Shrimps for a Day

Shrimps for a Day
Shrimps for a Day
Directed by	Gus Meins
Produced by	Hal Roach
Starring	George McFarland; Scotty Beckett; Matthew Beard; Jerry Tucker; Marianne Edwards; Leonard Kibrick; Jackie Taylor; Billie Thomas
Cinematography	Francis Corby
Edited by	Louis McManus
Music by	Leroy Shield
Distributed by	MGM
Release date	December 8, 1934;
Running time	20' 18"
Country	United States
Language	English

Shrimps for a Day is a 1934 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 133rd Our Gang short to be released, The character of Mr. Crutch was the inspiration for Mr. Krupp in the Captain Underpants book series^[1]

Plot

The gang resides at the Happy Home Orphanage, an inaptly named organization run by the dishonest, child-hating Mr. Crutch (Clarence Wilson) and Mrs. Crutch (Rosa Gore). Invited to a garden party at the home of wealthy Mr. Wade, the kids enjoy a good time and are showered with gifts, knowing full well that their new clothes and toys will be seized and sold by the Crutches once they return to the orphanage.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wade's daughter Mary (Doris McMahan) and her boyfriend Dick (Joe Young) stumble upon a magic lamp which grants them their wish: to be children again. Dick and Mary are summarily rounded up by the Crutches and bundled off to the orphanage, where they manage to get the goods on the underhanded operation. Spanky has some funny scenes, including one wherein he refuses to take a dose of castor oil and instead pushes it into Mr. Crutch's mouth. During a sleepless night, Spanky helps Dick escape out the window. Dick runs to Mary's house, where he finds the lamp and wishes he was an adult again. He then returns to being an adult and leads Mr. Wade back to the orphanage, exposing the Crutches and restoring Mary to adulthood. Spanky then has his revenge on Mr. Crutch by using the lamp to wish him down to his size, then beating him up.^[2]

Notes

Shrimps for a Day, like the previous short Mama's Little Pirate, was an Our Gang foray into pure fantasy.
This is the last appearance of Jackie Lynn Taylor. She had been in the series since early 1934.

Cast

The Gang

Matthew Beard as Stymie
Scotty Beckett as Scotty
George McFarland as Spanky
Billie Thomas as Buckwheat
Jerry Tucker as Jerry
Alvin Buckelew as Alvin
Marianne Edwards as Marianne
Leonard Kibrick as Leonard
Jackie Lynn Taylor as Jane
Gordon Evans as Boy who finds lamp
Eileen Bernstein as Our Gang member
Barbara Goodrich as Our Gang member
Harry Harvey, Jr. as Our Gang member
Paul Hilton as Our Gang member
Philbrook Lyons as Our Gang member
Tommy McFarland as Our Gang member
Donald Profitt as Our Gang member
Jackie White as Our Gang member
Phyllis Yuse as Our Gang member

Additional cast

Dick Brasno as Mr. Crutch as a child
George Brasno as Dick as a child
Olive Brasno as Mary as a child
Herbert Evans as The butler
Rosa Gore as Mrs. Crutch
Wilfred Lucas as Mr. Wade, the sponsor
Doris McMahan as Mary
Ray Turner as Frightened man
Clarence Wilson as Mr. Crutch
Robert George Young as Dick
Laughing Gravy as Dog
Marialise Gumm as Undetermined role
Dorian Johnson as Undetermined role
Joyce Kay as Undetermined role
Fred Purner, Jr. as Undetermined role
Delmar Watson as Undetermined role
Katherine Margaret Marshall as girl that shooed the duck

References

^ Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. pp. 172–173. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
^ Hal Erickson (2011). "New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-09-20.

External links

Shrimps for a Day at IMDb
The short film Shrimps for a Day is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.

[1] Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. pp. 172–173. Retrieved 3 March 2024.

[NY_Times-2] Hal Erickson (2011). "New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-09-20.

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