Free Eats

{{short description|1932 film}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox film | name = Free Eats | image = Free eats TITLE.JPEG

| caption = | director = Ray McCarey | producer = Robert F. McGowan<br>Hal Roach | writer = H. M. Walker | narrator = | starring = | music = Leroy Shield<br>Marvin Hatley | cinematography = Art Lloyd | editing = Richard C. Currier | distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | released = {{Film date|1932|02|13}} | runtime = 19:03 | country = United States | language = English | budget = }}

'''''Free Eats''''' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Ray McCarey.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite web |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/225660/Free-Eats/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520171716/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/225660/Free-Eats/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 20, 2011 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |author=Hal Erickson |title=New York Times: Free Eats |author-link=Hal Erickson (author) |date=2011 |accessdate=September 19, 2008}}</ref> It was the 112th ''Our Gang'' short to be released.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maltin |first1=Leonard |last2=Bann |first2=Richard W. |title=Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals |date=1977 |publisher=Crown Publishers |pages=137–138 |isbn=978-0-517-52675-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/ourganglifetimes0000malt/page/136/mode/2up |access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref>

==Plot== The gang along with other poor children in the town are given a party with games and great food to eat. In addition, each child would be given a food basket to bring home to their parents. It's given by a wealthy woman whose husband is running for office. Meanwhile a couple of criminals have set up two midgets to come to the party as babies. They would steal expensive jewelry and planned on robbing a safe filled with money. Stymie caught the "fidgets" in the safe. After an altercation with Stymie, the rest of the gang come to Stymie's rescue as the midgets pull a gun. An alarm goes off and the police come to arrest the midgets. Episode concludes with the police sergeant spitting tobacco into a nearby waste can, from which the missing midget then rises, telling the "flatfoot" to call his shots.

==Cast==

===The Gang=== * Sherwood Bailey as Spud * Matthew Beard as Stymie * Dorothy DeBorba as Dorothy * Bobby Hutchins as Wheezer * Kendall McComas as Breezy Brisbane * George McFarland as Spanky * Pete the Pup as himself

===Additional cast=== * Donald Haines as Kid getting cake in face at party * Eddie Baker as Detective's assistant * Harry Bernard as Officer Flaherty * Lillian Elliott as Mrs. Clark * Estelle Etterre as Estelle, a lawn-party guest * Paul Fix as Elvira, 'wife' of the head of the family of thieves * Otto Fries as Detective * Billy Gilbert as Head of the family of thieves * Dell Henderson as Mr. Moran * Tiny Lawrence as Waldemar, midget * Major Mite as Elmer, smaller midget * May Wallace as Friend of Mrs. Clark

==Notes== ''Free Eats'' marked the debut appearance of George "Spanky" McFarland. He and his brother Tommy auditioned for ''Our Gang'' in the spring of 1931, with Spanky passing a screen test easily. Tommy also appeared in many ''Our Gang'' film in bit roles.

==Reception== The ''Motion Picture Herald'' said that the short provided "innumerable laughs".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Shorts |journal=Motion Picture Herald |date=February 13, 1932 |volume=106 |issue=7 |page=38 |url=https://archive.org/details/motionpictureher106unse/page/n699/mode/2up |access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref>

==See also== * ''Our Gang'' filmography

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb title|0022915}}

Category:1932 films Category:1932 comedy films Category:American black-and-white films Category:Films directed by Ray McCarey Category:Hal Roach Studios short films Category:Our Gang films Category:1932 short films Category:1932 American films Category:Films scored by Marvin Hatley Category:Films scored by Leroy Shield