Radio Bugs (1944)

When Froggy discovers the fabulous salaries paid to radio stars, he gets the idea that the gang should be in on the action. But success in radio requires a sponsor. They audition comedy ... See full summary »

Director:

Cy Endfield (as Cyril Endfield)

Writers:

Hal Law (screen play), Robert A. McGowan (screen play)

Stars:

Our Gang, June Preston, Erville Alderson

Cast

Credited cast:
Our Gang	...	Children
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
June Preston	...	Guest star: Radio performer

Storyline

When Froggy discovers the fabulous salaries paid to radio stars, he gets the idea that the gang should be in on the action. But success in radio requires a sponsor. They audition comedy skits at the dentist's office, and Shakespeare at the mortuary. Their efforts to snag a sponsor are without success until . . .

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Plot Keywords:

radio | children | our gang | reference to william shakespeare | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1944 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,121 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the eight MGM-produced Our Gang shorts to lose money upon its initial release. MGM produced a total of 52 Our Gang entries from 1938-43 (the final ones were released into 1944).

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Quotes

What Do You Think of It? radio host: Would you mind answering today's question on the Kant-Fall Cake Flour Company's "What Do You Think Of It?" program?
Froggy: Sure.
What Do You Think of It? radio host: That's fine. The question is: what do you think is the crying need of radio today?
Froggy: The crying need of radio today?
Mickey, Janet, Froggy, Buckwheat: A sponsor!

User Reviews

Radio Bugs was perhaps the nadir of the Our Gang series entries

This M-G-M comedy short, Radio Bugs, is the two hundred nineteenth entry in the "Our Gang" series and the one hundred thirty-first talkie. After listening to Red Skelton on the radio and hearing his father saying that comedians make a lot of money, Froggy convinces the gang to form a comedy act as they audition for a sponsor in a dentist's waiting room. Nobody laughs, so they're thrown out. When they go back to the bookstore, a Shakespearean actor does Hamlet in front of them which gets the gang to try drama. They audition in front of funeral directors, eventually getting laughs. I'll stop there and just say how painfully unfunny the whole thing was. It also didn't make much sense as there's no sense of preparation in either acts. The only interesting thing was hearing Skelton's voice. So on that note, Radio Bugs gets a raspberry. P.S. This was one of three films in the series directed by Cyril Enfield. I think this may be the worst of them... Oh, and Mickey Rooney's father, Joe Yule Sr. who was previously in Mighty Lak a Goat, reappears here as one of the dental patients.