tavm Review of The New Pupil

The New Pupil (1940)

The New Pupil marks a new low in the Our Gang series

[1/10 · 20 January 2015]

This M-G-M comedy, The New Pupil, is the one hundred ninety-first entry in the "Our Gang" series and the one hundred third talkie. Teacher introes new girl Sally (Juanita Quigley) in class getting both Spanky and Alfalfa smitten with her to the point of breaking their lunch date with Darla. But Sally hates boys and when she encounters Darla, they make a plan to teach the boys a lesson...Well, this was the first really awful OG comedy in the M-G-M produced-only series. Here's what's so bad about it: Darla's sudden crying, the female masquerade involving Spank and Alf in order to impress Sally, the rest of the gang laughing at them as a result, and the conclusion which makes the least sense. This was the only other time Spank and Alf were rivals for the same girl and it was much better done in Sprucin' Up. The only positive thing I'll say about this short is indeed Sally is, to quote Alf, "purdy". Oh, and Billy "Froggy" Laughlin debuted in this one though he's addressed as Harold here. Speaking of someone with that name, this was Alf's brother's last appearance in the series though since he's been an extra for most of that time, I didn't recognize him here. So that's definitely not a recommendation of The New Pupil.