Framing Youth (1937)

Absolutely the worst movie.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This Hal Roach comedy short, Framing Youth, is the one hundred fifty-ninth entry in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the seventy-first talkie. Alfalfa is ready for his singing in the radio contest but Butch arrives to threaten manager Spanky with a black eye if he doesn't keep him from the show as Butch wants to win with his violin. I'll stop there and just say this was quite a funny short which starts with Porky and Buckwheat being amusing with their malapropisms and continues with many gags involving billing, a frog, and, of course, Alf's off-key warbling! He sings Bing Crosby's "Just an Echo in the Valley" here. So on that note, I recommend Framing Youth. P.S. In Tommy Bond's first OG film as the bully-Glove Taps, he was Butch Rafferty, here, he's Butch McGann.

....but I DON'T like hearing singing in Our Gang films. Up until Darla and Alfalfa entered the series late in its lifespan at Hal Roach Studios, the kids NEVER sang or danced. The emphasis was on kids acting like kids. Now, in films like "Framing Youth", the emphasis is on Alfalfa's god-awful singing--something that gets old because he did it so many times in these films. The first time you hear him, it's mildly funny--but this is about the sixth one with him crooning. Fortunatley, in this one there is at least a SLIGHT variation on this familiar theme.The short begins with a cute bit with a talent agency--with the gang (Darla, Buckwheat, Porky and Spanky) all working with their star, Alfalfa--getting him ready for the big talent contest. Soon, however, the evil Butch enters and threatens Alfalfa--as HE intends to win. Despite this, the Alfalfinator performs...and there will be consequences.Fortunately, while Alfalfa sings, the frog bit wasn't too bad and was at least mildly funny. Certainly not a great short (especially compared to the earlier films) but quite watchable and cute. I especially liked it when Buckwheat phoned Porky!

An OUR GANG Comedy Short. Spanky is manager of the Rascals' new Voice Studio, with Alfalfa as crooner in residence. They have plans on entering Alfalfa in a local talent contest. But Butch plans to win the contest with his violin and he becomes a FRAMING YOUTH by threatening mayhem if Spanky doesn't find some way to keep Alfalfa out of the running.A pleasant little film. The Studio, with office workers Porky, Buckwheat & Darla is cute. Alfalfa's singing of `Just An Echo In The Valley' is hilarious.

Butch is out to win a talent show. The only way he can do this is by making sure Alfalfa is out of the competition. So Butch decides that threatening Alfalfa's manager, Spanky, with grievous bodily harm is the ticket. In the end, though, Alfalfa sings...with some help from a frog stuck in his collar. Not a fantastic Our Gang offering. The climactic talent show scene runs out of steam quickly. Only a scene toward the beginning in which Darla, Porky, and Buckwheat serve as Spanky's office staff is more like the gang we know and love.