This M-G-M comedy short, Bubbling Troubles, is the one hundred eighty-eighth entry in the "Our Gang" series and the one hundredth talkie. Alfalfa is once again pining for Darla as he spells her name alongside his in his alphabet soup and sees her face in it...alongside his rival Butch! His father, not knowing why his son is feeling bad, subscribes some "Settles-itt Powders" to cure his stomach ailment. Meanwhile, Butch shows the gang his "concoction" for dynamite and when Alf arrives, he recognizes the same box of what he just had as the ingredient but when he drinks it, his stomach swells up! Turns out he didn't properly mix it when he drank it. So now the gang tries to find help...The authors of the book, "The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang", Leonard Maltin & Richard W. Bann, recognized some elements of this short as the same as previous Hal Roach comedy Sneak Easily which starred Thelma Todd and was directed by former OG helmer Gus Meins. They said this short was very good at comedy externals to which I certainly agree especially when the finale comes. They also said that the gang gave lifeless performances which took the edge off, which I definitely didn't agree with since I didn't notice. So on that note, I definitely recommend Bubbling Troubles. P.S. This was Tommy Bond's twenty-seventh Our Gang comedy, his fifteenth as the bully Butch. It was also his very last but he continued to make film appearances-such as Jimmy Olson in a couple of Superman serials and reuniting with real-life pal Alfalfa in a couple of Gas House Kids movies after both had left the gang. Then after graduating college in the early '50s, he went to the other side of the camera working at a couple of TV stations in California as well as hit shows like "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" and "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour". He married a former Miss California-Polly Ellis-and had a son, Tommy II. Late in life, he went before the cameras again as himself. I remember being delightfully surprised seeing him on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" during the '90s publicizing the VHS set of the talkie Little Rascals shorts. Then I read his book, "Darn Right It's Butch" and liking knowing he was one of the few from the gang to live such a good life. I saw him again on another Little Rascals VHS tape introing the shorts showcasing Pete the Pup alongside a dog looking like that animal. It was during this time he became reacquainted with Porky. He eventually died on September 24, 2005. So long, Butch!
3 out of 3 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink