''Pups Is Pups'' is a two-reel

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

short subject, part of the '' Our Gang'' (Little Rascals) series. It was produced and directed by

Robert F. McGowan Robert Francis McGowan (July 11, 1882 – January 27, 1955) was an American film director and producer, best known as the senior director of the ''Our Gang'' short subjects film series from 1922 until 1933. Career Before moving to Los Angeles, ...

for

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter, ...

, and originally released to theatres by M-G-M in 1930. It was the 100th (12th talking) '' Our Gang'' short that was released and the first in the 1930-1931 season.

Plot

Wheezer attempts to find his puppies after they run off and travel across the city. At the same time, the rest of the gang crash a high-society dog

conformation show A dog show is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a ''breed show'', is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs '' ...

where Farina is working as a

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

. The kids bring all manner of wild animal pets (frogs, turtles, mice, ducks, and even a pig) into the show, and cause commotion and fear among the ritzy attendees. Because of the commotion the kids cause, Farina is fired. Meanwhile, Wheezer continues searching for his pups, who run toward a bell — ''any'' bell — they hear; he says, "they think they're gonna get dinner." They hear a goat's bell, a fire engine bell, an ice cream truck bell, and a huge church bell, which Wheezer himself rings in a desperate attempt to find the pups. He sits on the curb dejected until the pups, who ''did'' hear it, scamper up to him for a happy reunion. Tying the two sub-plots together is a running gag in which first-time Our Ganger Dorothy DeBorba keeps jumping into a mud puddle, amusing the other children and irritating her mother, who keeps bathing her and changing her clothes. The last time this happens, she thinks it was Farina who pushed the little girl in — and falls in the mud herself.

Production and exhibition

''Pups Is Pups'' was the first entry in the 1930-1931 season of shorts. It was the ''Our Gang'' debut for five-year-old Dorothy DeBorba, and for

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

composer

Leroy Shield Leroy Bernard Shield (October 2, 1893 – January 9, 1962) was an American film score and radio composer. He is best known for the themes and incidental music he wrote for the classic Hal Roach comedy short films of the 1930s, including the ''Our ...

. It is the first episode to feature the jazz-based background scoring that the Roach Studio comedies are known for. Some of the tunes included the "Hal Roach Happy Go Lucky Trio" (a.k.a. "Teeter Totter"), "Wishing", "Hide & Go Seek", "On To The Show", and "Confusion". The cues used on Hal Roach comedies are named after the first scenes they are used for. These tunes were used on other Hal Roach produced series at the time. The striking and powerful industrial landscape framing the Gang's play activities at the beginning of the picture was achieved with a glass-matte process that added towering silo-shaped structures to the more bucolic live views of the Arnaz Ranch, a frequent Roach shooting location. This level of special effect—and budgetary expense—is unusual in Roach two-reelers. Due to perceived racism toward African-Americans, several scenes featuring Farina were edited out of the Little Rascals syndicated television prints in 1971. They remained in 16mm, VHS and DVD home video releases. The scenes were reinstated in 2001 in the prints shown on

American Movie Classics AMC is an American multinational basic cable television channel that is the flagship property of AMC Networks. The channel's programming primarily consists of theatrically released films, along with a limited amount of original programming. T ...

until 2003. In 2004, ''Pups Is Pups'' was selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Cast

The Gang

* Norman Chaney as Chubby * Jackie Cooper as Jackie * Dorothy DeBorba as Dorothy * Bobby Hutchins as Wheezer *

Allen Hoskins Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Unive ...

as Farina *

Mary Ann Jackson Mary Ann Jackson (January 14, 1923 – December 17, 2003) was an American child actress who appeared in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1928 to 1931. She was born and died in Los Angeles, California. Career Mary Ann Jackson's f ...

as Mary Ann * The Hill Twins as Twins *

Buddy McDonald Thomas "Buddy"/"Bud" McDonald (October 1, 1922 – September 22, 2008) was an American child actor. He is perhaps best known as one of the ''Our Gang'' kids of the early sound period, and McDonald is prominently featured in the ''Our Gang'' shor ...

as Buddy * Allen Tong as Our Gang member * Wolfgang Weidler as Our Gang member * Warner Weidler as Our Gang member *

Pete the Pup Pete the Pup (original, 1924 – June 1930; second Pete, September 9, 1929 – January 28, 1946) was a character in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' comedies (later known as ''The Little Rascals'') during the 1930s, otherwise known as "Pete, the dog wi ...

as Puppy

Additional cast

* Harry Bernard as Cop * Allen Cavan – Dr. H. R. White * William Gillespie – Musician playing bass tuba * Charlie Hall – Orchestra leader playing violin * Lyle Tayo – Dorothy's and Jackie's mother * Charles McAvoy – Cement worker * Silas D. Wilcox – Doorman * Joe the Monkey as Monkey

References

External links

*''Pups is Pups'' essa

by Randy Skretvedt at

*
''Pups Is Pups''
comprehensive data page at ''Our Gang'' website The LuckyCorner.com *''Pups is Pups'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN, 0826429777, pages 170-17

1930 films 1930 comedy films Hal Roach Studios short films United States National Film Registry films American black-and-white films Films directed by Robert F. McGowan Our Gang films Films with screenplays by H. M. Walker 1930s English-language films 1930s American films