Lodge Evening

Released
April 20, 1923

Starring

 * Andy
 * Ernie
 * Farina
 * Jack
 * Jackie
 * Joe
 * Mickey

Foreword
This film avoids the offensive parts found in the film of which this is a spoof. Instead of an offensive club name, the gang decides to use an obscure animal and chooses “The Loyal and Honorary Order of the Aardwolf.” Also, instead of the offensive attire, the gang chooses a loincloth for the club uniform. In addition, instead of Professor Culpepper giving an incomprehensible talk, he leads a polite though thoroughly boring discussion in perfect English on suggestions for improving children’s performance at school and getting them prepared for college.

Story
Joe is new kid in the class. The gang drools over the prospect of initiating a new member into their club, "The Loyal and Honorary Order of the Aardwolf.” They pass a note to Joe instructing him to meet them at Jones' barn that evening.

As the gang sneaks away from their homes into the meeting at the barn, they first go into a small room to change, or rather take off all their outer clothes and reveal that they are wearing loincloths in place of underwear. These are made by tying a rope around the waist, and then threading a towel through the front and back to cover everything that must be covered. Joe comes for his initiation. He is handed a four-foot length of rope and a towel by the club's president, Jack, and the instructions are to go into the small room and make and change into the loincloth in five minutes. This way there is no unpleasant physical hazing. Joe is successful and is admitted to the club, and then the boys play games like cards and dominoes and charades in the barn loft and talk about girls who aren’t allowed in the club.

Then car thieves come and cause chaos. The unimportant extras escape, but the important characters, who are Jack, Ernie, Mickey, Joe, Jackie, Andy, and Farina, are caught and tied up very well, hands behind their backs and their feet. They try to get up and hop away. Jackie and Farina fall into the thieves’ car, and the others fall in a different direction onto the hay on the ground floor. Ernie, being the most athletic, hops to the hall where Professor Culpepper is leaving the meeting that just ended. Since time is of the essence, Culpepper doesn’t untie Ernie but just throws him into his car and speeds to the barn.

Mickey, Jack, Joe, and Andy haven’t been able to untie themselves or each other, so when Culpepper arrives he throws them into the car, but then the car doesn’t start. He gets outside to turn the crank, and the car suddenly starts, running him over but leaving him unharmed. Ernie steers with his teeth with Mickey shouting out directions as the car falls apart. Eventually the cars crash five miles away, and the police catch up. The police take thieves into custody and drive them and Culpepper back to town, but there isn’t enough room for the kids. While the kids were responsible for catching the crooks, they are also in trouble for trespassing in the barn without permission and sneaking away from their homes and the school meeting. Therefore the gang has to hop back home.

Joe has problems getting to a standing position and mostly rolls the whole way. Since the lodge meeting was in the evening, soon it gets too dark to see, and they have to spend the night in a field by the side of the road still tied up in just their loincloths. The next day they make it home, with Ernie winning the race, and Mickey, Jack, and Andy close behind. The younger kids are a few hours behind, but have a good time talking. Joe is excited about being in the club, and Jackie and Farina agree that this is the most fun and excitement they’ve ever had. They can’t wait until the next meeting. Things go a bit sour though when they find out that their regular clothes were eaten by a goat in the barn, so they have to wear their loincloths all the time for the next month.