Anniversary Trouble

This Our Gang short starts with a meeting of the Wood Chucks in their clubhouse. Their president, Stymie, has just appointed Spanky to be the treasurer--and the kids threaten him within an inch of his life if he loses their money.

The scene soon switches to Spanky's house. Spanky's dad has once again forgotten his wife's anniversary and it's up to the maid (Hattie McDaniel) to inform him of this. The forgetful clod also screws up because he later finds the funds for the Wood Chucks and automatically assumes Spanky stole the money. In the end, he gets his! This is an odd short in that I could easily see people getting offended with Spanky putting on black-face and pretending to be Buckwheat! Yet, on the other hand, Stymie is the club president and the shorts were always integrated. I see it more as a case of unconscious racism--not intended but certainly influenced by changing tastes. Still, it's a dandy short--filled with laughs and quite charming.