Froggy has a crush on a young girl named Marilyn, who is too preoccupied with her budding career as a dancer to pay Froggy attention. When the gang attends one of Marilyn's recitals, Froggy finds himself insanely jealous of Marilyn's dancing partner Gerald, whom he sees as a rival for Marilyn's affections. A few days later, Froggy holds a dance recital of his own, hoping to impress Marilyn. His seemingly gravity-defying moves are accomplished with the help of Mickey and Buckwheat, who've rigged their pal up with wires and control his movements via a pulley. Gerald exposes this artifice, hoping to embarrass Froggy. Marilyn, however, is impressed by Froggy's determination, and tells him she loves him - only to have the deep-voiced boy faint dead away.
Production notes
Dancing Romeo was the final short to be released in the 22-year Our Gang canon. Its antecedent on the release schedule, Tale of a Dog, is sometimes considered the final film in the series, as it has a later production number and began pre-production first. Along with Tale of a Dog and Radio Bugs, Dancing Romeo was directed by Cyril Endfield in late 1943, and released in April 1944. According to financial data prepared by MGM in 1956, Dancing Romeo cost $27,353 to produce, but lost $10,340—more than any other Our Gang short—at the box office. By 1943, the series had ceased to be profitable, leading to its cancellation. Our GangcreatorHal Roach would revive the Our Gang concept for a pair of late-1940s features, Curley and Who Killed Doc Robbin. Our Gang did not become profitable again until Hal Roach bought back the 1927-1938 Roach-produced Our Gangcomedies from MGM in 1949 and later syndicated the Roach-produced shorts to television as The Little Rascals, leading to its renewed popularity from the 1950s on.
Cast
The Gang
Billy Laughlin as Froggy
Bobby Blake as Mickey
Janet Burston as Janet
Billie Thomas as Buckwheat
Additional cast
Bobby Browning as Gerald
Valerie Lee as Marylin
Vincent Graeff as Sits behind Gerald at Froggy's performance
Dickie Hall as Boy who figured Froggy has been dancing for years
Frank Ward as Boy who can't wait to see Froggy dance
