Waldo's Last Stand

This M-G-M comedy short, Waldo's Last Stand, is the one hundred ninety-fourth entry in the "Our Gang" series and the one hundred sixth talkie. Waldo has trouble selling his lemonade so Spanky decides to produce a floor show in the nearby barn. But only one customer arrives and he's not interested in buying...This marked Billy "Froggy" Laughlin's second appearance in the series but since he's silent most of the time here, the producers probably figured the audience either hadn't seen The New Pupil or had forgotten about his appearance in that one when he finally spoke at the end. That amusing gravel voice got a positive reaction so he'd become a real member by the next short. As for the rest, well, Darla was entertaining in her one number, Alfalfa sings again but with Spanky, Buckwheat, Mickey, and Leonard accompanying him this time with the same amusing off-key results and those professional dancers and singers were pretty entertaining of which one of the last of those appearing was Janet Burston, also in her second OG appearance. So on that note, Waldo's Last Stand is worth a look. P.S. This was Darwood Kaye's last OG appearance as Waldo. After appearing in a few more films, he'd join the Army, then become a minister in the Seventh Day Adventist faith. After getting married and having three sons, he'd take his family to Thailand where he settled for seventeen years with a fourth boy born in Bangkok. Eventually, he went back to Southern California where he became a pastor at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in La Crescenta. All his sons followed in his footsteps. He died in a hit-and-run accident on May 15, 2002.

I was brought up with these shorts as a child and they were my favorite programs in the fifties. What makes this one extra special is one of the Meglin Kiddies as lead tap dancer starting at about 3:45 and lasting until about 5:00. Being sort of a fan of dancing I consider this 1:10 of tap dancing to be the best number of all-time. I haven't ever been able to figure out what the dancer's name was. Her dance and tap is as clear as a bell, she is lighter than air, and the expression on her face is adorable.

I have probably watched all of, certainly almost all of, Shirley Temple's dance numbers, and even her most excellent 10 star numbers like "We Should Get Together" in "Little Miss Broadway" and "At the Codefish Ball" in Captain January are not as clear and light as this one.

If anyone happens to know the name of this tap dancer.... I would appreciate it be posted.

I give the writers credit for one thing: they made a film that doesn't emphasize a lesson (read "Family Troubles," "Good Bad Boys," etc.). Plus, they used a story line that (almost) can't miss: going into the lemonade business.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that the attempts at humor just fall flat. When Froggy, the only would-be customer, is asked why he doesn't want to buy any lemonade, responds: "I don't have no money, and besides it's too hot in here." (ha ha?)

At the end of the film, the mule spontaneously brays, followed by hysterical laughter from the kids. What's funny about a mule braying??

Even the joke where Spanky explains why nobody came to their show ("because everyone in the neighborhood is IN the show") is rather lame.

This was Waldo's last appearance in the Our Gang series. He did an adequate job; the only problem is that the character he once had (an erudite rival for Darla's affections) simply disappeared in this short. He wasn't the Waldo we all grew to know and love.

On a more positive note, Darla was a fine singer and dancer as usual. Her talent definitely improved as evidenced by her performance in this film. And, of course, Alfalfa's bad singing came in handy when he and the Gang sang "How Dry I Am."

Otherwise, there's not much else to recommend in this film.

Have you had a lemonade stand? I didn't. Well, lemonade stands have been a children's business ventures during the hot summer days. Waldo has a lemonade stand but its not making any money even for a penny. Spanky and the others help their friend out. They set up a restaurant or café style place. Again, the kids acting like adults in their own world. I grew up watching the Our Gang comedies in syndication. When they came out, they were shown on the big screen before a film presentation. The Our Gang comedies were and still fun to watch. I loved Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat and the gang. The our Gang films and shorts displayed friendship among kids regardless of their background. The Great Depression was a dark time for their viewers. These short films probably were a welcome relief for viewers.

In 1936, Spanky and the rest of Our Gang made a short called "The Lucky Corner". The kids were helping a friend and his family sell lemonade by putting on a show for the folks in the neighborhood. Here in "Waldo's Last Stand", it's essentially the same plot--just reworked a bit.

Waldo (the bookish one) is trying to sell lemonade without much success. So, his friends (Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat and Bobby Blake) decide to put on a show to sell his lemonade. However, only one kid shows up to the god-awful show (and, frankly, all the shorts featuring talent shows were pretty bad) is Billy 'Froggy' Laughlin--who doesn't seem the least bit interested in buying a drink while he watches the show. Then, ultimately, comes the punchline--which I had anticipated.

Aside from the punchline, it's yet another typical late Our Gang comedy. Up until the arrival of Alfalfa and Darla, the films NEVER featured song and dance numbers. Now, in these later incarnations, the emphasis was NOT on comedy or the way kids really behaved but on horrible dance numbers that just grate on your nerves. While I am NOT a fan of musicals, musicals involving kids are almost always MUCH worse. Where's the comedy in this one? It's only at the very, very end. Overall, adequate and nothing more.