This Hal Roach comedy short, Shrimps for a Day, is the one hundred thirty-third in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the forty-fifth talkie. In the one, the gang are orphans allowed to attend a party at a rich owner's mansion. You see, the orphanage is run by a mean tyrant and Spanky is especially mistreated by him. But a couple of adults at the mansion are so taken by the rambunctious kids, they wish they were children again and since they have a lamp nearby...This was quite one of the more wish-fulfillment eps of the series in which a couple of adults become children again but still have grown-up minds which becomes a help when they find out how awful the children around them are treated. So on that note, Shrimps for a Day is highly recommended. P.S. The kid versions of the adult couple were actually played by midgets, or little persons-if one prefers: siblings George and Olive Brasno. Ms. Brasno sings a nice tune called "The Ice Cream Song" here. It was written by Marvin Hatley and Billy Gilbert.
6 Reviews
A wonderful though not standard Our Gang short
1523115 August 2003
While the plot is highly predictable and the villain a bit too melodramatic, this short contains some truly great early special effects of people morphing between child and adult. The performances by the child actors of the Gang are typical of their usual cute mugging for the camera, but the performances of George Brasno and Olive Brasno as the two adults turned children are brilliant. The children of the Gang are reduced to comic supporting roles to the straight leads played by the two Brasnos, and that makes this short work all the better as it relies less on "cute kids" antics and utilizes true acting to carry the story.
One of the strangest Our Gang films I've ever seen!
planktonrules15 January 2012
This is one of the weirdest Our Gang shorts I've ever seen--and I've seen a bunch!! It begins at an orphanage run by a nasty old guy (Clarence Wilson) and woman. However, they are taking the kids to a party at the McWade's house--because the McWades are the ones who pay his salary.
The kids have a nice time and Dick and Mary McWade wish they, too, could be kids and enjoy the party. When they discover a magic lamp, they are transformed into kids and they join the party. BUT, there is a catch. The nasty orphanage operators take Dick and Mary with them when the party ends and they get to learn first-hand how badly they treat the kids. It's all very funny (particularly the part with the hammer) and strange--and well worth seeing.
George and Olive Brasno play the child versions of Dick and Mary. However, I have no idea why they chose to have these two midgets play kids instead of just having kids play the parts. Perhaps it was because Dick smokes a cigar, but considering the way child actors were treated back then, I am surprised they didn't just have a kid smoke!
The kids have a nice time and Dick and Mary McWade wish they, too, could be kids and enjoy the party. When they discover a magic lamp, they are transformed into kids and they join the party. BUT, there is a catch. The nasty orphanage operators take Dick and Mary with them when the party ends and they get to learn first-hand how badly they treat the kids. It's all very funny (particularly the part with the hammer) and strange--and well worth seeing.
George and Olive Brasno play the child versions of Dick and Mary. However, I have no idea why they chose to have these two midgets play kids instead of just having kids play the parts. Perhaps it was because Dick smokes a cigar, but considering the way child actors were treated back then, I am surprised they didn't just have a kid smoke!
And much too good for ya!
moviebuff72-223-2655249 September 2023
The best our gang episode in my humble opinion. It has an awful amount of humor. They all play their parts to the hilt! I don't know anything about Orphanages but I imagine in those days with the wrong people they sucked balls. It was nice seeing social classes helping out the less fortunate. The wealthy were portrayed not as snobs here. They actually cared for the poor here. I highly recommend this skit. There are other good skits but this one just happens to be my favorite. I wish the genie lamp existed. We could all use at least one wish. Make your wish count. They used their wishes here wisely.
A semi-successful short
Leofwine_draca26 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
SHRIMPS FOR A DAY is an odd and only semi-successful short film from the Our Gang library. I didn't enjoy this outing as much because it focuses on too many adult characters while the kids seem peripheral to the story. The story is about a couple of old-timers who wish to become kids and do so; they then join forces with the usual suspects to bring down the mean old owner of an orphanage. The film ends with a successfully crazy slapstick scene but the rest is only mildly amusing.
Not really Rascals
Horst_In_Translation30 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Shrimps for a Day" is an American 20-minute short film from 1934, so this one is already over 80 years old and sadly all of the cast and crew, even if they were kids at that point, are already dead. This one has sound already, but it is a black-and-white film of course and to put it in perspective, Hitler was in office for one year when this one was released, so you can roughly understand how old it is. It is another Rascals / Our Gang short film by Gus Meins, but even if Stymie, Spanky and some of the others show up, it really is more about the other two characters, grown-ups who get a magic lamp that turns them into children again and as a consequence they expose a ruthless criminal. Yeah, honestly, there weren't too many funny moments in this one. I am in general not a great Rascals fan, which may have had an impact of my perception, but like I said, it did not really feel like a Rascals movies. And one laugh every 5-6 minutes just isn't enough (like the too big dresses), especially for such a short film. I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
