Wild Poses (1933) User Reviews

It has a cameo with Laurel and Hardy--so for that reason alone it's worth seeing.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 2 January 2012]

The film starts off with a guy trying to get folks to sign up to get their children photographed. In a VERY brief scene, you see a clip of Laurel and Hardy from "Brats"--but don't blink--it's very short. Then, you see Spanky's parents from the prior Our Gang film ("Bedtime Worries") taking him to the photographer (Franklin Pangborn) for a portrait. Oddly, the rest of the Gang all come along--and naturally chaos ensues after the boys sabotage the photographer's equipment. Spanky is also on his worst behavior and socks the photographer in the face repeatedly--at which point, the mother laughs says how cute this is (I really wanted to sock her at this point!). Then, whenever the guy tries to get a picture, Spanky covers his head and refuses to cooperate.

Like "Bedtime Worries", this isn't really an Our Gang film. Sure, it has one scene where the kids come and cause some mishaps and another appearance later, but it's all very brief and the film is much more like a Spanky film and the Gang are but guest stars making brief appearances. Still, it has many cute scenes and is a pretty good film overall. Plus, considering the short cameo by Laurel and Hardy, it's well worth seeing--even if Spanky is a total brat.

A picture is worth a thousand aggravations.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 26 November 2016]

Something tells me that the Franklin Pangborn archetype had no love lost for children, but here he is as a children's photographer who once made a subject more photogenic by cutting an inch off of a client's nose and shooting another one nine times. Of course, Spanky McFarland doesn't believe that, and makes the photographer's life a living hell. He's already dealt with a Gracie Allen like client who admires his visits to the hospital to take pictures of patience, dropping a series of silly but amusing malapropisms one after another. The funniest bits involve facial expressions between Pangborn ans Spanky, making the play off between them hysterical. Surprise cameos by two funny men add to the historical interest of this short. Pangborn seems to be wearing more lip rouge than a silent movie female star. While the credits indicate "Our Gang", this is 95% Spanky.

I think that all these folks on various other . . .

[pixrox1 · 8/10 · 28 February 2018]

. . . social media venues and movie trivia websites accusing MGM of fomenting some sort of mass American homophobia during the 1930s may be a little off kilter. Since the "Our Gang" episode WILD POSES and the snooze marathon feature GONE WITH THE WIND are often presented as Exhibits A and B for this theory, it makes sense to give these two seemingly divergent films a closer look. Though the angry photographer "Otto Phocus" wears a black beret throughout WILD POSES, loads of men have sported such headgear, including The Artist Formerly Known as "Prince." Therefore, berets prove nothing, whether green or puce. Ditto for that constant physical tweaking, touches, pokes and prods exchanged between Otto and young "Spanky" as WILD POSES drenches Otto, Spanky, and "Mr. T." with Otto's little squirt gun. And Otto's decision to devote 90 minutes of his work day to messing around with Spanky probably has more to do with the corporate Work Ethic at MGM in the 1930s than Otto's orientation. As for the wrong-headed rumors swirling around "Rhett Butler's" insipid rival during GWTW--"Ashley Wilkes"--for goodness sake, he is married to "Melanie!" As far as I'm concerned, case closed: "Not guilty" is the verdict for MGM.

HAHA yes excellent!

[fibreoptic · 9/10 · 30 December 2004]

I've never seen any of 'Our Gang' before mainly due to the fact that they have never in my lifetime been shown on British TV. Well, at least not to my knowledge. Also 'The Little Rascals' haven't been shown since i was a little kid. I was very impressed by nearly everything in this little comedy gem. The kids are excellent and Spanky is just so amazing it's genius. The way he acts all goofy and at such a young age is quite an achievement and i'm glad they caught this fantastic child actor on camera while they had the chance. I really do sympathise with the photographer though and Stan Laurel's poke in the eye is a bit dodgy. I'm going to try and find some more 'Our Gang' episodes. Superb! 9/10

Spanky the Star!

[boblipton · 10/10 · 20 April 2002]

A somewhat atypical OUR GANG comedy. The focus is not on the interaction of the gang, but concerns itself with Franklin Pangborn's tribulations in taking a portrait photo of Spanky. Spanky gets to sock Pangborn frequently and hilariously. Look for a quick cameo by Laurel and Hardy.

The big names can't elevate the mediocre material

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 15 May 2017]

"Wild Poses" is an 18-minute short film from 1933, so this one will have its 85th anniversary already and if this doesn't tell you enough let me say that this was the year that Hitler came into power in Germany just to show you how old it is. The name of director Robert F. McGowan perhaps tells you that here we have another Rascals short film, even if not as many members from Our Gang are featured in here as in other entries to the series. Still it is among the more known also because you do not only find Laurel and Hardy in the cast (with almost zero screen time though), but it's also one of the rare acting credits by Oscar winner Hal Roach. The story is basically about a visit to a photographer and Spanky is in the center of it all. Well, actually Franklin Pangborn is and he is somewhat decent admittedly. A highly prolific actor from back then and some movie buffs may recognize his face. Anyway, overall, this one wasn't too funny or entertaining and that's why I give it a thumbs-down. Then again, I am not the greatest Rascals fan, so if you like the kids more than I do, it can still be worth checking out.

Spanky gets another good showcase in the Our Gang comedy, Wild Poses

[tavm · 9/10 · 8 November 2014]

This Hal Roach comedy short, Wild Poses, is the one hundred twenty-fifth in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the thirty-seventh talkie. Spanky's parents take him to the photographer's studio to have his picture taken. But the rest of the gang fill Spank with the idea that Otto Phocus (Franklin Pangborn) will "shoot" him so every time Otto tries to get the toddler to pose, Spanky covers his head. This was quite a funny short especially whenever Spanky does his reactions to Pangborn's facial smiles or punches him in the face! Oh, and there's a funny cameo of Laurel & Hardy in baby clothes and sitting on a giant baby chair that might have been a leftover prop from Brats. Unlike most Our Gang shorts, this one has credits for the supporting cast of Pangborn, Emerson Treacy as Spanky's father, Gay Seabrook as Spanky's mother (which was the case for both of them in their previous OG short, Bedtime Worries, as well), as well for Spanky himself, billed only by his first name. Overall, Wild Poses was quite another funny showcase for Spanky. P.S. This was Robert F. McGowan's last regular short in the series as director. He would helm one more a few years later. Oh, and there's nice commentary by Richard Lewis Ward, author of "A History of the Hal Roach Studios", on the DVD version (Disc 4) in "The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection" set.

Photographing the Photographer

[tedg · 3 March 2007]

These were produced in bulk. Hal Roach's Filmography must be the largest of anyone. But even in these, where the thinnest of ideas was overblown to fill the time, you can see some ordinary folding.

The business with the gang was all about mugging. And Spanky was the star, at least in the early ones because he was the best at facial expressions.

So here's the setup: we see a recording of someone trying to record Spanky. The success of the recording we see depends on the failure of the photographer.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

OTTO PHOCUS MEETS SPANKY!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 22 March 2024]

Outstanding OUR GANG/LITTLE RASCALS short comedy film that hits all the high notes. The perfect storm.

This film may also have broadened Franklin Pangborn's career, who had been appearing in films since the 1920s. Pangborn was an original, the mold for frustrated, highly excited, wise-cracking gentlemen of gentlemen. He plays the role to perfection here as phtographer Otto Phocus, who has the luck of taking pictures of baby Spanky, brought in by his devout mom (Gay Seabrook) and dad (Emerson Treacy). Spanky socks Otto right in the nose, reminsicent of his battle with Dell Henderon in CHOO CHOO.

Spanky thinks Otto is going to shoot him ---so he does everything he can to AVOID having his picture taken, necessitating Otto to desperately do everything HE CAN to get the job done. A scene after scene battle of wits that's a must see, expertly directed by Robert MacGowan who, at the time, was winding down his career after having directed numerous short films for producer Hal Roach.

Treacy and Seabrook appeared together in one other short, BEDTIME WORRIES, also playing Spanky's dutiful parents. The twosome originally appeared as a radio comedy team in the 1930s, a takeoff on BURNS AND ALLEN, and you have to admit, Gay Seabrook's style was very similar to comedian Gracie Allen. They are fun to watch and it's a shame their shorts with Spanky did not continue as a series.

Look for a very quick cameo by Laurel and Hardy dressed as children. Unforgettable.

Get the OUR GANG short film box set just for this one. Remastered and thank you to METV for running this classic on their Comedy Classics segment.