Re: Stand Up For Me (Fictitious Our Gang serial)

[RJH]

Since the posts for parts 1 and 4 got deleted, I'm summarizing them to my memory.

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Stand Up for Me: Part 1 (1939)

Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Porky, Mickey, and Leonard are hanging out at the gang's clubhouse. They are bored, having had enough of Spanky's plays where they had to dress up like girls and Alfalfa had to sing off-key deliberately. Then Spanky remembers hearing on the radio that Scooter recently went missing, last seen on the railway between town and Devil's Nob. Since it's 20 miles away, they realize it will be an overnight trip. They agree to go to their homes to get gear and meet at the railroad.

After filling their backpacks, Spanky and Alfalfa stop at the soda shop for some food, and run into teenage Harry and Jay R., who is Spanky's older brother in this. The teenagers have a mean streak, and demand to know where Spanky and Alfalfa are going. When Spanky doesn't answer, Jay R. knocks him to the floor and insults him regarding wearing girls' clothes. Alfalfa
tells them to stop harrassing Spanky, so Harry grabs Alfalfa to threaten him. When Harry asks what Alfalfa will do if the teenagers don't let Spanky go, Alfalfa turns to the camera and tells the viewers they'll find out next month for part 2, entitled "Gross Encounters."

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So that's what that strange untitled footage at the end of my bootleg DVD is.

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Stand Up For Me: Pt 2: Gross Encounters (1939)

"Or you'll do what?" asks Harry.

"I'll tell my Cousin Wilbur on you."

Harry scoffs. "That's supposed to scare us?"

Alfalfa: "It should. He beat the tar out of Butch and the Woim a couple months ago, and he's improved since."

Harry picks Alfalfa up by the collar. "It doesn't scare us. Now for the last time, where are you going?"

Spanky thinks up a more believable lie. "We're going 'spectin' for gold up north."

Alfalfa nods vigourously to confirm Spanky's story. "That's 'prospecting.' There was a story on the radio that ..."

"Shut up!" snarls Harry. He sees the soda shop proprietor looking at them, and realizes there is a better time and place for rough stuff. "Go on your silly fairy tale trip. Watch out for the big bad wolf."

Spanky and Alfalfa hurry out. Jay R. asks Harry, "Is this for real? If we follow them, we could jump them and take the gold for ourselves."

"I'm not following those twerps. But we might get someone else to do the work for else. Sounds like that Butch and Woim would be the perfect for this. Wheezer said that the gang keeps beating Butch and Woim's teams in football. And Mary Ann told me she was at a couple of Butch's fights with Cowlick-top, and says he was totally humiliated. He must want revenge."

"But we'd have to find them," replies Jay R.

"Butch and the Woim are fishing at Toluca Lake," absent-mindedly repsonds a boy by himself in a corner. It turns out to be Waldo, who is sipping a soda, reading a book of love poetry and thinking about writing a letter to Darla.

The scene suddenly shifts to Toluca Lake. Harry states, "Hey you, we got a business proposition for you."

Butch: "What are you talking about?"

"That stupid gang that made fools of you got a tip where there's gold. You follow them, jump them, take any gold they find, and split it with us fifty-fifty."

"Why should we give you half if we're doing all the work?"

"Because we're giving you the tip and we'll cover for you if there are any questions."

"We need to discuss this."

Butch and Woim huddle. "What do you think Woim?"

"We could say we got a lot less gold than we really did. Give them like ten percent and keep ninety percent for ourselves."

"That's actually a good idea. And I got some ideas for revenge. I got to get even with Spanky and Alfy. And I know those two little punks, Porky and Bucky, were in on it. They'll be far away from help when we get them."

Breaking from their conference, Butch announces, "You got a deal," and they shake hands.

The next scene is at Butch's house. "Ma, I'm going camping."

Butch's mother is heard but not seen. "Are you sure? That last camping trip of yours didn't turn out so well."

"You mean with Stymie, Wally, and those guys? That was five years ago. I'm a lot bigger and smarter now. I'll bring lots of food, and won't let any stupid little kids steal it."

"Have a nice time, dear. It's going to be hot, so bring plenty of water. And here's some money to buy milk and eggs at the store when you come back."

There is a scene shift to the railroad line. Butch and Woim are hiding out of sight.

Butch: "How'd it go?"

Woim: "My folks wouldn't care if I was missing for two weeks."

Next we see Buckwheat and Porky, loaded with gear, meeting Spanky and Alfalfa at the railroad.

"We's ready," announces Buckwheat.

Spanky: "Good. Where's Mickey and Leonard?"

Porky: "We don't know."

Alfalfa: "Well, if they're not here in five minutes we're leaving without them."

Buckwheat: "Say, what does Scooter look like? How old is he?"

---

Unfortunately my DVD ends at this point. It's of low quality but I did get this screenshot of Porky in all his camping gear.

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[mtw12055]

I was digging around my attic the other day, and found this old 16mm film that read "Junkyard Dog". I was quite surprised to find that this was the third part of "Stand Up For Me".

It starts out with Spanky saying "no one knows". Up until now, I had no idea what he was referring to.

Anyway, while they're walking along, Alfalfa starts singing "Whistle While You Work", which causes the other boys to grimace, and nearly strangle Alfie. This gag was later reused in "The Gas House Kids in Hollywood".

After Alfie finishes, he says, "'Perty' good, ain't I?". Spanky just rolls his eyes. As they walk off screen, the camera stays on a nearby bush, where Butch and Woim pop up. Woim is wiping tears from his eyes. "That was a 'poip'!". "Shut up!", Butch says. "I got an idea. We'll take the shortcut through Ernie's Junkyard. Those dopes wouldn't think of going through there. And we'll make it to the railway before them."

"Mickey and Leonard still ain't here", Buckwheat comments. "Aw, nevermind them", Alfalfa says. "Those kids would never be able to handle Devi's Nob. By the way, what's the shortest way there?". "'Nook!'", Porky says, pointing to the junkyard. "Yeah, come on you kids, we'll go through the junkyard!", Spanky says.

We get a split screen shot of the Gang going in on one side, and Butch and Woim going in on another side. We go back to a 'normal' shot of the Gang walking. Just then, Buckwheat stops. "Come on, Buckwheat. What's detainin' ya?", says Spanky. "J-j-j-j-unkyard dog!". The four boys run out at a fast paced speed with an angry looking pitbull (with a very faint, possible erased ring around the dog's right eye) running after them. They jump over a fence (with the help of some very obvious wires) and continue onto the road.

Unfortunately, that's all I have. But I might have some photos from the film. I'll have to go look through my files first!

[mtw12055]

Here's one of the many lost scenes from this film.

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[mtw12055]

Jul 7, 2013 14:15:42 GMT -5 mtw12055 said:

Here's a scene from a later part in the story. Still not sure how Mickey and Leonard got there, but hopefully we'll find sooner or later.

Buckwheat sees something coming in yet another lost scene from the serial.

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[mtw12055]

Jul 7, 2013 14:33:16 GMT -5 mtw12055 said:

Jul 7, 2013 14:15:42 GMT -5 mtw12055 said:

Here's a scene from a later part in the story. Still not sure how Mickey and Leonard got there, but hopefully we'll find sooner or later.

Buckwheat sees something coming in yet another scene from the serial.

This is from my 16mm print. Butch and Woim watch the Gang from behind some bushes.

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[mtw12055]

Yet another shot from my 16mm print. The Gang spot the junkyard dog. Sorry about the white lines on Spanky and Buckwheat. This print isn't the best.

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[RJH]

(The following is my recollection of a post that got deleted.)

Stand Up for Me: Part 4

Harry has an idea to speed things along. His friend Joe Cobb will give Butch and Woim a ride on Joe's father train. Before Butch and Woim leave, Harry and Jay R. warn them not to double-cross them. Butch and Woim gulp and are on their way.

The train passes the gang walking along the tracks. The gang is moving slowly because Porky takes frequent breaks to eat. Joe lets Butch and Woim off near Devil's nob, and then heads back before his father notices the train is missing. Shortly thereafter, the train meets the gang on a trestle over a long, deep ravine, and the gang is forced to jump from the trestle for their lives. They land in thick, smelly mud, and wash up in a nearby creek Buckwheat knew about . The gang hangs their washed clothes up to dry on some branches while they get themselves clean. Butch and Woim see this, swipe all the clothes, throw them in the cave, and kick some rocks above the cave which causes a cave-in and seals the entrance.

When the gang is clean, they can't find their clothes, and this segment ends in anticipation of Part 5: Spooky Night.

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The following consists of material from five sources of varying quality, but mostly low. It is pieced together in the most logical way, but may have some gaps, especially at the begnning. Perhaps this isn't the right part after all, or just part of it.

---

Stand Up For Me: Pt 5: Spooky Night (?)

The first scene shows Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, and Porky emerging from a clump of tall grass wearing exceptionally well made grass skirts.

Spanky: "These grass skirts are great, Buckwheat. How you'd get so good at making them?"

Buckwheat rolls his eyes. "I got lots of practice because I had to wear stuff like this in all those plays of yours you typecast me in."

Porky: "Good thing Butch and Woim didn't steal all our food. I'm hungry."

A slow moving freight train rolls by. In an open boxcar is a hobo with his dog, who has a ring around one eye. The young hobo laughs at the sight. "Well, burn my clothes, did y'all burn your clothes?"

The gang breaks into a jog to keep up with the train.

Spanky: "Hey, there's only one person who uses that phrase. You're Scooter's friend - uh, Pineapple!"

Buckwheat groans. "That's Farina, you imbecile. Why can't you keep our names straight?"

Spanky: "Never mind. Farina, can you tell us anything about Scooter? He's missing, and there could be a reward for his safe return."

Farina: "You answer my question first. Did you burn your clothes?"

Spanky: "Naw, we had to jump off a trestle into a ravine to avoid another train, and landed in some mud, and someone stole our clothes while we were washing up in a creek."

Farina: "Wow, that's an original idea. By the way, you could have gotten hurt jumping down so far. Next time lie down flat on the tracks. There's plenty of room for the train to pass over you - I know from experience."

Spanky: "So what do you know about Scooter?"

Farina: "He might not want to be found. But if you're determined, check out the old house four miles up on the right. I'd suggest you climb aboard, but I don't think you have the coordination to do that while the train is moving."

Spanky and Porky can't keep up and the train rolls on ahead.

Buckwheat asks, "Four more miles? Can we make it before dark?"

"We can if someone doesn't have to stop to eat every fifteen mintues," answers Alfalfa.

Mickey and Leonard are at the starting point.

Mickey announces, "I'm not waiting for them any longer. Let's go."

They start hiking. After an hour, Leonard observes, "Maybe we were the ones who were late and the rest of the gang left without us."

"I never thought of that," replies Mickey.

The sun sets and the gang is almost at the house, which looks empty as no lights are on. They are sweating profusely so it's a good thing they are lightly attired. Butch and Woim have been following a quarter mile behind. Suddenly a wolf howls from the between the gang and the bullies, sending them in opposite directions. Then an owl hoots. Terrified, the gang drops their gear and sprints for the house. They race up the rickety stairs to the front door, are relieved to find it unlocked, go in and slam the door behind them. Spanky fumbles for the light switch and finds it. Well, some kind of switch anyway.

That switch turns on all sorts of scary mechanisms. First, a wax dummy outlaw lowers his arm and fires a gun at the gang. While it is loaded with blanks, it is very effective at scaring them out of their wits. Spanky tries to open the front door again, but it is now locked. Porky steps into a noose and is sent flying into the air, dangling by one ankle. The others nervously get him down, and then a sequence of firecrackers sends them scattering. Alfalfa sees his reflection in a mirror and is terrified, runs away, and is shot in the forehead by a rubber dart. Buckwheat wants to hide in a closet, but when he opens the door he is embraced by a skeleton, since that sort of thing always happens to him. Spanky runs up some stairs, but they turn into a slide, and he slides through an opening in the floor into a chair where clamps suddenly secure his wrists and ankles. A hood comes down like an electric chair. He screams for help, and then the wax dummy executioner throws a blueberry pie in his face. Alfalfa and Buckwheat work on freeing Spanky, but Porky tries to scoop up and eat pieces of the pie.

Maniacal laughter and creepy music play on a soundtrack. When Spanky is freed, the boys look around and find themselve in a torture chamber, complete with the usual rack, stocks, shackles set into the wall, and cages. A ghostly projection sends them scurrying into the next room, which is rather empty. However, the floor is rigged with trap doors, and they all fall through into the room below. Before they can get up, they are hit with a heavy load of sand, which keeps pouring in from many points at the top of the walls. They struggle to their feet, but the sand is already more than knee deep. There are no apparent doors. They try to pull their legs out but the sand is coming in too fast.

"We're going to be buried alive!" shrieks Alfalfa as the sand goes past his waist.

"Any last words?" asks Spanky.

Porky knows what to say. "Good-bye Buckwheat. Good-bye Spanky. Good-bye Alfalfa."

There is only one thing Buckwheat can say as the sand rises to his chest: "Good-bye Porky. Good-bye Alfalfa. Good-bye Spanky."

Spanky and Alfalfa don't know what to say, but the sand stops pouring in when they are all neck-deep in it.

Spanky has a hard time moving anything other than his head. "Any suggestions, men?"

Porky replies, "It's my bedtime, so I'm going to sleep. We can dig ourselves out in the morning."

Alfalfa exclaims, "How can you sleep like this?" but Porky is already resting his chin on the sand and asleep. Then the lights go out. The darkness and silence may be more unsettling than all the trickery.

[mtw12055]

While digging through my neighbor's mail today... er, I mean helping my neighbor find his mail, I came across an old VHS tape bought on eBay with the title "The Gang's All Here" placed on it. This tape turned out to be another part of this long-lost serial.

Stand Up For Me Part 6: The Gang's All Here

The film opens on the next morning, where the Gang are now sleeping on the floor of the old house. They wake up to find Mickey and Leonard sitting on a nearby sofa, with deadpan expressions. "Hello", they both say, rather emotionlessly. "Say, how did you kids get here?", Spanky asks. "This way", they both say, pointing to the side with their thumbs. "We're not so smart", Alfalfa says.

"Are you kidding?", Spanky asks. "Don't you kids know not to take rides from strangers?". "Why not? I used to do it all the time", says a voice. The six boys turn around to find a young blonde man. "I'm Jackie Cooper. I've been following you boys for the past few days. I, too, have been searching for Scooter. He owes me twenty five cents! Together, we'll go to Devil's Nob and find him. I'll bring my Gang along too". Just then, Farina enters, along with Mary Ann, Wheezer, Stymie, Dorothy, and Shirley. "Say, we're one man short", Wheezer says. "Where's Chubby?". "I'll tell ya later, brother", Stymie says.

"Not so fast!"

Everyone turns to look at a nearby window, where Brisbane, Spud, Dickie Moore, and Scotty Beckett are seen. "If anyone's finding that Scooter guy, it's us.

All of a sudden, everyone hears this goofy, horse-like laugh. We see Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, Ernie Morrison, Johnny Downs, Pineapple, and Jack Davis. "Say, you're looking for Scooter, too?", says Mickey. "That's a laugh, so are we!". Mary rolls her eyes at Mickey's goofiness.

"I've had enough of this", says a familiar voice. Harry shows up, along with Jay, Joe, Jackie Condon, Bonedust, and Jean. "We're grabbing Scooter, and that's final!", says Harry.

"Wait a minute, what's all this about?", Spanky asks.

"Haven't you heard?", says Johnny. "Scooter's one of the most wanted kids in this entire series. There's a five thousand dollar reward for any information on his whereabouts".

"Say, I've got a swell idea, fellas", Jackie Condon says. Let's all look for Scooter, and share the reward. The kids all get excited.

"I'm gonna use the reward to learn how to tapdance"
"I'm gonna finally get my hair cut"
"I'm getting my hair wigged, brother!"
"I'm getting these freckles removed"
"Oh, Mickey, you're still cute with them"
"Why that little... say, Mary, what do you think about me getting freckles?"
"I sure would like to buy that bakery downtown"
"Does my hair make me look like a pineapple, Johnny?"
"What do you think?"
"I could use a new pair of glasses"
"I'm gonna be a successful writer. I think I'll call my first book "Minstrels and Blackface Jokes"
"I'm going to go to acupuncture school!"
"I'm gonna buy a new Petey, since I lost the old one"
"I'm getting a new set of boxing gloves"
"Aw, girls can't box. I'm gonna buy Miss Crabtree a new car to drive me to school in".
"I'm gettin' my pappy out of jail"
"I can't get a word in. Maybe Mickey McGuire's gang will want me"
"I'm gonna figure out if ham and eggs can really talk"
"Aw, you don't need money for that. You're crazy enough to think they can talk"
"I'm buying mom a new birthday present".
"I'm gonna be a child actor"
"Me too. Then maybe maw and paw'll quit fighitin' about hash every Sunday".
"I'm getting these ears fixed. Phooey!"

That is, everyone except Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Porky, and Harry, four of whom are just confused, while one seems rather irritated. "No! No! No! No! No! Don't you people get it?!", Harry yells. "With Scooter back in the picture, there's no more room for Harry! I don't care about the money. All I want to do is permanently get rid of Scooter! And believe me, I will!" He jumps out of a window, and runs towards Devil's Nob.

"We better go after him", someone says. They all rush out as one big crowd. Bonedust gets knocked down, and falls on his rear end. "Why does this always happen to me?". "It don't", Farina says, stopping to help him up. "It usually happens to me".

"Harry's headed towards the woods!", one of the Jackie's says. "We should split up". "Okay", Mickey says. "Mary's coming with me!". "Says you!", Jack protests. "She's my girl!". As the two boys argue, Ernie steps in. "Cut out the mush, fellas! There's a five thousand dollars waitin' for us! And a possible dead man. And brother, me and dead folks don't go together!".

"Okay, we'll split up into groups of three", Dickie says. "The silent group can be one, the early talkie group will be another, and Spanky's gang will be the third". "Brother, how'd you come up with these names?", his old pal Stymie asks. "Don't you show your ignorance again!", Wheezer says. "Yes, and don't you show yours either, Wheezer!", his sister Mary Ann protests.

"Enough of this talking", Jay says. "Back in the good old days, we didn't have this problem. Let's just all go together". The kids seem to agree with Jay's idea.

Meanwhile, Butch and Woim ran so fast, that they're already back home. They nearly run over Waldo, who's too busy reading "Hamlet" to even notice them. Darla and Muggsy see the two boys. "Hello, Butchy. Why do you looks so panicky?".

"Them kids are nuts!", Butch says.
"Yeah, nuts!", Woim adds.
"They're trying to find some treasure at Devil's Nob. If you ask me, that's just crazy".
"Yeah, crazy!. I never knew that Alfalfa had it in him", Woim says.

Muggsy gets a horrified look on her face. "My Alfalfa? In trouble! Come on, Darla, we have to rescue him". "What are you talking abo--", Darla begins to say, only to be dragged off by Muggsy. "Quick, get in this old mule-powered laundry cart that someone left unattended!", Muggsy says. "By the way, how do you get to Devil's Nob, Butch? Say, maybe you ought to come with us".

"That's out!", Butch protests.
"Yeah, out!", Woim chimes in.

"Oh, Butchy, do it for me?", Darla says. Butch begins to blush. "Well, I guess...". "But Butch, we can't go through the same way. It's too dangerous", his buddy Woim says. "Perhaps I could assist", Waldo says, finally leaving his book. "I've been studying Devil's Nob for quite some time now, a whole week in fact. Perhaps I could provide a shortcut".

"Okay, we'll all go", Muggsy says. "Come on, Dinah!".

"Wait a minute!", a whiny voice says. "The kids all look from the wagon to see a little girl with buck teeth and a boy with crossed eyes and glasses. "Can we come, too", the little girl asks. The other kids look at each other for a second. "Sure, why not", they say. Everyone piles into the cart. "By the way, who are you", Darla asks the two kids. "I'm Janet", says the little girl. "I'm Harold", says the boy, who has a very odd Popeye-like voice. "Harold? Ha! You sound more like a Froggy", Butch says.

"Room for one more?", another voice says. "I'm Chubby. I'm looking for my pals. I haven't seen them since the school days. Say, is Miss Crabtree still teaching? Boy, I sure had a crush on her".

"Chubby Chaney? We thought you were... well, not here anymore", Janet says.

"I wasn't. I moved to Mickey McGuire", Chubby says. "Don't you remember that series?".

"Nobody remembers that series", Froggy states.

"So can I come too", Chubby asks.

"Ya might as well", Butch says. "Everyone else is".

Chubby gets onto the back, which causes the back of the cart to lean back.

"Say, get up in front, Chubby!", Woim says.

"Okay", he says, heading towards the front. "Oh, wait I forgot my limburger cheese lunch", he says, heading to the back to grab a lunchbox. The cart leans back again.

"Oh, come on, Chub!". Eventually, everything's sorted out, and the cart races off.

Well, wouldn't you know it? This really isn't the last part. There's more out there, apparently. I sure hope they show up soon.

[RJH]

There apparently were some technical difficulties. After a long stretch of blank tape and static, the film continues.

---

Mickey and Leonard decide to turn back after they realize they were the ones that were late. To keep up the camping story, they spend the night in the gang's clubhouse.

Frightened at the howling animals, Butch and Woim take refuge in a rotting, hollow tree.

In the basement where the gang is trapped by the sand, a hissing sound caused by ether being pumped into the room is heard. As Spanky is overcome, he asks, "Buckwheat, are you eyes open?""

"Yes, but maybe not for long. Why?"

"You really can't see the whites of your eyes when it's completely dark."

"Duh. Yours neither, and they are the same color."

They and Alfalfa pass out.

At dawn, a solitary figure comes along the railroad on a handcar. He stops, enters the house, and makes his way to the room above the sand pit. Looking down through the open wide trap door, he greets the four heads, forming a rather neat square in sand.

"Wake up, boys."

Spanky yawns. "What? Who are you? What is this place?"

"I am Scooter. I heard you were looking for me."

"Uh, yeah. A lot of people are worried about you."

"Well, tell them not to worry. I'm fine, and I don't want to be found."

"How come?"

"Because I've had enough of this former child star business. People from all over want you to autograph pcitures, want you to appear at conventions, ask you the same stupid questions about what it was like ... they never leave you alone. Well, I'm going far away, and I don't want anyone following me. Now I've turned off all the mechanical devices in this house, which has been my hobby the last several months. I figure it will take you an hour to dig yourselves out of there, and that will be long enough for me to make a clean getaway. And a bit of advice - I bet your pals Harry and Jay R. will feel the same way in a year or two."

Scooter leaves the way he came. An hour later the gang is not close to extricating themselves. They have cleared away around a foot of sand from their bodies, but they still stuck in conical depressions, and it is getting very hard to push more sand away. Buckwheat has a lead of a couple in the race to get out, but his belly button is still a few inches below the bottom of his sandy conical depression. He tries to push himself out, but fails, as does Alfalfa.

"We're stuck," cries Alfalfa. "What are we going to do?"

"Call for help?" answers Porky.

"Good idea." Alfalfa screams, and the other three boys cover their ears.

"Please don't do that again," requests Spanky.

The scream wakes up Butch and Woim. Emerging from the hollow tree, Butch comments, "That noise came from that house. I bet that's where the gold is."

The twosome carefully enter the deactivated house, and make their way toward the noises. When they get to the open trapdoor, their mouths go agape, and then they burst out laughing at the stuck boys

"That's not how you dig for gold, you dopes!" smirks Butch.

"What gold?" asks Buckwheat.

"Aren't you digging for gold in that sand?"

"What are you talking about?" asks Porky.

Spanky quickly says, "Never mind. Say Butch, Woim, can you be pals and help us out of this?"

"First I want the truth. Your're supposed to be looking for gold here, but it sounds like you forgot to tell your little friends the story."

Alfalfa says to Spanky, "I guess we forgot to tell Bucky and Porky what we said to Harry and Jay."

Spanky replies to Butch, "And where did you hear that crazy story?"

Butch answers, "From you. That's what you told Harry and Jay. But I'm more inclined to believe those two. Now if you want our help, you need to tell us the whole truth."

Alfalfa panics. "We were looking for Scooter, who is missing. He was here and told us he doesn't want to be found. We just told Harry and Joe that story about the gold so they'd stop hassling us. And this house is crazy. There were all sorts of scary things, and then we fell through that trapdoor and all this sand came down on us."

Butch stares down as if making a decision. "You know, Woim, these mugs lied to us. They need to be punished for that. What do you think we should do?"

"I don't know, Butch. What do you think?"

"I don't know, either. Let's go home and maybe we'll come up with something."

Spanky wails, "No, don't leave us stuck here. Can't throw down a shovel at least?"

"We would, but we didn't bring any shovels," laughs Woim.

"There must be something. Tie a rope to something up there and toss the other end down here."

But Butch and Woim leave and go home. Facing Harry and Jay may not be pleasant, but they will be able to back up their story when the gang returns without any gold.

Five hours later, the gang has made little progress in extricating themselves. Buckwheat still has the lead, happy to finally be able to see his bellybutton, but another effort to push himself out fails.

"This rots," he exclaims.

"Well, it could be worse," comments Porky.

"How? We're stuck here and it looks like we'll starve to death."

"Alfalfa could be singing and you couldn't get away."

"Porky, that's a great idea! Alfalfa, start singing," instructs Spanky.

"Nooooo!" wails Buckwheat.

Alfalfa starts singing "Jimmy Crack Corn" as annoyingly as possible. The other three cover their ears, but the screeching gets to Buckwheat. He twists and rocks violently, and in a few mintues has loosened the sand around his legs enough to push himself out. Fortunately his grass skirt remains remarkably intact, and the others must be as well. He is about to slug Alfalfa but Alfalfa remembers the time Buckwheat knocked him out with one punch and stops singing just in time.

"Great job, Buckwheat," compliments Spanky. "Now please help us out."

Buckwheat helps dig Porky out first. Then those two help dig out Alfalfa, and it takes all three to dig out Spanky. The sand is high enough so they can reach the floor above, and they scramble out.

"What are we going to do now?" asks Alfalfa.

"I'm hungry. Let's eat!" answers Porky.

Their packs with food are where they left them the night before, so they eat.

"Okay, now what? We'll never make it back home before dark, and I'm not staying anywhere near that house again," states Alfalfa.

"I just thought of something," says Porky.

"Me too. That Butch and Woim are probably responsible for stealing our clothes?"

"Oh, yeah. But I meant that other song you might have sung, 'Oh Susanna,' has Buckwheat's name in it."

"That's called a non-sequitur."

"What?"

"Never mind," says Spanky. "I have an idea. We'll climb one of those trestles, and jump onto a train heading back home. Etiher the roof of a car or a boxcar open on top."

"Great idea!" the other three exclaim.

They get to a trestle after walking for an hour, so it's around three in the afternoon. They climb up, and a train heading the right way approaches after fifteen minutes.

"Look!" says Spanky. "That open car, it will be easy to climb out of, and should be safer than riding on the roof."

The others agree. The train rolls past, and the gang jumps in.

Spanky has one more thought he keeps to himself. I hope we don't land in something nasty.

--------

It turns out Part 6 of this branch of the story was on the other side of my tape.

--------


The boys land on large bags that split open and release a powdery substance all around them. After a few seconds, they discover that it is itching powder. As they scratch themselves and jump around, more bags break open, and they find themselves knee deep in itching powder. Now that their legs are itching, they can't help but jerk around violently, and their thrashing causes all the bags to break open and makes them sink deeper into the powder. Fortunately they hit bottom when up to their armpits. The train is moving too fast to jump off of anyway, so they have to endure half an hour of torment before the itching sensation wears off.

Butch and Woim realize avoiding Harry and Jay R. will only prolong the inevitable so they find them at the soda shop.

Harry: "So where's the gold?"

Butch: "There ain't any. Spanky lied to you; they were actually looking for Scooter."

Harry: "You better not be holding out on us."

Butch: "They'll be coming back soon. Find out from them."

A little while later, they all meet at the train station. Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, and Porky climb out of the train car looking exhausted and miserable. Harry is ready to pulverize Spanky, but convulses is laughter at his appearance. When Harry recovers, he asks,

"So what's up with the gold?"

Spanky is too tired to lie any more. "Look, we were actually looking for Scooter. There ain't any gold. We didn't want you following us, but it doesn't matter now. We did find him in this crazy house, and he had a message for you and Jay. He said that being an ex-child star is a drag, and you'll feel the same way pretty soon."

Harry scowls, and claims, "This was a waste of time. I said you pulled a fast one you'd have to wear girls' clothes, but I kinda like that outfit you got on now. Since you were gone I donated your regular clothes to the Salvation Army."

Alfalfa snickers, but Jay R. interrupts. "Since you and Spank are such pals, we arranged for a similar donation for you."

Buckwheat and Porky get a sense of impending doom. Jay R. notices, and announces, "and since you kids hate being considered too little, you get the same deal."

Buckwheat sighs. "At least I'm kind of used to it cuz' of the roles I have to play in Spanky's plays."

Porky: "But I'm not! And I'm hungry."

Then Mickey and Leonard arrive in normal attire. Mickey asks, "What's going on?"

Spanky replies, "You were late and missed everything."

Leonard says, "I never get any lines, so let's go to the clubhouse. There we can eat and play checkers."

The gang agrees, so they, Harry and Jay, and Butch and the Woim go their separate ways.

THE END

[mtw12055]

Onto the last part, which I won off of eBay (the product was rather carelessly listed as "pointless old film"), Scoot Over for Scooter.

Sadly, this print is missing its soundtrack. But not to worry, as this final part is virtually silent (my neighbor - the same one I borrowed a tape from - reads lips, so he was able to help me figure out the dialogue).

Basically, the Gang members riding in the wagon arrive in darkened area where the rest of the Gang are. A solar eclipse hits, causing everything to go dark. After several bad jokes involving the African American members of the Gang, we go back to the kids that arrived in the wagon. Feeling cold, this group decides to wrap themselves in white sheets that were left in the back of the laundry wagon. Of course, the white sheets makes the group looks like stereotypical ghosts.

The kids enter the forest, searching for the rest of the Gang. While not looking where he's going, Woim accidentally bumps into Chubby. This wouldn't be so bad if Woim hadn't been carrying an open pocket knife in his back pocket, which hits Chubby, and causes him to moan and wave his arms in the air. For some reason, I imagined his deep-voiced groan (from "Bouncing Babies") to be heard here.

Not too far away, the Scooter-hunters spot the moaning 'ghost'. We get quick scared close-ups of each member; Joe's and Buckwheat's hairs spike up, Farina pigtails go flying, Alfalfa crosses his eyes, and little Mickey jumps into the arms of big Mickey (a bit that's believed to have inspired a running gang in the Scooby-Doo franchise).

Harry Spear is watching not too far away. He excitedly tries to run away, but hits his head on a branch, knocking himself out cold.

The kids all scatter into different directions, with the 'ghosts' chasing after them. Chubby waddles after Ernie, Jack, Stymie, and Leonard. Thinking quickly, Ernie jumps over a bush, sending him down a nearby hole; Jack follows, while Leonard accidentally pushes Stymie head-first down the hole; we cut to an underground tunnel (similar to the one seen in "Spook-Spoofing"), where Ernie and Jack are helping Stymie out of a hole that his head apparently made. The boys spot Leonard hanging from a branch at the top of the hole by only his hat. The branch breaks, sending Leonard down the hole. Chubby successfully jumps down, using his sheet as a parachute.

Meanwhile, Darla chases after Jackie Condon, Mary Kornman, Scotty Beckett, and Mickey Gubitosi. While running, Jackie gets his suspenders caught on a branch. The other kids try to help break him free by pulling him away from the branch (Darla pushes from behind Jackie); the suspenders break, causing all five to fly into the same hole that the previous group fell down.

Butch goes after Farina, Joe, Dickie, and Porky. Getting hungry, Porky spots a berry bush (next to the hole that some of the other kids have fallen into); Butch goes up to Porky to get his attention, but the other three boys run up to push Porky out of the way; Joe gives too much force, causing all five to fall in the hole.

Woim follows Mickey Daniels, Pineapple, Spanky, and Alfalfa. At one point, Alfalfa trips over a rock, landing on the ground; Woim runs right past Alfie, with his open pocket knife accidentally cutting off Alfie's cowlick; Alfalfa is horrified. The other three boys manage to push Woim into the nearby hole; they congratulate each other on their success; without looking, Alfalfa walks up to them to whine about his lack of a 'personality'; he accidentally pushes them all into the hole, and trips in after them.

Waldo walks quickly (he never learned how to run) after Johnny, Wheezer, Dorothy, and Brisbane. Just as they get to the hole, Johnny decides to grow some courage.

Johnny: Aw, go chase yourself, ya big Turk!
Dorothy: Aw, go face yourself, ya big jerk!
Brisbane: Yeah, ya great big sissy!
Wheezer: *Bronx cheer*
Waldo: Gentlemen, I must inform you that you've made a faux pas.
Others: Waldo?!

Just then, Waldo takes his sheet off. This makes the other four laugh, as they realize they've been scared of Waldo this entire time. They laugh so hard that... well you get the idea. Waldo, tries to see what happened, but his glasses fog his vision, causing him to... you get the idea.

Jay, Mary Ann, Jackie Cooper, and Sherwood get 'chased' by Muggsy. The pursued Gangsters each try to pull the other out of the way in order to be in front; the extremely nervous Spud merely pushes the other three into the hole, without thinking; Spud then slips and falls in after them.
Muggsy: Well, well, well. (she also slips).

Finally, the two new Gang members follow Bonedust, Jean, Shirley, and Buckwheat; the younger kids hold onto Bonedust's sweater. Froggy then apparently says something; his unnaturally deep voice causes Bonedust to fall into the hole, landing on his rear end; the younger kids fall on top of him.

Froggy: Golly, didn't think my voice was that bad. Those kids ran faster than Jefferson Davis when he found out the Yanks were comin'...
Janet: This reminds me of a great song!
She begins to sing "The Yanks Are Coming", which causes Froggy to cover up his ears and close his eyes; we know what happens from there. Janet's too busy singing to realize where she's going, and again, we know what happens from there.

With the whole group now in the tunnel, they decide to follow a light that appears in front of them. The group comes to a series of candle lights in a small room, where they find a youngster dressed similarly to Harry Spear, busily writing inside of an old book.

Spanky: Hey, it's Scooter. We found him, Gang.
Johnny: That ain't Scooter. The Scooter I remember dressed like that Jackie Coogan kid.
Joe: He thought it made him look like a sissy, so he gave it over to Old Man Gus, the lemonade guy.

A slightly offended Scotty looks on.

Butch: Wait a minute! You mean to tell me there ain't no treasure? That guy Harry owes me.
Woim: Yeah, he owes me.

Scooter finally hears them.

Scooter: Howdy.
Dickie: Are you Scooter Lowry?
Scooter: No, no, no, I go by "Skippy" now.
(some of the 'tougher' Gang members snicker at the name)
Jackie Cooper: Look, Skip, now that we've found ya, we can take ya home.
Mary Kornman: I'm sure your momma and papa miss ya.

Scooter slowly gets up.

Scooter: Kids, there's some things in this world that were meant to stay hidden. Things, and people, that need to stay mysterious.

The other kids look a little confused, but Waldo at least pretends to know what Scooter means.

Waldo: Er... a superb idea, Master Scoo- er... Skippy.

Chubby: But won't you starve down here?
Scooter: Naw. Take a gander at this.

Scooter opens a nearby door to reveal a small underground kiddie town, complete with a grocery store, fire department, and even a soda fountain. A number of other kids are seen in this 'Freetown'.

Powder-Puff: Hiya, Skip.
Snoozer: Hiya, chum.
Patrick Melrose: Hello, old boy.
Big Shot: Hi.
Fatty: Hi, kids.

A number of other familiar boys and girls offer their greetings.

Muggsy: Oh, isn't this swell, Alfalfa? Why don't you and I stay down here with them.
Darla: But wouldn't your mommas and papas miss ya?
Alfalfa: (quickly) Yeah, what Darla said!
Spanky: Darla's right, kids. This place may be okay for them, but it ain't for us.
Mickey Daniels: I don't know about you fellas, but I'm at least comin' back for a visit.

The other kids agree. They say their goodbyes, and head back home, all trying to pile onto Ernie's wagon, which immediately collapses from the weight. So the kids walk home, dragging Dinah the mule with them.

We then cut to Harry, who has made it back to Greenpoint. He looks rather confused, apparently due to the bump on the head he received in the woods. Just then, a tourist spots Harry.

Tourist: Say, aren't you Harry Spear? From the 'Our Gang' comedies?
Harry: Huh? Nope, sorry. I'm not even sure what 'Our Gang' is.