Shrimps for a Day is a 1934 Our Gangshortcomedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 133rd Our Gang short to be released, The character of Mr. Crutch was the inspiration for Mr. Krupp in the Captain Underpants book series[1]
Plot
The gang resides at the Happy Home Orphanage, an inaptly named organization run by the dishonest, child-hating Mr. Crutch (Clarence Wilson) and Mrs. Crutch (Rosa Gore). Invited to a garden party at the home of wealthy Mr. Wade, the kids enjoy a good time and are showered with gifts, knowing full well that their new clothes and toys will be seized and sold by the Crutches once they return to the orphanage.
Meanwhile, Mr. Wade's daughter Mary (Doris McMahan) and her boyfriend Dick (Joe Young) stumble upon a magic lamp which grants them their wish: to be children again. Dick and Mary are summarily rounded up by the Crutches and bundled off to the orphanage, where they manage to get the goods on the underhanded operation. Spanky has some funny scenes, including one wherein he refuses to take a dose of castor oil and instead pushes it into Mr. Crutch's mouth. During a sleepless night, Spanky helps Dick escape out the window. Dick runs to Mary's house, where he finds the lamp and wishes he was an adult again. He then returns to being an adult and leads Mr. Wade back to the orphanage, exposing the Crutches and restoring Mary to adulthood. Spanky then has his revenge on Mr. Crutch by using the lamp to wish him down to his size, then beating him up.[2]
