Small Talk

film no. 89

availability:

The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 18 (VHS) from Cabin Fever and
The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Volume Four (3 LD set) from Cabin Fever: Released 1995. This is a nearly complete print, missing only the MGM lion at the beginning. The opening title card seems to also block out the MGM logo. The picture quality is excellent. The total footage lasts 24:57. This version has appeared on numerous bootlegs.
The Little Rascals Book XIV (VHS) from Blackhawk Video: This is a home movie print from Blackhawk. The opening title is remade and the crew credits are original, but shown in freeze frame. The picture quality is very good. The original footage, not counting the crew credits, totals 24:31. The soundtrack lingers on for an additional 0:03 over the non-original end title.

technical details:

Production G-23.

Sound equipment was installed at the Roach studio March 15 to 23, 1929.

Filmed March 25 to April 6, 1929.

Released May 18, 1929. It was the 86th film in the series to be released. However, according to Maltin's earlier book, The Great Movie Shorts, as well as Richard Lewis Ward's A History Of The Hal Roach Studios, the release date was April 18, 1929, which would make it the 85th release.

Copyrighted July 30, 1929, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP893. Renewed September 13, 1956, with registration no. R176921. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2024.

All-talking three-reeler. (In actuality, there is a little bit of silent footage in this film.)

Opening title: '"Our Gang" Comedies - Hal Roach presents His Rascals' Voices in "Small Talk".'

the crew:

Produced by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach: This is the way Maltin & Bann put it. The film credits Roach as a presenter, with a separate credit reading "A Robert McGowan Production."
Directed by Robert F. McGowan: This credit appears in the film, but without his middle initial.
Photographed by Art Lloyd and F. E. Hershey: This credit appears in the film.
Edited by Richard Currier: This credit appears in the film.
Dialogue by H. M. Walker: This credit appears in the film.
Recording Engineer: Elmer Raguse: Not listed by Maltin & Bann. This credit appears in the film.
Story by Robert F. McGowan: This credit doesn't appear in the film.
Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: Probably indicated in the opening title card, but not shown in these prints.
Passed by the National Board of Review: As indicated in the film.
A Victor Recording, Western Electric System: As indicated in the film.
studio personnel
possible uncredited involvement

the kids:

Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins as "Wheezer": Lead role. He's adopted and taken away from the orphanage.
Mary Ann Jackson as "Mary": Lead role. She runs away to visit Wheezer at his new home.
Allen "Farina" Hoskins: Supporting role. The nickname isn't used in this film. He goes along with the gang to Wheezer's new home, where he encounters various mysterious sounds. He later has a crying scene when nobody wants to adopt him.
Joe Cobb as "Joe" aka "Joseph": Supporting role. He's the leader among the kids, and has quite a lot of the dialogue.
Jean Darling as "Jean": Supporting role. She's the one that sets off the alarm, but otherwise does mostly ensemble acting.
Harry Spear as "Harry": Supporting role. He mostly does ensemble acting in this film.

the animals:

Pete (no. 1) as "Pete" aka "Petey": Supporting role. He accompanies the kids throughout the film, and is given some gag material. He might also be the barking dog heard as Wheezer and his new mother drive off.
dog 087a: Small part. He's Wheezer's new dog.
Leo: Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film (but is cut from the Cabin Fever print).
parrot 008 as "Polly": Bit part. Presumably the same parrot seen previously. The parrot is seen very briefly, but the actor doing the voice is featured fairly strongly. The name "Polly" derives purely from the inevitable 'Polly want a cracker' line.

the adults:

Helen Jerome Eddy as "Helen" aka "Miss Eddy": Featured role. She's Wheezer's new mother and is featured frequently throughout the film. The implication is that she's married, but her husband is never seen, and the maid calls her "Miss Eddy." It sounds like the cop calls her "Miss Lily."
Lyle Tayo as "Mrs. Brown": Supporting role. She's featured fairly strongly in the opening sequence of the film, being the woman who cares for the children at the orphanage.
Pat Harmon as one of the cops: Small part. He's the first cop to arrive and puts a scare into the kids. Maltin & Bann list him as the 'officer in charge,' but he answers to the other uniformed cop.
Charles McMurphy as one of the cops: Bit part. He's the other uniformed cop with dialogue.
Edith Fortier as the domestic: Bit part. According to Maltin & Bann. I'm assuming they mean the woman who accompanies Miss Eddy to the orphanage, but it's hard to get a good look at her.
other adults: Small parts, bit parts and extras.
(1.) The maid who adopts Farina, who looks similar to Emma Reed.
(2.) The three women who adopt three of the kids, and the woman who turns down Farina's offer to adopt him.
(3.) The doctor who examines Wheezer.
(4.) The man providing the voice of the parrot.
(5.) The man providing Pete's voice.
(6.) The operator on the telephone.
(7.) The two newscasters on the radio.
(8.) The opera singer on the radio.
(9.) Miss Eddy's chauffeur.
(10.) The other people at the bridge party, including four musicians shown in the foreground of the longshots, plus a maid and a butler in the background.
(11.) Various policemen, firemen and two ambulance workers. Two of the cops are in plain clothes.
(12.) The woman in the painting on the wall next to Wheezer's bed.

the music:

piece 089a: This is the cacophonous noise the kids make on their musical instruments at the opening of the film.
piece 089b: This is the melody made by the whistling clock.
piece 089c: This is played very briefly by the music box.
piece 089d: This is the song sung by the opera singer on the radio.
piece 089e: This is the music on the radio that follows the opera singer.
"There's A Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" by Al Jolson, Billy Rose and Dick Dreyer: This song is 'played' by Pete at the end of the film. Al Jolson had a number one hit with it in 1928.
musical references: After Joe slips on the rug, Jean laughs and says "You go boom when you fall down," a reference to the song "I Faw Down And Go Boom" by James Brockman and Leonard Stevens, which Mary Ann sings in the next film, "Railroadin'" (no. 90).

the locations:

4052 Lafayette Place, Culver City: This is where the emergency vehicles arrive.
Fire Department Number 1, 9760 Culver Boulevard, Culver City: The fire engines are seen leaving this location. The Culver Hotel can be seen in the background.

miscellaneous:

Since the studio only had one set of sound equipment, the Laurel & Hardy short "Unaccustomed As We Are," which was being made at the same time as this Our Gang short, had to be filmed at night to accomodate the kids, who could only work until five in the afternoon.

Copyright Apr. 29, 2005, by Robert Demoss.
2005 updates: 5/16, 7/9, 8/30, 12/19.
2006 updates: 2/11, 5/16, 6/8, 10/25.
2007 updates: 4/1, 10/22.
2008 updates: 1/19.

Thanks to Rob Stone, Joe Moore, Paul Fitzpatrick and Paul Mular for assistance on this page.