This episode is the second straight episode (besides “Russian 101”) where Ryan is the featured character; this time in a special “cast of thousands” episodenote involving the kids having to choose which movie to go to on a rare afternoon off.
Things start off with opening number “Come As You Are” before the kids learn from Riley that they had the afternoon off due to leaky pipes at the P*lace. Ryan then suggests catching a movie (Stacy suggests “Fun in the Sun”; Renee’s preference: “Love Lost”). Needless to say, they don’t come to a decision by the time they have to go back onstage for the last song of the day (“I’m Still Standing”). Ryan suggests a comedy classic festival at Theater Retro, but the others - particularly Kid - aren’t enthused initially (Kid wanted to see “The Monster Squad That Ate Texas”) until Connie displays some interest in the early days of film.
Cue Imagine Spot. We are taken to the early days of silent films; where studio chief D.W. Ryan is in dire, desperate need of a hit picture with his company nearing bankruptcy. The problem: Deciding what that picture should be - a romantic film (starring Stacy and directed by Connie) or a Western (Kid at the helm; with Richie in the lead role), and as this is going on, two repairman hired to make repairs (played by the show’s two male dancers, Dee Caspary and Brian Poth) cause more chaos in the process, resulting in the stressed-out D.W. angrily sending them out, leading to “Forever (Like Heroes and Fools)”. Upon his entrance to the soundstage, D.W. witnesses the two crews trying to produce their respective films; only for the repairmen (now identified as Laurel and Hardy) to crash the sets; causing the crews to stop filming until D.W. (impressed by the comical effects) to override the directors, leading to the films continuing to be shot (“When Movies Were Movies”). Inspired, D.W. then decides to release the project as-is and as a comedy.
Returning to 1987; the story convinces the others to go to the classic comedy festival; just as two rather small repairmen appearing similar to Laurel and Hardy in the story arrive at the P*lace, creating similar chaos and frustration for Riley as we segue to closing song “The Finer Things”
Part of this episode's premise would be recycled as the B-plot of Season 7's "Mummy Dearest"; only with the kids debating whether to go to the movies or the museum (the main plot focusing on a mix-up in deliveries causing Robin to fear a mummy's curse).
Songs performed in this episode:
- “Come As You Are” (Peter Wolf cover; lead vocals by Ryan)
- “I’m Still Standing” (Elton John cover; lead vocals by Renee, Stacy and Connie)note
- “Forever (Like Heroes and Fools)” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Ryan)
- “When Movies Were Movies” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Ryan, Kid, Renee, Richie, Connie and Stacy)
- “The Finer Things” (Steve Winwood cover; lead vocals by Ryan, Kid and Renee)
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Actor Allusion: The name of the movie Kid wants to see, “The Monster Squad That Ate Texas”, is an allusion to Ryan Lambert having played Rudy in that year’s “The Monster Squad”.
- Imagine Spot: Most of the episode takes place in this setting.
- Shout-Out:
- The Laurel and Hardy references owe to the fact that Kids Incorporated was co-produced by a revived Hal Roach Studios from Seasons 2-4.
- D.W. Ryan’s name is an allusion to early film director D. W. Griffith.
