Our Gang Follies of 1936 1935

The gang stages a big musical revue in Spanky’s cellar, where a sign above the door proclaims the show as “6 Acts of Swell Actin.” As the master of ceremonies, Spanky wins the neighborhood kids over with a light, catchy call to join the performance, inviting them to a lively program that promises a miniature chorus line, a trio of Farm Girls, a group of skeleton-clad kids, and featured spots for Alfalfa and the new girl Cookie.

Backstage, chaos swirls as Buckwheat’s dealings with a mischievous little monkey collide with Spanky’s worries about the star acts. The Flory-Dory Girls, whose lateness keeps threatening his carefully timed lineup, become the focal point of Spanky’s improvisation. With the show moving toward its finale and still no sign of the Flory-Dories, Spanky orders the other boys to don the girls’ costumes, hoping to recreate the dance from memory and pull off the act in drag if everyone just follows his lead.

Unknown to Spanky, the monkey that has been troubling Buckwheat has hidden itself inside Spanky’s bustle. Mid-dance, the creature plucks a needle from the costume and starts stabbing Spanky in the rear, prompting the other boys to mimic his sudden, exaggerated jolts of pain for the audience’s amusement. In a comical turn, Spanky accidentally shakes his dress to the floor, and the rest of the troupe does the same, turning the act into a chaotic comic moment that sends the crowd into fits of laughter.

Cookie makes a last-ditch effort to bring down the curtain, but the curtain only traps the boys in front of it, forcing them to scramble under as Spanky closes out the show. The curtain hides his corset, garters and lace leggings, and he sends the lively audience of kids home with a relieved, if frazzled, bow.