Pay As You Exit

This Our Gang short uses the "let's put on a show" formula that they've used many times. This time the gang is staging their version of Romeo and Juliet with Alfalfa and Darla in the leads. However, midway through the show Darla gets fed up with Alfalfa's onion breathe (he eats onions to help his voice) and leaves. Unknown to Spanky, Alfalfa gets Buckwheat to fill in for Darla. It's Buckwheat's performance that makes this film fun. Buckwheat had amazing timing, he could say so much through subtle movements of his eyes and that big grin. When you look at him playing Juliet, you can see in his eyes he's really plotting to steal the spotlight, which he does. Plus, he has the best line in the short, "My Homeo!" By the way, that obnoxious member of the audience is Joe Cobb, who was an Our Gang member during the silent era.

The gang decide to put on the play "Romeo and Juliet". But, the other kids are afraid to pay--so Alfalfa tells them they can pay AFTER they see it if they think it's any good. This is all the incentive the kids need and they pour into the theater. But what if they hate the show?! The show stars Darla, Alfalfa, Spanky and Buckwheat. But, it soon must go on without Darla as Juliet, as Alfalfa's onion breath is a BIG turn-off. So, Alfalfa runs to look for a replacement as Spanky tries to entertain the audience. Will the plan work or will they go bust? All in all, a cute and enjoyable outing. Not brilliant but very enjoyable.

I was excited to see this short because it featured Joe Cobb as the older and mouthy kid. Joe had been a regular in the Our Gang shorts in the silent and early sound era and it was nice to see him again. I also was happy to see that he was a lot thinner and looked healthy--as previously he was morbidly obese and was a bit depressing to look at because I always assumed the studio forced him to eat like a cow so he could be the 'funny fat kid'--a role they used quite a bit with Cobb and Chubby Chaney (whose weight gain was actually caused by a medical condition that eventually took his life!).

An OUR GANG Comedy Short. When Spanky & the Gang put on a presentation of `Romyo and Jullet' out in the barn for the neighborhood kids, the audience is told they can `PAY AS YOU EXIT' if they like the show. But chaos ensues - especially after Alfalfa's onion-munching drives away leading lady Darla.

A fine little film, short and to the point. Spanky's strongman routine is cute and if you ever wondered how Buckwheat would play Juliet's Balcony Scene, this is the place to look. That's Fat Joe Cobb as the big kid in the audience.