Hal Roach wanted to get out of the Our Gang business in 1938. After 16 years he’d had enough of making shorts with the child actors. Mostly because the money for shorts was drying up as theaters went for double features. Spanky, Alfalfa, Porky, Darla and Buckwheat didn’t have to worry about being unemployed. MGM bought the production from Roach after years of distributing the shorts. The major studio made the maniac production more professional. The mayhem of kids going nuts was reduced with smaller casts. The 10 minute long shorts were tightly scripted. There was rarely any captured moments of kids at play. The new shorts were like Andy Hardy films. There are people who scoff the MGM Our Gang shorts were inferior to the Roach shorts that played on TV as The Little Rascals. But they’re still superior to any kids on the loose shows since then. The Our Gang Collection from Warner’s Archive program collects all 52 shorts that MGM made.
“The Little Ranger” has Alfalfa waiting for Darla to see a Western matinee. Turns out she’s bringing Butch as her date. Alfalfa settles for a free ticket from another girl. During the movie, Alfalfa imagines him as the cowboy hero battling the dastardly Butch. He quickly learns that Darla isn’t the only woman worth his attention. “Aladdin’s Lantern” marks the return of Spanky to the series. Him and Alfalfa put on a play only to have Buckwheat and Porky constantly upstaging them. Darla splits her role as the princess so Spanky has to go drag. “Joy Scouts” has the gang start their own version of the Boy Scouts when they are told they’re too young. Their camping trip turns into disaster. Unlike the old shorts, there’s never a feeling that the production borders on child abuse with the slapstick situations. The new addition to the gang is Mickey Gubitosi. You might know him better as Robert Blake (Baretta). He takes over from Porky (Eugene Lee) after a few episodes as the cute tag along kid. “The New Pupil” is another case of Alfalfa and Spanky fighting over the new girl in school. Darla ends up getting revenge with the new girl on the boys. This short introduces us to Froggy (Billy Laughlin). He was a skinny kid with a croaky loud voice. The secret to his vocal skills was a botched tonsillectomy. He’d eventually take over Alfalfa’s slot although he was never the screen lover like the cowlick crooner. “Kiddie Kure” was Alfalfa’s last time with the gang. The kids drive a rich old hypochondriac nuts in his house.
The downside of MGM’s direction for the series is that most of the stories turn into little morality plays with a grown up authority figure giving life changing advice to the kids. It was almost like the kids sold out to the man. “Good Bad Boys” has Alfalfa declare that he’s going to live a life of crime after he’s framed in a fruit robbery. Spanky cons Alfalfa and his crew of Buckwheat and Robert Blake into robbing his aunt’s house. But it’s not really a robbery. They’re stealing stuff the old lady wanted Spanky to haul to the junkyard. This faux life of crime backfires when the boys with their loot cross paths with real bank robbers. The short ends in front of a judge with Robert Blake babbling about how bad it felt to commit a crime. Oddly enough he didn’t say this when he was on trial for murdering his wife (to which he was acquitted).
“Unexpected Riches” was Spanky’s last hurrah. His final short has the kids going on a treasure dig thanks to a bogus map. Spanky (George McFarland) was the unofficial leader of the gang for 11 years. They only made 10 more shorts after his departure. The only Rascal that remained through the end is Buckwheat (Billie Thomas). While it’s sad seeing the kids vanish from the series, it’s at least not nearly as embarrassing as watching the Dead End Kids with Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall playing teens while middle aged. Our Gang remained kids playing kids. The final shorts were patriotic bent since they were made as World War II raged. MGM pulled the plug on the shorts and sent the kids home in 1944. The Our Gang Collection brings us the end of a fun era for kid actors in Hollywood.
The Shorts
“The Little Ranger,” “Party Fever,” “Aladdin’s Lantern,” “Men in Fright,” “Football Romeo,” “Practical Jokers,” “Alafalfa’s Aunt,” “Tiny Troubles,” “Duel Personalities,” “Clown Princes,” “Cousin Wilbur,” “Joy Scouts,” “Dog Daze,” “Auto Antics,” “Captain Spanky’s Showboat,” “Dad for a Day,” “Time out for Lessons,” “Alfalfa’s Double,” “The Big Premiere,” “All About Hash,” “The New Pupil,” “Bubbling Troubles,” “Good Bad Boys,” “Waldo’s Last Stand,” “Goin’ Fishin’,” “Kiddie Kure,” “Fightin’ Fools,” “Baby Blues,” “Ye Olde Minstrels,” “1-2-3 Go!,” “Robot Wrecks,” “Helping Hands,” “Come Back, Miss Pipps,” “Wedding Worries,” “Melodies Old and New,” “Going to Press,” “Don’t Lie,” “Surprised Parties,” “Doin’ Their Bit,” “Rover’s Big Chance,” “Mighty Lak a Goat,” “Unexpected Riches,” “Benjamin Franklin, Jr.,” “Family Troubles,” “Calling All Kids,” “Farm Hands,” “Election Daze,” “Little Miss Pinkerton,” “Three Smart Guys,” “Radio Bugs,” “Dancing Romeo and “Tale of a Dog.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers of the shorts are top notch. It appears these were recently transfered for when a few of the titles were bonus features on Warner vault titles. The Warner Archive is a DVD-R burn on demand service. The resolution on the DVD-Rs look as good as when the Rascal shorts were bonus features on regular Warner DVDs. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The levels are fine without too much wear and tear.
None.
The Our Gang Collection brings a more professional attitude to the kid oriented series. It’s easy to scoff these shorts as not up to the manic energy of the Hal Roach era Little Rascals, but there’s still so many memorable adventures featuring Spanky and Alfalfa. The box does have a warning: “The Our Gang Collection is intended for the Adult Collector and is not suitable for children.” Having grown up with a steady diet of these shorts on afternoon TV, you can let you kids get an eyeful. Spanky, Alfalfa and Buckwheat are better role models than the Jonas Brothers.
Warner Home Video presents The Our Gang Collection. Starring: Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Porky, Froggy, and Robert Blake. Boxset Contents: 52 Shorts on 5 DVD-Rs. Released on DVD: September 1, 2009. Available at Warner Archive.
