain store company wants to buy her store for more than market value while a swindler also wants to buy it for next to nothing.

The gang thinks both parties want to practically steal the store away from her. The swindler stops in and tries talking Grandma into selling her store immediately for very little money. She balks and then goes downtown to run some errands leaving the gang in charge. Among her instructions is to tell anyone who calls on the telephone to call back later. Chain store officials then stop by and the gang tries to scare them away from buying the store. They leave as well.

Meanwhile Wheezer and Dorothy tease Stymie and do not let him have any candy. When he tries to con them into giving him some, they have Stymie sampling dog food, oil, lard, lux, gasoline, and fertilizer. Dorothy is doling out candy to Wheezer when the phone rings. It's the chain store representatives, who want to increase their offer. Wheezer picks up the receiver but does not speak to the representatives, because he is distracted by Dorothy. Thinking she's not giving him enough candy (and therefore not hearing their offer), Wheezer shouts at Dorothy "T'aint enough!", then into the phone, "Call later!" The chain store reps think that "T'aint enough" was also meant for them and they decide to call back. This gag takes place repeatedly through the scene. Grandma returns along with the swindler who is in a rush to get her to sign away her store. She assumes she has signed the store away and tells the children that she just sold the store. The man then calls the kids hoodlums and tells them the store is his and he is the boss and they must leave. Grandma refuses to let him throw them out. Then the chain store officials arrive and the swindler states that the store now belong to him. He shows them the paper she signed and it was blank; the real bill of sale was not signed. Grandma also learns that the swindler pretended to be Grandma over the phone and told the officials she did not want to sell the place. The officials, repeating their phone bid, also say they will offer Grandma three times more than the original price agreed upon. The swindler accuses Grandma of tricking him. Grandma then socks the guy so hard he falls across the room. Wheezer then hits him on the head with a hammer.

Cast

The Gang

Additional cast

Note

This episode was heavily edited on the Little Rascals television prints beginning in 1971. Scenes with Stymie being teased were all cut out due to perceptions of racism toward African Americans. Most, but not all of the deleted scenes were reinstated on the TV prints shown on AMC from 2001–2003

See also

References

  1. ↑ "New York Times: Helping Grandma". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-09-19.

External links