If not for the lachrymose presence of Our Gang member Robert Blake (still in his whiny, squeaky-voiced stage), the one-reel Dad for a Day might have been one of the series' better MGM entries. While planning to participate in the annual Fathers and Sons Day Picnic, the Our Gang kids are reminded that their pal Mickey (Blake) has no father. The kids prevail upon friendly gas-station owner Mr. Henry to act as Mickey's surrogate dad during the festivities. Not only does Mr. Henry win every competition, but he also works up enough nerve to propose to Mickey's widowed mother. Originally released on October 21, 1939, Dad for a Day benefits from an unusually strong adult supporting cast: Louis-Jean Heydt as Mr. Henry, Peggy Shannon as Mickey's mom, Arthur Q. Bryan (aka the voice of cartoondom's Elmer Fudd) as the chairman of the picnic, and Tom Herbert (brother of comedian Hugh Herbert) as a dithering gas-station customer.
by Hal Erickson
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