"Love Bug Will Get You, If You Don't Watch Out!!!!"

Darlings, this still is from one of my favorite "Little Rascals" shorts, "Our Gang Follies Of 1938!" This is the one where Alfalfa gets on his egotistical high horse, as true divas do, (and believe me, girls; I know!!!!!) and feels he is too good for crooning, so he is going to sing...opera!!!!! He has this dream, where he makes a Deal With The Devil, this opera impresario named Barnaby (the villainous Henry Brandon, who essentially played the same role in the Laurel and Hardy classic, "March Of The Wooden Soldiers), who enslaves him for Life. Which Alfalfa finds out, after his opera debut as "The Barber Of Seville" gets him pelted with fruits and veggies from the audience!!!! Poor Alfalfa, no matter how much he wants now to croon, cannot, because
of his Eternal opera contract!!!! Which has Barnaby popping out from alleyways occasionally to remind him of!!!!

Reduced to the streets, Alfalfa and Porky, his lackey, encounter "Club Spanky," where Spanky produces shows, which Darla performs and sings!!!!! This is why this segment is remembered, loves, and why I love it so!!!! Because, when Darla comes out in her winged sequined outfit, and sings "Love Bug Will Get You, If You Don't Watch Out!," well, honey, from the time I was a tot, that is what I wanted!!!! To wear that same sequined outfit, and get paid to sing in a Thirties Art Deco nightclub!!!!!
I love the line, when Darla says, "I sing, and make hundreds and thousands of dollars!!!" You know I want that, dolls!!!!!!!

Alfalfa is so entranced by it all, he decides to go back to crooning. But just before he starts, Barnaby, at his most chilling and menacing, emerges from the shadows, to throw Alfalfa back onto the streets. Henry Brandon is at his most villainous here!!!! There is a tug of war between the two, whereupon it is then revealed the whole thing was a dream, with Alfalfa now fully appreciative of his crooning gifts--such as they are. The joke was, for all that he sang, Alfalfa was never really much of a singer!!!!!

But, girls, with this I learned that sequins and nightclub fame can bring you happiness!!!!! Well, to a degree!!!!!! This short is a must for lovers of the series, and for future gay divas, because, darling, this had to have been one of my starting points. That, and the "Debbie Reynolds Dress Designer Kit" from Colorforms!!!!!!

The Love Bug did not get me, till a much later age!!!! The Performer Bug got me much earlier, and this was one of the reasons it did!!!!!!!!

I go on in five minutes, darlings!!!!!!!!!!! Two shows nightly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!