The Lucky Corner

technical details:

Production G-31.

Release no. C-216.

Filmed May 13 to 20, 1935. See the 'miscellaneous' section below for details.

Copyrighted February 19, 1936, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation. Registration no. LP6212. Renewed June 21, 1963, with registration no. R317581. This copyright is currently due to expire at the end of 2031.

Released March 14, 1936. It was the 143rd film in the series to be released.

All-talking two-reeler.

Opening title: 'Hal Roach presents Our Gang in "The Lucky Corner".'

King World Productions episode no. 34b, 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: Ernest Depew, A. S. C.

This credit appears in the film.

Film Editor: Louis McManus

This credit appears in the film.

Sound: W. B. Delaplain

This credit appears in the film.

Assistant Director: Gordon Douglas

Revealed in the photo in Maltin & Bann's book.

Animal trainer: Tony Campanaro

He trained the current Pete.

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.

Approved by the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America

Certificate no. 869.

studio personnel

general manager - Henry Ginsberg was replaced in Jan. 1936 by David Loew

assistant general manager - L. A. French until early 1936

secretary-treasurer - C. H. Roach

assistant secretary - Mat O'Brien

publicity and advertising - Fred Purner

property department - W. L. Stevens

film editor and sound department - Elmer Raguse

construction supervisor - C. E. Christensen

laboratory superintendent - Charles Levin

process department - Roy Seawright

still photographer - Clarence "Stax" Graves

musical director - Marvin Hatley

makeup department - Jack Casey

hairdressing - Peggy Zardo

transportation director - Bob Davis

school teacher - Fern Carter

possible uncredited involvement

writing - Hal Yates, Carl Harbaugh, James Parrott, Charlie Hall, Frank Butler, Hal Law, Frank Tashlin and Gordon Douglas may have been among the gag writers.

property department - Charles Oelze was probably involved in this capacity.

titles - Louis McManus probably designed the main titles.

the kids:

George "Spanky" McFarland as "Spanky" aka "Spank"

Featured role. He leads the parade and sets up a show to attract customers for the lemonade stand.

Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas as "Buckwheat"

Featured role. He's given several tasks to perform throughout the film, providing comedy relief along the way.

Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as "Alfalfa"

Featured role. He's given a fair amount of dialogue throughout the film, and sings a song with Harold.

Leonard Kibrick

Featured role. He and his father try to sabotage Gus's business.

Scotty Beckett as "Scott"

Supporting role. He runs the lemonade stand with Gus.

Gloria Brown as "Gloria"

Small part. She's the girl that does the tapdancing routine. She's listed as Gloria Mann in the 1977 edition, and in Maltin's earlier book, The Great Movie Shorts.

Harold Switzer as "Harold"

Small part. He's present in most of the scenes, but only noticeable during his singing routine with Alfalfa.

Merrill Strong

Small part. He shares the glass of lemonade in the first scene and honks the horn with his foot later on. Maltin & Bann list him as Merrell Strong.

Marianne Edwards

Small part. She shares the glass of lemonade in the first scene, and is part of the parade, but has no dialogue.

Alvin Buckelew

Small part. He plays the bass drum in the parade.

Donald Proffitt

Small part. He's pretty much entirely an ensemble player in this film.

Billy Minderhout

Small part. Later known professionally as Billy Mindy. Listed by Maltin & Bann as Billy Winderlout. He's the boy in the sailor suit.

Snooky Valentine

Small part. She's the hula girl to the left on the parade float.

Doreen Rubin

Small part. Of the three girls walking behind the parade float, she's the one to the left.

Bonnie Lynn

Small part. Of the three girls walking behind the parade float, she's the one to the right.

Marilyn Anderson, Sonia Shapiro and Gloria McGoff

Small parts. These should be the remaining three girls among the kids. All three names are clumped with the other kids in the payroll ledger. There was a little girl named Marilyn Anderson from Kansas who was currently finding work in Hollywood, and there was a member of the Meglin Kiddies during this period named Sonya Shapiro. I suspect Anderson is the girl with the hat and cane, since her pattern of activity separtes her from the other girls' names, and the girl with the hat and cane is in a lot of shots separate from the other girls.

John Collum

Extra. He's seen in the crowd on the sidewalk during the parade scene.

Billy Diamond

Extra. He's the blonde boy in the crowd. Maltin & Bann list Tommy McFarland.

Dolores Tuma

Extra. She worked the same two days (the 13th and 14th) as Collum and Diamond, and should be the blonde girl seen only in longshot. There are images of her as a brunette, but I've also found a newspaper photo of her in which she's blonde.

Betty June Sissom

She worked for one day on this film (the 16th). Her placement in the ledger indicates that she filled in for Bonnie Lynn when the latter was absent. She doesn't seem to have wound up in the finished film.

unconfirmed

Listed by Maltin & Bann is Priscilla Lyon, who isn't listed in the payroll ledger.

the animals:

Pete the Pup IV

Bit part. He's shown in the parade, but doesn't seem to be in any other part of the film.

Leo

Bit part. The MGM lion appears at the opening of the film (but was cut from the Cabin Fever print).

the adults:

Gus Leonard as "Gus" aka "Grandpa"

Featured role. He runs the lemonade stand.

William Wagner as the proprietor

Supporting role. He pressures the cop into sending Gus and his lemonade stand away from his own business.

James C. Morton as the cop

Supporting role. He settles disputes, directs traffic and clears the way for the parade.

Billy McClain as "Joe," Buckwheat's grandfather

Supporting role. He allows Gus to set up next to his shoeshine stand. Listed by Maltin & Bann as Joe Mathey, and as Buckwheat's dad, but given his age, it seems more likely that he would be his grandfather.

Charley Lloyd as the barber

Small part. He lends Spanky his electric razor. He's listed in Maltin & Bann's 1977 edition as Charley Young. This is interesting since the sign on the window says 'Young's Barber Shop.'

Bobby Dunn as one of the lemonade customers

Small part. Maltin & Bann list him as the 'poisoned' customer, but specifically, the cop accuses Dunn of trying to poison him.

Joe Bordeaux as the painter

Bit part. He gets knocked down by the board that Buckwheat slides over. I'm not familiar with this actor, so I'll take Maltin & Bann's word for it.

Ernie Alexander as the first customer

Bit part. He turns down Leonard's lemonade in favor of Grandpa's.

Kay McCoy

Bit part. She's with Ernie Alexander.

Art Rowlands as a lemonade customer

Bit part. He's the customer who screams.

Fred Holmes as one of the crowd

Extra. He's standing right next to the lemonade stand, and Buckwheat slides through his legs.

Doc Kelly as one of the crowd

Extra. He's the rotund man standing right next to Holmes. Listed by Maltin & Bann as Jack "Tiny" Lipson.

Otto Malde as one of the crowd

Extra. As the film is nearing its end, he's the lemonade customer behind Fred Holmes.

Lester Dorr as one of the crowd

Extra. He drinks lemonade as Wagner summons the cop. Maltin & Bann state that he plays two parts, wearing different clothes. I think he might be shown to the left of Jack Lipson in the longshots.

Clarence Morehouse as one of the crowd

Extra. Right before Gloria starts her number, we see a shot of seven people (with two more looking over their shoulders) watching the entertainment. Morehouse is third from the right, if you don't count the guy peering over his shoulder.

Jack Hill as one of the crowd

Extra. In the same shot with Morehouse, he's at the far right.

Roy Saeger as one of the crowd

Extra. He's sometimes seen standing behind Doc Kelly, with his hands placed on or near Kelly's shoulders.

other adults

Bit parts and extras. There are dozens of additional pedestrians in this film, most if not all of whom are listed in the payroll ledger. Working the entire shooting schedule (from the 13th to the 18th) were John Boswell, Patsy Green, Alice Stombs, Laurie Lynn, Virginia Crawford, Mrs. Jack Burns, Retta Palmer and Joe Collum. Working on all of these dates except the 13th were Dorothy McGowan, Al Morton, Harry Wilde, Jack Cooper, Sam Merchant and Ethel Maricle. Working on all of these dates except the 17th were Sammy Brooks and Evelyn Burns. Working from the 13th to the 16th were Glen Sloan, Howard Truesdale, Jack Wicks, Joe Mathey, Helen Dale, Mary Emery and Ethel Palmer. Working on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th was Eris Norman. Working from the 14th to the 16th were Bob Kent and Jane Weir. Working on the 13th and 14th (the days on which the parade was shot) were Jack Lubell, Barrett Whitelaw, Charles Lauder, Toby Doolan, Peggy Leon and Virginia Reh. Doolan (as Toby Dolan) is also listed by Maltin & Bann. Working on the 14th and 15th was Ed O'Brien. Working only on the 14th were H.C. Simmons, Ralph Deane, Sammy Rice, Jr., Jimmy Rice, Bobby Burns, Bob Muessler, Edith Williams, Molly Gordon, Dorothy McNames, Lucille McNames, Retta Claire, Julia Napier, Mary Bertrand, Alice Brohn and Maxine Nash. Working only on the 18th were Harry Bernard, Lew Davis, Rus Custer, Baldy Cooke, John W. Dillon, Harvey Shepard, Ed McCabe, Fifi O'Brien, Rhoda Cross, Wilda George, Alice Cooke, Susan Cleary, Margaret McGrath, Ruth Teel, Maidena Armstrong, Jack Dover, Marguerite Burns, Bill O'Brien and Pete Gordon. Also working on this date was Sam Lufkin, who is included in Maltin & Bann's cast listing, but I've yet to spot him. They also list Bunny Bronson, who isn't in the ledger.

in still images

William Wagner's eatery shows several images on the walls, most notably a seemingly lifesize photo of a man's head.

the music:

"Good Old Days" by Leroy Shield

Copyrighted Jan. 10, 1931.

(A15.) A new recording of this piece is played over the opening titles and as we first see the lemonade stand. The very end is repeated over the end title.

"Dixie (I Wish I Was In Dixie Land)" by Daniel Decatur Emmett

Published in 1859. Also known as "Dixie's Land." This is the song played during the parade. A Marvin Hatley arrangement of this song was copyrighted on May 7, 1936.

"Congratulate Me" by Lou Handman

Published in 1934 with lyrics by Bob Rothberg. Versions of this song were recorded by orchestras led by Johnnie Davis, Henry Busse and Guy Lombardo. Gloria Brown tapdances to a piano version which was probably performed by Marvin Hatley.

"Goin' To Town" by T. Marvin Hatley

Copyrighted Dec. 5, 1933. Written with lyrics by Eddie Dunn and Charley Chase. An instrumental version is played as Buckwheat gets a lemon, and then gets starch instead of sugar.

"Little Brown Jug"

Attributed to Septimus Winner in 1869. In this film, it's sung by Alfalfa and Harold Switzer. Steve Porter had a number three hit with this song in 1900. Marvin Hatley received arrangement credit for this version, which was copyrighted on Jan. 29, 1936.

"The Stars And Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa

Composed on Christmas Day, 1896. Published in 1897. This is the Official March of the United States of America. It was a number one hit for Sousa's Band in both 1897 and 1901. In this film, it's initially whistled for a few seconds by Leonard as he serves lemonade, and later played while Leonard and his father do their electric razor dance.

the locations:

Hal E. Roach Studios

It appears that the entire film was shot on the New York street set in the Hal Roach backlot.

miscellaneous:

Seven shooting dates went into the making of this film. Almost a week had passed since shooting finished for "Sprucin' Up" (no. 136). Shooting for "The Lucky Corner" started on May 13th and continued until May 20th. There was no shooting on May 19th, which was a Sunday. After this, two weeks would pass before the Our Gang unit began filming "Little Papa" (no. 139).

Working titles for this film included "Trusting Lemons," "Lemonade Trust" and "Follow The Leader."

A memo of May 9, 1935, signed by William Terhune, states that the title of the film will be "Follow The Leader."

Memos of both May 15 and 16, 1935, state that the main titles for "Follow The Leader" were sent to New York via air mail.

A memo of June 5, 1935, states that publicity negatives and prints (nos. 1 to 18 inc.) for "Follow The Leader" were shipped to Joe Rivkin via parcel post on that day. Rivkin was Roach's eastern representative.

3 star Mfg. Co. in Elmira, NY, produced the sugar and starch.

Wagner's business has a Baby Ruth ad on the wall.

See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.

© Robert Demoss.