This episode in the Roach BOY FRIENDS series -- a spin-off from the Our Gang series, built around Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman, after they outgrew their kiddie roles -- is the directorial debut of George Stevens, who had been purely a Roach cameraman since 1923.
His direction at this stage is a little unsure. What you mostly notice is the careful, formal compositions interspersed with the gags. Well, the gags are pretty funny and it would be as a comedy director that Stevens would make the leap to RKO; but while Stevens clearly knows how to shoot the comedy gags, the compositions show that he is still concentrating on the camera placement as the director.
Or perhaps he let his cameraman, Hap Depew, set up the shots, while he worked with the actors. Grady Sutton, who specialized in in comic nullities -- check him out as Carole Lombard's fiancée for eight seconds in OUR MAN GODFREY -- actually shows some screen presence and charm here. The result is one of the best of this decent but unexceptional series.
His direction at this stage is a little unsure. What you mostly notice is the careful, formal compositions interspersed with the gags. Well, the gags are pretty funny and it would be as a comedy director that Stevens would make the leap to RKO; but while Stevens clearly knows how to shoot the comedy gags, the compositions show that he is still concentrating on the camera placement as the director.
Or perhaps he let his cameraman, Hap Depew, set up the shots, while he worked with the actors. Grady Sutton, who specialized in in comic nullities -- check him out as Carole Lombard's fiancée for eight seconds in OUR MAN GODFREY -- actually shows some screen presence and charm here. The result is one of the best of this decent but unexceptional series.