The Boy Friends
The Boy Friends is a series of American Pre-Code comedy short films released between 1930 and 1932. The series consisted of fifteen films and was spun off from the long running Our Gang film series (also known as The Little Rascals).
Overview
Like the Our Gang shorts of the time, The Boy Friends films were two-reel short subjects produced by Hal Roach through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. They featured teenaged actors including some, particularly Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman, who as children had starred in the early silent Our Gang shorts. Grady Sutton was also a lead player in the series. Daniels and Sutton appeared in every short, while Kornman appeared in all but one (1932's You're Telling Me).
Roach released three The Boy Friends films in 1930: Doctor's Orders, Ladies Last, and Bigger and Better. The series added seven installments in 1931: Blood and Thunder, High Gear, Love Fever, Air Tight, Call a Cop, Mama Loves Papa, and The Kickoff. Finally, 1932 saw the release of the last five films: Love Pains, The Knockout, Too Many Women, Wild Babies, and You're Telling Me. At least some of the films in the series took place at Elmira College, an actual school located in Roach's home town of Elmira, New York.
Characters
- Mickey (Mickey Daniels): The main character. Appeared in all entries.
- Mary (Mary Kornman): Mickey's girl friend. Appeared in all entries except You're Telling Me.
- Grady "Alabam" Sutton (Grady Sutton): Mickey's best friend and sidekick. Appeared in all entries.
- Dave (David Sharpe): Mickey and Grady's friend. He was their rival in his first short. Last appeared in Call a Cop!
- Gertie (Gertrude Messinger): Dave's love interest. Last appeared in The Kick-Off.
- Dorothy (Dorothy Granger): Alabam's love interest. Last appeared in Love Fever.
- Betty (Betty Bolen): Alabam's love interest. Appeared in Air-Tight, Mama Loves Papa, The Kick-Off!, Love Pains, The Knockout, You're Telling Me and Wild Babies.
- Jacqui (Jacqueline Wells): Appeared in The Knockout and You're Telling Me.
Filmography
1930
- Doctor's Orders
- Bigger and Better
- Ladies Last
1931
- Blood and Thunder
- High Gear
- Love Fever
- Air-Tight
- Call a Cop!
- Mama Loves Papa
- The Kick-Off!
1932
- Love Pains
- The Knock-Out
- You're Telling Me
- Wild Babies
- Too Many Women