hyped garbage

Excellent adaptation.

Best movie ever!

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

"Beginner's Luck" is another "Our Gang" short film and like most of these it runs for slightly under 20 minutes. The original is black-and-white, but there is also a colored version out there. The director is Gus Meins ("Babes in Toyland" starring Laurel and Hardy) and he made this film 5 years before his suicide when he was accused of sexually abusing several boys. This puts his work with the Gang into a slightly dubious light. Anyway, this short film here is probably neither among the most famous nor among the least known Our Gang films. Spanky is the star this time and his mother wants him to win a talent contest. The film starts of nicely, but as it goes on, it quickly turns into a talent contest with several participants who really have nothing to do with the movie series. Spanky's big final scene in-stage is also not as funny as I hoped it would be. What do we learn from this movie? Maybe that soccer moms already existed 80 years ago. But that's it. Not too interesting or funny of a watch and I don't recommend it. Many better Our Gang short films out there.

This Hal Roach comedy short, Beginner's Luck, is the one hundred thirty-fifth in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the forty-seventh talkie. Spanky is pushed by his mom to go on stage at a talent contest. He really doesn't want to and his gang plans to sabotage it that night. But Spank changes his mind when a girl-who wants the dress she's wearing that she can't afford-gets stage fright. This was quite a funny short making fun of untalented kids and their stage mothers of which Spanky's is played by Kitty Kelly. Among the acts: a girl unenthusiastically singing "Honolulu Baby" with girls dancing to it the same way, The Cabin Kids-an African-American singing act-performing "Dinah" entertainingly, and Tom and Jerry, the Arizona Nightingales-who are really Harold and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, in their first Our Gang appearance, performing "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" nicely. Alfalfa and Spanky have a memorable first meeting as they're not friends yet. So on that note, Beginner's Luck is highly recommended.

"Beginner's Luck" is a rascals jewel set around a children's amateur show.Spanky has been put into this show by his ambitious mother ,who believes he will wow the audience with his ability to recite Mark Antony's funeral oration of Shakespere's "Julius Ceasar".Spanky conspires with the gang to ruin his act and therefore put an end to his acting days.At the theater Spanky meets a lovely young girl who needs the prize money to buy the dress she is wearing but freezes on stage and now Spanky comes to her aide by telling her he will win and give her the prize.Spanky has his mom ,who has no idea their is a sabotage planned, go talk to the gang and stop their assault.As one would figure they don't understand his message and go ahead with their original idea.When Spanky begins his act the gang starts up hitting him with peashooters and loud wales on their noisemakers.Spanky tries his best to continue and try and win the prize.The audience think this is all part of his act and are laughing along as peashooters clack off his armored costume.Spanky's act is a pure winner in it's comedic form but his mother is upset that her son is being laughed at in such a raucous manner.She pleads to have the show stopped or someone to take Spanky off the stage.Her pleas fall on deaf ears as his act is a major hit.Spanky has won over the audience and doesn't know it.At this point the viewer is informed that Spanky has won the prize.His mother finally rushes to a back curtain to try to hook him and drag him off the stage.She is set to fall victim to the show stopping ending that she could have never imagined ,but is pure belly laughs! Spanky again steals the spotlight by trying to save his mother and winds up making a hysterical sight gag at his mother's expense that is nothing short of a hilarious.

This Little Rascals short is the funniest one of all of them. It involves Spanky being entered in a talent show by his somewhat overbearing mom, while her own mom disapproves. The acting, story & outcome are classic, and anyone who has watched this on television growing up remembers it fondly. I think the whole gist of this was to highlight overbearing stage moms, and this film did it perfectly. You see good acts, not so good acts etc, but the film never loses its zest. Spanky's mom in the film, the pretty Kitty Kelly, gives a standout performance which, judging from the comments here, is unforgettable. No need to divulge the fate of Spanky's mom here. If you've seen this, you know. If you haven't, find it. You'll love it.