Hal Roach Studios
Starring: Allen ‘Farina’ Hoskins, Matthew ‘Stymie’ Beard
Directed by: Robert McGowan

Synopsis: Farina is upset when it’s decided that the little boy he has cared for, Stymie, is to be sent away to an orphanage.

Purr Blur: When Stymie comes home from church, there are numerous animals in the main room, including a gray and white cat which is walking just along the edge of the screen.

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers):  The next morning Farina gets up to make breakfast. He has rigged up numerous cords and Rube Goldberg-style devices to streamline the task. He pulls on one cord and milk comes out of a spout into a pan where several kittens scurry to lap it up. During this scene the song Me-ow by Mel B. Kaufman is played. This song was and is often used in silent and early talkie film scores whenever a cat appears on the screen.

A still from this short is included in Leonard Maltin’s book Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang. The photograph is a staged shot showing some of the animals from the main room gathered on the boys’ bed. Included are a tabby cat which looks very much like the tabby included in numerous shorts prior to this one and the grey and white cat seen briefly in the main room who has the same kind of markings as Tunney, a cat which appeared in some of the earlier silent shorts.

Final Mewsings: At mealtime kittens appreciate time-saving devices!

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