Girls, Who Would Have Thought Our Introduction To Shakespeare Would Have Come From "The Little Rascals?????"

                            For those of a certain generation--mine--raised on morning or afternoon TV reruns of "The Little Rascals," this was our introduction to Shakespeare.  First, there was book carrying, Bard spouting, bespectacled Waldo, doing the academic nerd thing, often quoting the Avon playwright.

                              But it was the 1936 short, "Pay As You Exit," that really cemented it all!  As you can see, producer Spanky is presenting a matinee of "Romeo And Juliet," the first time I, seeing this at age 6, had ever heard of the piece.  Imagine when I read it years later, discovering what liberties the Rascals had taken!!!!!!!!  But they worked.

                              The highlight was this. Leading man Alfalfa had a craving for scallions, and Darla, playing Juliet, could not stand doing those intimate scenes with him, and walked off!!!!!!!  Who could blame her?????  The role is then taken over, during the balcony scene, when, up pops Buckwheat, in drag, with his signature, "Here ah is!!!!!!!!!"  Everyone loved Buckwheat as Juliet, the audience gets its money;s worth and they do, indeed, pay as you exit!!!!!!!!!!!

                              A short scene in this figured prominently in my life.  Early on, when Darla is still playing Juliet, Spanky, as Capulet, catches the two lovers.  He says to her, "Daughter, go to your room."  To Alfalfa, he says, "Romeo, prepare to die!"

                               Something about that latter line stayed with me, and sparked my burgeoning theatricality.  Because, days later, my family was over at my grandmother's house. My father and I were in the kitchen; he was seated at the table, I was standing, and we got into some kind of argument.  Having just seen "Pay As You Exit" several days before, I instantly knew what to do. I went to the pantry nearby, came out with a stick broom, but raised like a sword, aimed it at my father, lunged, and said, like Spanky, "Prepare to die!!!!!!!!!!"

                                  My father was so taken aback, I don't think he knew what to do!  He certainly was not prepared for this, though this incident paved the way for the years that followed.  To this day, when  I think of this episode, and incident, I laugh uproariously!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Guess I was just a Little Rascal, myself, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!