Derby Day

This Hal Roach comedy short, Derby Day, is the twenty-first in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series. Mickey, Jack, Jackie, and Joe are selling hot dogs and lemonade for 5 cents each near the horse race track across the street. One of their customers is a new gang member of Asian descent named Sing Joy. Two more potential customers, Ernie (a.k.a. "Sunshine Sammy") and Farina, are broke so Mickey asks what's in the box that Ernie has. It's a jockey uniform of his dad's who is in the race. When Mary comes by, she invites them to come in free. The adult usher won't allow it but Mary keeps talking to him as she signals the gang inside. After the race ends, Mickey tells his friends his idea to form his own race...This was a pretty amusing "Our Gang" entry with some familiar gags like Farina managing to eat two hot dogs on a stove without anyone looking-especially not Pete the Pup who runs around in circles looking for the toddler, lemon for the lemonade that-when squeezed-hits both Joe and Mickey in the faces, during the kiddie race-after a horse and cow drink a water bucket laced with alcohol that Farina poured in-the horse keeps going the wrong way frustrating Jack and the cow eventually lies down leaving poor Joe stuck, and-after the titles reveal that in the audience during the real horse race, Sing Joy says something in Chinese, Ernie-also via inter-title-replies, "Speak 'Inglish, I don't understand Chop Suey." That last one might be considered offensive today but considering the kids ages, I'd let that one slide. Anyway, while not hilarious, Derby Day does amuse enough for me to bring a big smile on my face. P.S. Mickey's father, Richard Daniels, appears as a trainer here.