MovieChat Forums > Beginner's Luck (1935) Discussion > A new question for Doug

A new question for Doug

posted 13 years ago by bigboy171975
4 replies | jump to latest

I have a question for Doug, actually it turns out to be two questions. The short was extremely succesful and made the Roach studios plenty of money, it was a critical hit, a theater owners smash and a hit with the viewing audience so why didn't the studio do any other shorts like it or with a similar storyline? If not the Roach studios why didn't another filmmaker try something similar in all these years? What I am talking about is a film that's plot is similar to "Beginner's Luck" with a mother trying to help or rescue her son and wind up much more of a laughing stock herself.

Secondly,this question has been asked many times before but why didn't Hal Roach use Kitty Kelly again?

[–] doug78595 13 years ago

That's a couple of good questions both i've been asked many times.I don't really know the answers at all I can only speculate.As why they didn't use Kitty again I simply don't know I can't get any word as it was a long time ago and everyone involved is dead. There were no books written or stories handed down and no rumors saying anything about why certain actors worked with the rascals or laurel and hardy and came back for new roles in other films.There have been films and TV shows over the yrs where an adult woman or in some cases a mom gets humiliated ,I think you can read older posts and get the idea. But they are never exact or really that close to the original.

[–] bigboy171975 13 years ago

My next question involes the controversey over the shorts "Birthday Blues" and "Beginner's Luck" and see what you or any other viewer has to say on this concept.

[–] doug78595 13 years ago

Well sure the father in Birthday blues is a real skunk to say the least.Does he deserve some kind of punishment - well I guess he does.He is clearly shown beating his son and walks off scott free.Regarding Spanky's mother in BL I've been told her punishment was too much for her crime and didn't fit it by some women.Other people say she got exactly what she deserved.I've talked to folks who said they were glad she got it as she was an attractive blonde.I don't think the ending of Bl was if she deserved her fate or it was too much I think it was just something that happenned to her and that was it simple as that.

[–] LarrupinLou 11 years ago

I have a question for Doug, actually it turns out to be two questions. The short was extremely succesful and made the Roach studios plenty of money, it was a critical hit, a theater owners smash and a hit with the viewing audience so why didn't the studio do any other shorts like it or with a similar storyline? If not the Roach studios why didn't another filmmaker try something similar in all these years? What I am talking about is a film that's plot is similar to "Beginner's Luck" with a mother trying to help or rescue her son and wind up much more of a laughing stock herself.

I think the Code frightened off a lot of people from that type of film. Yes, Beginner's Luck aired in 1935 after the introduction of the Code and it had to have passed it with flying colors, but I think the studios didn't even want to get close to that line if they could help it.

After WWII, there was a very gradual loosening of the Code to the point it was discarded by the '60s. Had there still been Our Gang shorts airing in theaters at that time, a remake of this film might have had Spanky's mother in less than a slip.

No blah, blah, blah!