IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

For most kids who grew up in the Sixties and Seventies, The Little Rascals was a staple of their television diet. However, few of those kids realized that the episodes they enjoyed were originally a series of 221 theatrical short subjects, designed to accompany feature films. Even fewer knew that the Our Gang series (as The Little Rascals shorts were originally known) began in 1922 and included 88 shorts produced in the silent era (which weren’t part of the TV package). In 1929, the Hal Roach Studio switched over to sound, and all of their stars, including Laurel & Hardy, Thelma Todd, Charlie Chase, and the Our Gang kids had to learn to adjust to working in front of microphones. The best of these sound shorts were what eventually made it to television. Hal Roach continued to crank out Our Gang shorts, with shifting line-ups of kids, until 1938. At that point, the series moved to MGM, and the quality of the shorts dropped noticeably. Audiences will remember the later MGM shorts as the “Froggy” episodes.

ClassicFlix has undertaken an ambitious multi-volume project to scan and restore all of the sound-era Our Gang comedies produced at Hal Roach Studios between 1929 and 1938. Since the shorts are being released on Blu-ray in chronological order, this first volume does not contain the familiar line-up of Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat, etc. Instead, it contains the earliest eleven talkies, featuring Allen ‘Farina’ Hoskins, Joe Cobb, Bobby ‘Wheezer’ Hutchins, Norman ‘Chubby’ Chaney, Mary Ann Jackson, Jackie Cooper, and Harry Spear. Many of these short comedies were never included in the syndicated broadcast television packages, due either to their antiquated sound recording or because of a few examples of casual racism.

While some of the shorts feature negative racial stereotypes, it should be noted that by portraying an integrated group of friends, the Our Gang shorts were much more progressive than most of the films being produced at the same time. In the films, no one ever questions the fact that black and white kids are hanging out together and treating each other equally. This wonderfully forward-thinking aspect of the shorts can be attributed to producer and studio head, Hal Roach. Roach didn’t care what an actor’s color was. He only cared if they were funny. In fact, the Our Gang shorts originated as a way for Roach to feature the supremely talented and charismatic African-American child actor, Ernie “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison. Throughout the early years of the series, the black actors were often the standout, including Morrison, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, and Matthew “Stymie” Beard.

Before we dip into the content of the new Blu-ray collection itself, I should reveal that even as a kid, I was never much of a fan of The Little Rascals. While classic comedy of the 1930s and 40s has always been my cinema sweet spot, I much prefer stage-tested talents, such as W.C. Fields, Abbott & Costello, The Marx Brothers, and The Three Stooges, to the Our Gang kids. Seeing little kids trying to tell jokes and perform physical slapstick is undeniably cute, but I also find it a little painful to watch. It smacks too much of amateur theatricals for my taste.

At the same time, I am thrilled that these fragile films are being lovingly restored. ClassicFlix has done a miraculous job of preservation, clean-up, and digital mastering. The shorts look crisp and clean, without losing any detail in the process. You can find more thoughts on the video quality in the “Video” section below.

Here are capsule reviews of the eleven shorts included in Volume 1:

Small Talk (1929, Dir: Robert F. McGowan/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

The first Our Gang talkie is unsurprisingly the most creaky and stilted. The kids seem uncomfortable with dialogue, and the story shoehorns in many opportunities for exaggerated sound effects (as if to say “Yep! We’re shooting sound”). The narrative is also pretty saccharine, in which Weezer gets adopted and separated from his sister (Mary Ann Jackson). The only standout is Allen “Farina” Hoskins, who proves that he is far and away the most talented of this group of Our Gang kids. Farina has a natural ear for dialogue and has excellent comedic timing, especially for someone of his age. His scenes are the highlight of a pretty forgettable short subject.

Railroadin’ (1929, Dir: Robert F. McGowan/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

The second Our Gang talkie is a huge improvement over the first, and this is one of my favorite shorts in the set. In this episode, Joe Cobb finds himself at the controls of a runaway locomotive, and many of the other kids are onboard. This short is focused on action, rather than dialogue, so all of the kids seem more comfortable. The film is also less stage-bound, with much of the action taking place on location in a rail yard. The short is still a bit archaic, with mismatching shots in the some of the action sequences , but that is a nitpick. This one is fun. This short was also the debut of Norman “Chubby” Chaney, introduced to the series as an eventual replacement for Joe Cobb, who was aging out of the gang.

Lazy Days (1929, Dir: Robert F. McGowan/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

It is pretty apparent that director Robert McGowan realized that Farina was the most talented of the kids, as he gets a spotlight in this short subject. Unfortunately, that spotlight is in a short that completely subverts his character in negative ways. Farina was usually depicted as energetic and clever, but in this short, he is forced to play an exaggeratedly lazy character, which plays off of racial stereotypes. The film is more technically accomplished than the first couple of shorts, but the story stinks. I’m glad this film was included in the set for historical context, but you’ll probably want to skip this one if you’re sharing the set with your children.

Boxing Gloves (1929, Anthony Mack/Wr: H.M. Walker, Robert F. McGowan, & Hal Roach)

This pugilistic-themed short is quite enjoyable. Farina needs a couple of heavyweight brawlers for his amateur prizefights, and he comes across Joe and Chubby fighting over Jean Darling. There are a number of clever gags in this short, and the kids seem more comfortable with sound recording by this point. The only thing that holds this short back from being one of the best in the collection is the slapdash nature in the way it was assembled. Like many early talkies, the action sequences were shot silent, so the director could shout directions to the actors (and so action could be artificially sped up). Unfortunately, many of these silent sequences take place when the kids are in the boxing ring, with audience members obviously cheering. No one thought to go back and add in crowd noise after the fact. As a result, the shifting “silent to sound” patches come across as distracting.

Bouncing Babies (1929, Dir: Robert F. McGowan/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

In one of the better shorts, Weezer is feeling ignored due to the arrival of a baby brother. He decides to return the baby to the hospital and exchange it for something better (possibly a goat). This is easily the strongest sound short of 1929. It has a strong story and effective gags, including some weirdness with Chubby in a devil mask. Best of all is a very effective running gag where Weezer breaks glass in a busy intersection in order to stop the cars and allow him to cross the street with the baby and Petey.

Moan & Groan, Inc. (1929, Dir: Robert F. McGowan/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

The devil scenes in the prior short may have spawned the idea for this “scare comedy” with the Our Gang kids. Kennedy the Cop (Edgar Kennedy) convinces the kids that they should go treasure hunting to encourage them to stay away from dangerous abandoned buildings. However, the kids decide to dig for treasure in the basement of an abandoned house. A homeless maniac (Max Davidson) is squatting in the building and gives the kids a number of scares. This short might have worked if the actions of Davidson’s character made more sense. Unfortunately, his bizarre, nonsensical behavior drags the short down.

Shivering Shakespeare (1930, Dir: Anthony Mack/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

The 1930 Our Gang comedies start off pretty strong with Shivering Shakespeare. Somehow, the gang has gotten roped into performing in an amateur production of Quo Vadis, with Chubby as Nero. The gags are fairly repetitive with lots of variations on flubbed line readings and mishaps with props and costumes. Still, it is pretty amusing watching the kids getting increasingly frustrated with the promptings of Mrs. Kennedy (Gertrude Sutton), the show’s culture-minded director. Plus, the short ends with a pie fight (with some of the impacts in slow motion), which provides a reliable coda for the comedy.

The First Seven Years (1930, Dir: Robert F. McGowan/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

Jackie Cooper takes center stage in this short, in which his efforts to woo Mary Ann Jackson lead him into a Medieval dual with his rival, Speck. The story, jokes, and action all gel wonderfully well in this comedy; and it is the best of the bunch in Volume 1. Parents should be aware that there is a Three Stooges-level of violence in this short, as the boys go at each other with real swords and do plenty of damage to each other, the other members of the gang, and to all sorts of private property. You couldn’t get away with this combination of kids and violence today, but that helps make this short particularly enjoyable.

When the Wind Blows (1930, Dir: James W. Horne/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

Jackie accidentally gets himself locked out of the house on a blustery night, and his ramblings cause scares and misunderstandings for his parents and his neighbors, including Farina, Chubby, and Officer Kennedy. The kids suspect spooks, and the adults assume that a prowler is on the loose. This pleasant short begins rather aimlessly with characters trying to draw humor from getting entangled in blowing newspaper. However, the short gets better as it goes along and ends rather strongly.

Bear Shooters (1930, Dir: Robert F. McGowan/Wr: H.M. Walker)

This is another strong short. I’d rank it the second best of the collection. Spud wants to go on a camping excursion with the fellas, but his mother tasks him with caring for his sick little brother (Weezer). Spud gets Mary to agree to take care of Weezer, but only if they can come along on the bear hunt. There are a lot of fun gags in this short, and it is one of the few in the collection that I actually remember broadcast on television. It’s the one where Weezer gets greased up with limburger cheese.

A Tough Winter (1930, Dir: Robert F. McGowan/Wr: H.M. Walker & Robert F. McGowan)

Ouch. The collection ends on a sour note with this short, which is full of negative racial stereotypes. Stepin Fetchit, who was auditioning for a potential Hal Roach series of his own, co-stars in this short with the gang, and his slow-talking, slow-moving caricature has not aged well. The middle section of this short (in which Stepin Fetchit does not appear) is fairly amusing, as Mary, Weezer, and the rest of the gang try to make their own taffy. Unfortunately, like the prior Lazy Days, the politically incorrect racial content drags the short down. It is no wonder that this short was never included in the Little Rascals television package.

While none of these eleven shorts represent the best of what Our Gang had to offer, I’m very happy that ClassicFlix is going the completist route and started at the beginning. I was most interested in seeing the films that have been previously unavailable on television and home video. While, I’m not the prime audience for this collection, I’m still happy that I watched it, and Rascals fans should be even more enthused with the Blu-ray. This is an incredibly important restoration project that is off to a sterling start. This set is very highly recommended.

USA/B&W-223m./Dir: Various (see above)/Wr: Various (see above)/Cast: Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Mary Ann Jackson, Bobby ‘Wheezer’ Hutchins, Norman ‘Chubby’ Chaney, Jackie Cooper, Joe Cobb, Harry Spear, Jean Darling, Donnie “Beezer” Smith, Donald Haines, Leon “Spud” Janney, Petey the Dog, Edgar Kennedy, Max Davidson, Stepin Fetchit

For Fans of: If you grew up with the familiar Little Rascals shorts, starring Spanky, Alfalfa, and Darla, you might want to see the earlier shorts that led to their introduction.

Video: The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations Volume 1 was released as a single Blu-ray from ClassicFlix on June 1st. Each of the eleven shorts included on the disc were newly scanned and restored from original 35mm film elements. Here’s how the restoration process is described as an explanatory card at start-up of the disc:

Original nitrate film elements for the iconic Hal Roach “Our Gang” film series, later to be known as “The Little Rascals”, have languished in studio vaults for decades without any urgency or desire to preserve, restore and release these beloved short subjects with presentations worthy of their status in popular culture.

ClassicFlix has endeavored to right this wrong by seeking out and finding the best available film elements for each short in this collection.

For seven of the eleven shorts in Volume 1, we were able to use original nitrate film elements as a scanning source. Fine grain and other safety elements were used on three shorts because nitrate material either doesn’t exist or was far too deteriorated to use. And for one short, Railroadin’, we used a mix of safety and nitrate film sources.

Each short has its own restoration story, with some proving more challenging than others.

The audio on Hal Roach shorts (especially from the first year of sound recording) was not great when the films were originally released, so viewers should set their expectations accordingly. Also, the Our Gang kids were not trained actors, so they didn’t always enunciate clearly. These vagaries in sound quality is intrinsic to the original release, and it is in no way a fault of the restoration. The shorts probably sound as good or better than when they were originally released. You may want to use the optional English subtitles if you have trouble understanding any of the kids’ line readings.

The true value of this disc is in the quality of the restoration work, which could not have been inexpensive to perform. There are very few extras on the disc. The full bonus features are:

• Restoration Comparison – This four and one-half minute featurette provides samples of the clean-up that was done to pull the best picture and sound quality from the existing elements.
• Trailer for the Hal Roach-produced Oliver Hardy film, Zenobia 
• Optional English subtitles

Streaming: These early Our Gang shorts aren’t available via any streaming services.

More to Explore: A second volume of The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations is due in July, featuring the next group of eleven shorts from 1930-1931. ClassicFlix and The Sprocket Vault have also released several talkie comedies from other stars of the Hal Roach Studios, including Laurel & Hardy, Thelma Todd, Charey Chase, and Harry Landgon. Many of those Blu-ray or DVD sets are linked below.

Trivia: When Terry Zwigoff was casting the role of Thurman Merman for Bad Santa (2003), he insisted that he didn’t want a cute kid. He wanted a kid that looked like Our Gang-star Joe Cobb.

For More Info: Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann coauthored The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang, which is an excellent guide on the shorts and the kids who starred in them.