Mama's Little Pirate

film no. 132

availability:

The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 12 (VHS) from Cabin Fever and
The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Volume Two (4 LD set) from Cabin Fever: Released July 6, 1994. Also released as part of 12 VHS boxed set. This is a complete original print, and even includes an opening certification title card from the Production Code Adminstration of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America (certificate no. 491). The total footage lasts 17:51. This version has appeared on numerous bootlegs. There's also a clip lasting 0:02 included in the opening advertisement of all the Cabin Fever VHS releases, which shows the gang with their newly-found treasure.
The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited Vol. 11 & Vol. 12 (DVD) from Cabin Fever: Same contents as the Cabin Fever VHS releases. Also released as part of The Little Rascals Remastered & Unedited (6 DVD set).
The Little Rascals - The Complete Collection (8 DVD set) from Genius Products: Released late Oct. 2008. This is identical to the Cabin Fever version.
The Little Rascals Colorized Collection (VHS) from Hallmark Home Entertainment: Released Apr. 19, 1999. One of six same-named VHS releases, each with three colorized films, deriving from the Cabin Fever versions.
The Little Rascals Book XXI (VHS) from Blackhawk Video: This is a home movie print from Blackhawk. The opening title is remade, but the crew credits and end title are original. The end title has been cropped to omit the NRA designation. The picture quality is very good. The original footage totals 17:24, but the original soundtrack lasts an additional 0:08.
The Little Rascals: Divot Diggers/Mama's Little Pirate (VHS) from Republic Pictures Home Video: Released May 1991. This is the Blackhawk print. The original footage in this version totals 16:46, but the original soundtrack lasts an additional 0:08.
Rascal Dazzle (VHS/LD) from Embassy Home Entertainment: Original film released 1981. Video released 1984. A clip lasting 0:04 is shown in the opening montage of this documentary, showing a closeup of Spanky talking to his mother. Another clip lasting 0:59 is included, showing the treasure chest being broken open, with music and narration added.

technical details:

Production G-25.

Released on November 3, 1934, making it the 132nd film in the series to be released.

Copyrighted January 5, 1935, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP5260. Renewed August 1, 1962, with registration no. R299641. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2030.

All-talking two-reeler.

Opening title: 'Hal Roach presents Our Gang in "Mama's Little Pirate".'

King World Productions episode no. 40b, available in both colorized and original black-and-white versions.

the crew:

Produced by Hal Roach: Credited in the film as a presenter.
Directed by Gus Meins: This credit appears in the film.
Photography: Art Lloyd, A. S. C.: This credit appears in the film.
Film Editor: Bert Jordan: This credit appears in the film.
Recording Engineer: James Greene: Not listed by Maltin & Bann. This credit appears in the film.
Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: Indicated in the opening title card.
Passed by the National Board of Review: As indicated in the film.
Western Electric System: As indicated in the film.
NRA: The National Recovery Administration emblem is shown in both the opening and end titles.
studio personnel
possible uncredited involvement

the kids:

George "Spanky" McFarland as "Spanky" aka "Spank": Lead role. He disobeys his mother in order to explore the cave, but it turns out to be a dream.
Scotty Beckett as "Scott": Supporting role. He chooses not to take part in collecting the booty. He later named this as his favorite film.
Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas as "Buckwheat": Supporting role. Or more specifically, "Little Buckwheat." He's a "she" in this film. Spanky ties a string to him so they won't lose their way.
Matthew "Stymie" Beard as "Stymie": Supporting role. He has a fair amount of dialogue, but is mostly along for the ride.
Jerry Tucker: Supporting role. He has a few lines of dialogue, but is mostly an ensemble player.
Marylin Bourne: Supporting role. She's presumably the blonde girl. She's present through most of the film, but has no dialogue. Maltin's earlier book, The Great Movie Shorts, lists her as Mary Ann Breckell.
other kids: Supporting roles. There are two remaining kids that explore the cave, one of whom is the little blonde boy, and the other is the 5-year-old midget in the baby bonnet who went on to become The World's Smallest Man in one of the major circuses. Maltin & Bann list Gilbert Hullett and Paul Rodriguez as the two remaining kids.

the animals:

Leo: Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film.

the adults:

Tex Madsen as the giant: Supporting role. He was 7'6". He returns home to find that some kids have invaded his territory and stolen his treasure. Maltin & Bann thought, in the 1977 edition of their book, that he might be Jack Earle.
Claudia Dell as Spanky's mom: Small part. She sends Spanky to his room.
Joe Young as "Joe," Spanky's dad: Small part. He reads the newspaper and tells Spanky about some treasure discovered in a cave.
Billy Bletcher as the voice of the giant: Small part. Ironically, he was 5'2".

the music:

"Good Old Days" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931.
(A14.) The first part of this piece is played over the opening titles and as we first see the breakfast table.
"Little Dancing Girl" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931. Also known as "Dancing Girl" and "Dancing Girls." About half of this piece is played as Spanky comes to the breakfast table.
piece 132: This is played as Spanky's dad reads from the newspaper. A small part is repeated as Spanky contemplates which way Washington would go. It's repeated as the giant closes the door and walks away from the gang.
"Miser" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931. A fragment of this piece is played as Spanky dumps his breakfast into his dad's bowl. Another fragment is played as Spanky takes a look at the newspaper. A fuller portion is played as Scotty hides in the mousehole.
"Oh, Doctor! Doctor!" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931. A barely-audible fragment of this piece is played as we get a look at the newspaper story. It's played in full twice in a row as the gang explores the cave and Scotty falls down. It's played twice again as the gang discovers the giant chair and the giant footprint. It's repeated as the giant catches Stymie.
"Your Piktur" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931. A fragment of this piece is played as Spanky decides to go off and find some treasure. A fuller edit is played as Buckwheat starts to follow behind and Scotty runs out of string. A small fragment is repeated as the gang starts to leave the giant's home.
"(We're Going To) Arrowhead" by Leroy Shield: A portion of this piece is played as Spanky leaves the breakfast table. It's played in full as the treasure chest is broken into. The second half is repeated as Spanky wakes from his dream and the end title appears.
"Teeter-Totter" by Leroy Shield: Half of this piece is played as the gang first arrives at the cave. A small portion is repeated as the gang explores the cave and Buckwheat digs.
"Hurry" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted 1931. Most of this piece is played as the kids look into the cave and decide that they need some light. A fragment is repeated as Stymie burns Jerry.
"Let's Go" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted 1930. Most of this piece is played as Spanky goes home for a flashlight and gets sent to his room.
"You Are The One I Love" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931. This is played and partially repeated as Spanky talks to his alter ego. A fragment is repeated as the gang discovers the treasure.
"Fliver Flops" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931. The first half of this piece is played as the gang starts to explore the cave. This portion is repeated as the gang hides under the table. The same portion is played as the giant catches Scotty and Spanky gets stuck on the flypaper.
"Cascadia" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Aug. 4, 1931. The first segment of this piece is played as Spanky ties the string around Buckwheat. This portion is repeated as the kids hide in the fireplace and the giant discovers them.
"Wrong, All Wrong" by Leroy Shield: This is played as Buckwheat is pulled into the hole. It's repeated as the giant enters the room.
"If It Were Only True" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931. Most of this piece is played as the gang collects their booty and tries to find a way out.
"Run" by Leroy Shield: Copyrighted Aug. 13, 1931. This is played as the giant is carrying the bucket containing Buckwheat.
"Confusion" by Leroy Shield: This is played as the giant chases Spanky.

the locations:

Hal E. Roach Studios: The same cave sets used in the Laurel & Hardy feature "Babes In Toyland" were also used in this film.

miscellaneous:

The fictitious newspaper at the breakfast table is the Bradley Times, but the lettering is different in the longshot, in which only the word Times is visible.

The 1985 film "The Goonies" was most likely inspired by this film, since it includes a group of kids in a cave filled with treasure, as well as a monosyllabic giant.

©June 25, 2005, by Robert Demoss.
2005 updates: 7/4, 7/9, 7/10, 8/27, 8/30, 12/19.
2006 updates: 2/11, 5/16, 10/25, 11/2.
2007 updates: 4/1, 10/22, 11/16.
2008 updates: 5/26, 7/12, 7/27, 9/22, 11/6.

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