''Dancing Romeo'' is a 1944 ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...

'' short

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Cyril Endfield. Produced and released by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, it was the 220th and final ''Our Gang'' short to be released.

Plot

Froggy has a crush on a young girl named Marilyn, who is too preoccupied with her budding career as a dancer to pay Froggy attention. When the gang attends one of Marilyn's recitals, Froggy finds himself insanely jealous of Marilyn's dancing partner Gerald, whom he sees as a rival for Marilyn's affections. A few days later, Froggy holds a dance recital of his ''own'', hoping to impress Marilyn. His seemingly gravity-defying moves are accomplished with the help of Mickey and Buckwheat, who've rigged their pal with wires and control his movements via a pulley. Gerald exposes this artifice, hoping to embarrass Froggy. Marilyn, however, is impressed by Froggy's determination, and tells him she loves him—only to have the deep-voiced boy faint dead away.

Cast

The Gang

Billy Laughlin William Robert Laughlin (July 5, 1932 – August 31, 1948) was an American child actor. He is best known for playing the character Froggy in the ''Our Gang'' short films from 1940 to 1944, the films′ final years of production. Early life ...

as Froggy *

Bobby Blake Bobby Blake (born Edgar Gaines; August 11, 1957) is a Baptist elder who acted in gay pornography until his retirement in 2000. Biography Blake appeared in over 100 releases.. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. Bobby Blake was a long time partner with ...

as Mickey *

Janet Burston Janet Elizabeth Burston (January 11, 1935 – March 3, 1998) was an American child actress who was the final leading lady in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series, replacing Darla Hood in 1942. Career Burston began her film career in the Ou ...

as Janet *

Billie Thomas Billie may refer to: People *Billie (given name), the given name Other * ''Billie'' (1965 film), a 1965 film starring Patty Duke * ''Billie'' (2019 film), a documentary about Billie Holiday * ''Billie'' (musical), 1928 Broadway musical by ...

as Buckwheat

Additional cast

*Bobby Browning as Gerald *Valerie Lee as Marylin *Vincent Graeff as Sits behind Gerald at Froggy's performance *Dickie Hall as Boy who figured Froggy has been dancing for years *Frank Ward as Boy who can't wait to see Froggy dance

Production

''Dancing Romeo'' was the final short to be released in the 22-year ''Our Gang'' canon. Its antecedent on the release schedule, '' Tale of a Dog'', is sometimes considered the final film in the series, as it has a later production number (no. 2866 vs. ''Dancing Romeo's'' production no. 2861) and began pre-production first. Along with ''Tale of a Dog'' and '' Radio Bugs'', ''Dancing Romeo'' was directed by Cyril Endfield in late 1943, and released in April 1944. According to financial data prepared by MGM in 1956, ''Dancing Romeo'' cost $27,353 to produce, but lost $10,340—more than any other ''Our Gang'' short—at the box office. By 1943, the series had ceased to be profitable, leading to its cancellation. ''Our Gang'' creator

Hal Roach Harold 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, ...

would revive the ''Our Gang'' concept for a pair of late-1940s features, ''

Curley Curley is a surname, given name, nickname or stage name. It may refer to: Surname * August Curley (born 1960), American football player * Arthur Curley (1938–1998), American librarian * Barney Curley (1939–2021), Irish racehorse trainer * ...

'' and ''

Who Killed Doc Robbin ''Who Killed Doc Robbin'' is a 1948 film directed by Bernard Carr and starring Larry Olsen, Billy Gray, and Renee Beard. It was produced by Hal Roach and Robert F. McGowan as a reimagining of their ''Our Gang'' series. The film was one of "H ...

''. ''Our Gang'' did not become profitable again until Hal Roach bought back the 1927-1938 Roach-produced ''Our Gang'' comedies (excluding ''

General Spanky ''General Spanky'' is a 1936 American comedy film produced by Hal Roach. A spin-off of Roach's popular ''Our Gang'' short subjects, the film stars George McFarland, Phillips Holmes, Rosina Lawrence, Billie Thomas and Carl Switzer. Directed by ...

'') from MGM in 1949 and later syndicated the Roach-produced shorts to television as ''The Little Rascals'' (and, after 1950, several theatrical reissues through

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

and Allied Artists), leading to its renewed popularity from the 1950s on.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0036740 1944 films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films 1944 comedy films American dance films Our Gang films 1940s dance films 1944 short films 1940s American films