Honky Donkey
Honky Donkey is a 1934 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins.[1] It was the 129th (41st talking episode) Our Gang short that was released. It was partially filmed at the historic Culver Hotel.[2]
Honky Donkey | |
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Directed by | Gus Meins |
Produced by | Hal Roach |
Starring | Wally Albright George McFarland Tommy Bond Scotty Beckett Matthew Beard |
Cinematography | Francis Corby |
Edited by | Bert Jordan |
Music by | Leroy Shield |
Distributed by | MGM |
Release date |
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Running time | 16 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
A very pampered rich boy named Wally is being babied by his extremely overprotective mother. His mom takes him to a doctor, in the car as Wally is wrapped up in a series of blankets his mother has put on him as they leave the mother goes off to do shopping. The mother tells Wally to go directly home with no stopping to play with children. She then warns Barclay giving him the authoritative finger. Barclay, his snobbish and timid chauffeur is driving him. On the way, Wally tells Barclay to "drive through some alleys... some dirty ones" in an attempt to meet with the gang. He comes across them in an alley on a vacant lot, playing on a makeshift merry-go-round. The device is powered by the gang's pet mule Algebra, who pulls the platform in circles whenever he hears a person sneeze, and stops when he hears a ringing bell like an alarm clock. Wally has been looking for some friends and a group his snobbish mom would down on.
The kids are soon chased off the lot by the owner, and Wally offers to take the gang to his house so they can play undisturbed. They cajole Barclay into driving back slowly with Algebra being led behind the car on a rope. They attract a fairly large crowd when Algebra, hearing the ringing of a stop sign at a busy intersection, sits down and refuses to get up. This leads to Barclay getting in an argument with a traffic cop, until Spanky offers a solution. The children are then crammed into the front seat while Algebra sits in the back of the car.
When the gang arrives at Wally's house, they all begin playing in the yard, leaving Barclay to get Algebra out of the car. He winds up getting knocked unconscious when Algebra kicks him in the head, and Wally's housekeeper comes out of the house and screams in horror at the sight of the mule sitting in their car. Barclay then sneezes, leading Algebra to chase him into the house and begin tearing things up inside. Through a cycle of many sneezes and bell rings. Wally's mother comes home unaware of what's going on, she sees the gang running around and her household staff seem to be in complete disarray. Seeing her you can easily tell she is very well heeled and the palatial home she owns proves that. Wally's mom sneezes and Algebra starts to chase her. She is very surprised that a donkey is chasing her and that not one of her staff are coming to help her. She starts to run away with Algebra right after her. The mother slides down the bannister. Her staff try and rescue her they open the front door but the mother sneezes and the animal is after her. Wally's mother is making a wild dash across her large lawn. Swinging her arms as she goes. She finds herself standing in front of a large inground fountain. The donkey puts its head up to the mother's behind and pushes her into the fountain. Wally's mom is submerged but her head comes up from under the water her eyes starring straight up to the sky and she spews a flow of water out of her mouth like some kind of fountain ornament. Algebra looks at her and let's out a loud, wild and long laugh. The laugh is that of Mickey Daniels a former rascal. The jackass has made an ass out of Wally's mother.
Cast
The Gang
- Wally Albright as Wallace
- Matthew Beard as Stymie
- Scotty Beckett as Scotty
- Tommy Bond as Tommy
- George McFarland as Spanky
- Willie Mae Taylor as Buckwheat
- Philbrook Lyons as Our Gang member
Additional cast
- Don Barclay as Barclay
- Mickey Daniels as Algebra the Mule's Laugh (voice)
- Bess Flowers as Maid
- Pete Gordon as Bicycle Rider
- Julia Griffith as Household servant
- Charles McAvoy as Officer
- William Wagner as Realtor
See also
References
- Hal Erickson (2007). "New York Times: Honky Donkey". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on November 19, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- Smith, Leon (1988). Hollywood Goes on Location. Los Angeles: Pomegranate Press. p. 177. ISBN 0-938817-07-8.
External links
- Honky Donkey at IMDb