Honky Donkey
| Honky Donkey | |
|---|---|
 Title screen | |
| Directed by | Gus Meins |
| Produced by | Hal Roach |
| Starring |
Wally Albright George McFarland Tommy Bond Scotty Beckett Matthew Beard |
| Music by | Leroy Shield |
| Cinematography | Francis Corby |
| Edited by | Bert Jordan |
| Distributed by | MGM |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 16' 26" |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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]
Plot
A rich boy named Wally is being driven back to his family's mansion by Barclay, his snobbish and timid chauffeur. 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.
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 seen 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 try and get Algebra out of the car. He winds up getting knocked unconscious when Algebra kicks him in the head, and Wally's grandmother 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, Algebra finally ends up chasing Wally's mother into the fountain in their front yard.
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
- ↑ "New York Times: Honky Donkey". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ↑ Smith, Leon (1988). Hollywood Goes on Location. Los Angeles: Pomegranate Press. p. 177. ISBN 0-938817-07-8.