Captain Spanky's Show Boat

Captain Spanky's Show Boat (1939)

** (out of 4)

Here's another weak entry in the MGM-Our Gang series and the only thing that really saves this is the fact that it follows two of the worst films (DOG DAZE, AUTO ANTICS) in the series. This time out the gang comes across an abandoned riverboat so they decide to put on a show with acts and songs. That's pretty much the only story unless you want to consider that Butch gets upset because he wasn't allowed on the bill and decides to cause some trouble. This here really isn't a good film but at the same time I think it's mildly entertaining thanks in large part to the kids taking part in several smaller acts. I wouldn't say any of the acts were good, although I thought Alfalfa stole the film with his songs that happens at the very end. The rest of the movie is pretty forgettable as the kids really aren't given anything good to do. They do the little acts but these just aren't entertaining enough to keep you fully entertained and there's certainly not enough comedy. I'm really not sure what the studio was trying to do except rush out another inferior product.