The Other Little Rascals - The Early History of 'Our Gang'
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- Опубліковано 12 січ 2023
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Written, Presented & Compiled by Joe Ramoni
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My favorite Little Rascal was Stymie. Always had the best jokes in my opinion.
@@cesarhernandez6861 He's my favourite too!
The little rascals/our gang in 1922
.. You dont see many youtubers talking about this franchise, And so much content was lost after so many years concerning the little rascals that the only reason its not obscure is because of that VHS-company who brought it back to life in modern times..
It might be a cool idea to talk about the career of the guy who played Alfalfa. I think that story has the makings of a good video.
It's just interesting to see him try the things that made him famous as a kid (singing off-key) as an adult and getting booed for it. You don't even really feel bad that he was mocked because, according to most people, he was incredibly arrogant and a jerk.
What a wonderful tribute to those kids. When I was a grad student I knew Dorothy DeBorba, who was secretary to Dean Bayley at the School of Journalism at UC Berkeley, and she became a dear friend and confidant. The dean liked to call Dorothy our "den mother" at the J school. She sorta became the fall-back source for those students assigned to write a profile of a celebrity. There must have been hundreds written. I didn't learn she'd been a member of Our Gang until about a year after I'd met her. She was quite modest about it, but was happy to chat about her days filming at the studio. And, yes, you are right. She said that all the kids were great friends, they all attended school together and would take breaks from class to shoot the movies. I heard her say many times that none of them had the faintest idea that their lives were in any way different or unusual from that of other kids. Of course, she knew Stan and Ollie (Stan gave Stymie his derby!). And they all got to play with Petey. So there! Dorothy also used to go out on weekends to attend Our Gang reunions and fan meet-ups. It's still a thrill to watch my old friend, and yes, "den mother," running around screaming as a skinny little girl. Those shorts will always be very special to me. Good job!
Thank you for sharing that wonderful story.
Worth the trip alone to find out Stymie got his derby from Stan. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing.
Oh bullshit...
She grew up in a town I used to live in.
It’s frightening how much Jackie already looks like the adult he would become. I keep expecting to hear him bellow “Kent!”
Yes!!! I think he had that thing that Ralph Macchio and Rob Lowe have. Aging doesn’t affect their looks. 😎
I thought he looked like a little kid when he was Perry White.
I thought he looked like a little kid when he was Perry White.
@@Bigbadwhitecracker That’s actually a more accurate description of Jackie Cooper!
I would not say it that way - like the other comments, he just kept his youthful looks.
[ Carl Switzer, also looked much the same at the time of his death, as he did as a child].
📻🙂
When i was very young in the 70s, these shorts along with the Three Stooges would be on every day after school. The early version of the little Rascals was always my favorite. One of my favorite shorts was when the kids tried to create their own taxi service and they cause havoc all over the road!
I remember them too. The situations from the earlier ones seemed so much more genuine.
Same here. They came on after the Stooges on channel 11 early Saturday morning, my brother would always come wake me up so we could watch them. Then around noon the old serials would start, this is where I watched Commando Cody! This was in the 80s.
I remember that one cuz the mule was in the rear lol
Making things because they where depression kids made a huge impact on me.
They made cars, machines, even stage sets and costumes which I use to do all the time.
My sister's loved the brady bunch, I didn't because they didn't make anything cool
Was that short entitled "Free Wheeling"?
Something else I enjoyed about this era was how much of the shorts were shot outside and on location in California as opposed to soundstages like the later eras. They’re amazing time capsules of how LA and the surrounding areas looked nearly 100 years ago.
I came to make this exact comment, but you beat me to it!
Sunlight is free when available.
So many vacant lots. Same in the Laurel and Hardy films.
@@tlst94 That’s what’s called an “entirely different topic of discussion”
When I see signs on location in old film I enjoy Googling their name to see if they are still in business or find its history. And if I see a street sign I like going to maps online for a current street view to see how it's changed.
"Don't call me Norman. Call me chubsy-ubsy," is my favorite Our Gang line of all time. Just finished watching (almost) all of the silent-era shorts, and so I'm in the time period, working my way through (nearly) the entire series, in order. This is probably my favorite era, with Jackie's crush on Miss Crabtree being the cherry on top.
(Sobbing) "we...t-t-t-told him you had a wooden leg!"
"My darling, can't you hear the pleas in my whispers?"
"Yes, Chubby, I can hear the fleas in your whiskers." 🤣
Yum yum eat em up
It's my favorite line in cinema history.
Hey pals
Bobby Wheezer Hutchins died on May 17, 1945 while attempting to land his North American AT-6D Texan at Merced Army Air Field Base in California (Later renamed Castle AFB). He was very close to completing his advanced flight training at the time of the accident. Coincidentally, Joe Cobb worked for North American Aviation in Downey CA in the 1950's.
What a beautiful tribute to these underrated rascals!
Not even underrated; they're largely unknown.
👍
LOL!! @ 12:00 Ever since the 70's, I could feel every nail he slid across!! 😳
Stymie was always so underrated. He’s so funny
Stymie was all time favorite.
@@cdjeeyore he's my favourite too.
He never changed either. The last thing I remember seeing him in was a :Sanford and Son". He just got talkler.
Stymie was a favorite. His famous hat was actually gifted to him by Stan Laurel himself because he liked the kid so much.
His hat was given to him by Oliver Hardy.
We have Our Gang to thank for The Little Rascals, The Goonies, The Sandlot, All That, Slappy & The Stinkers, Stranger Things, or any other iconic kid squad made in Hollywood over the past 80 years. It pioneered and enforced the idea that children can lead in the box office and entertain adults just as easily as we can entertain them.
Jackie,Farina,Mary,Stymie and Chubsie were all brilliant. Still can’t stop watching them to this day
And Weezer too.
I HAVE A PERSONAL MEDIA SERVER with all of the available "Our Gang" aka "Little Rascals from the years 1922-1944 (157 shorts in total). Silent films from 1922-1928. The first movie was called "Our Gang" 1922. The first Talkie was "Small Talk" 1929.
Watching Chubsy-Ubsy smile really warms my heart, he and Farina were by far my favorites.
Wheezer was my favorite, a natural.
"Younger audiences might associate..." the 90s Little Rascals movie was nearly THIRTY years ago. The kids who grew up with that version are now raising their own kids.
It depends on how old are you regarding that statement. I'm nearly 60 years old and I remember first watching "The Little Rascals" and "Our Gang" on a local syndicated New York City TV station called WPIX channel 11 in the 1970s, so those who only remember the 1994 movie are the "younger audiences..."!🤣🤣
Somewhat tragic fact, the kid who played Wheezer ended up serving in World War II and was killed in action. He was only 20 years old.
Rest in peace, Bobby Hutchins
So many of them died too soon.
Bobby Hutchins wasn't KIA, but died in a midair collision during a training exercise. Nevertheless he died serving his country.
The truly heartbreaking story was the one of the kid that played Froggy in the later episodes. When he was thirteen, he was delivering newspapers
on a scooter when he was hit and killed by a truck. By the same token - "Alfalfa" Switzer was killed in 1959 after an argument over a reward for a
lost hunting dog. The details have been sketchy over the years but during the argument, he pulled a pen knife on the other guy - who wrestled it away
from Switzer and fatally stabbed him with it.
@@urbanurchin5930 Froggy died aged nineteen, not thirteen, and the scooter was a motorcycle type, not the type you push with your foot.
So many of them fuelled the idea of an Our Gang curse...
@@LathropLdST 1932 - 1948, 16 years old.
The chubsy ubsy scene will go down as one of the greatest scenes ever
Everyone says kids are fat today, but those kids were FAT. and during a famine no less.
I recall one Our Gang where... whichever fat kid it was... was just eating like a big chunk of soft cheese, and the other kid's like that's gross and he just says "naw, it's like _ice cream"_ like he emphasized both words. it was hilarious.
I will always remember my favorite quote from my favorite episode:
"EEEEE
OOOOO
EEEEE
OOOOO"
5:09 this gag only works because of Farina's impeccable comic delivery
Watching this made my day. As a kid, i used to watch this series including the later LITTLE RASCALS. The sheer joy of watching these kids never fades. Nothing today compares.
I remember watching this "Our Gang" short on TNT when the re-ran the Little Rascals. It was rather odd not seeing the kids like Buckwheat and Alfalfa.
You are literally the only person other than me to remember our gang on TNT. In new York it was always on around 6 or 630am
I liked the late Our Gang shorts during WWII.
80s kid here who grew up watching Little Rascals with his parents and is still a fan to this day.
My favorite "era" was between 1932 and 1934, after these films and before Spanky became the top dog. He was younger and more of a sidekick then, and characters like Wally and an older Stymie were more the leaders.
So many of my favorite Rascals films came out at that time... "Mike Fright" "Hi Neighbor!" "The First Round Up" "Wild Poses" etc.
I never actually cared much for the Spanky/Alfalfa/Darla/etc years. Too many musical performance episodes and the stories were too scripted.
I remember watching a documentary on Child Actors from this time and it was quite sad in a lot of ways how a lot of the "Our Gang" kids were basically supporting their own parents and never really saw dime of their own money.
I think it may have been the little girl who played Darla as an old woman talking about when she was a kid her seeing other kids play outside and thinking to herself, "Why are these kids not at work don't they know we have to take care of the parents?"
Thank Jesus child labor laws were changed in the movie industry due to Jackie Coogan who would later gained fame as Uncle Fester on The Addams Family.
Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all
Jackie Coogan earned his fame long before the Addams Family.
@@deaconsmom2000
I'm aware of this but most people don't know who Jackie Coogan is unless you attach him to The Addams Family because most people are unaware that he was a child star decades before.
@@HomicideHenry good point
@@HomicideHenry Amazing that Uncle Fester helped changed child labor laws
@@deaconsmom2000 I think 🤔 you have Jackie Cooper and Jackie Coogan confused 😕 Jackie Cooper was from Our Gang and Jackie Coogan was in the movie The Kid with Charlie Chaplin
For those that do not know, there is a "Little Rascals" channel on most free streaming services like Pluto or Visio Free TV.
Just watched "Fly My Kite" this past weekend.
The Farina/Stymie/Miss Crabtree era are by far the best-most creative and funniest of Our Gang shorts. Don't forget the wonderful excellent music by LeRoy Shield
I watched the Our Gang shorts as a child in the 50s. Seeing that world of kids has charmed me all my life. They are brilliant pieces of art.
9:16 "Well I ain't washing my neck and ears for no dame" you tell them King.
YES!!! Thank you! Among our gang connoisseurs, the early 30s casts remain supreme.
Absolutely.
In the 90s, I knew a W2 vet who had flown with Bobby Hutchins (Wheezer) and he talked sadly about seeing Hitchins' death when he had a mid-air collision with another airplane while ending pilot certification in the Army Air Forces, near the end of the war. A lot of these kids met sad ends...
I'm happy you are talking about The Little Rascals again. My mom's favorite comedy series. Props to Cabin Fever for releasing these Shorts on VHS to new generations. I also got them on DVD.
13:00 "It's hard to SPOT the difference between them." ayyyyy
I love knowing that Jackie Cooper became THE Jackie Cooper. I just found out that Stymie Beard was in the first season of Good Times! I was watching it and said out loud "OMG, is that Stymie?" And it was.
Jackie Cooper was such a great actor. He had such a wonderful career. I loved all the rascals but Jackie was great.
To me his perennial kind was, 'Gee Miss Crabtree you're real pretty. You're as pretty as Mrs McGilacuddy.'
typo: kind, line
When I was younger, around 2000, somebody bought me the vhs box set of the our gang shorts. It had all of the best shorts from every era. One of the vhs tapes also has a history that talked about the different eras and the different actors and actresses that were involved.
That’s where I first learned that the original Alfalfa had a small part in the It’s a Wonderful Life.
In pool scene. He looked the same really only taller. Too bad what happened to him. Died way too young over money from what I understand.
He was also in White Christmas. His picture was used for Freckle Face Hanes The Dogface Boy.
I grew up in the 2000s but these early sound shorts were a big part of my childhood. I always prefered this cast. I got into the series when i saw a marathon on TCM and quickly got the DVD set.
I had no idea Jackie Cooper was a child actor in the 1930's. Kinda cool seeing Perry White as a Rascal.
it's like seeing that one Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode with an extremely young Barry Gordon. He was a fantastic actor even back then.
I found when he spoke of how in his early career, Schlitze the pinhead, from the 1932 movie freaks had a fascination with him that really made him uneasy.
My parents got a dvd collection of all the shorts that I watched through growing up, so my initial impression of the rascals was the my gang cast. Our favorite and one we can still quote over a decade later was the love business episode where Jackie and Chubby compete for the love of Ms Crabtree
Totally never would have guessed Jackie went on to be my favorite adaptation of Perry White. Seems obvious once it’s pointed out
@@jacktoma21 which perry white did he end up playing?
@@hunterprice3320 the one from the Christopher Reeves movies, it was shown in the video
@@jacktoma21 OK cool. I haven't watched the whole vid yet.
A classic!
At Last…someone who understands the gang at Our Gang! Thank you Joe and Hats Off for your always insightful, and thoughtful tributes to our greatest comedies. What well researched and articulate pieces you have produced…the tribute to Laurel and Hardy s still among my favorites…and that re- editing of Atoll K is something that I’m saving forever. The Our Gang Comedies are just so much fun to watch. Hal Roach made it seem so effortless, blending the silent film era into “ soundies”, he really understood kids, having been inspired by a bunch he observed fighting over a stick. When the company that released the majority of the two reelers for Roach, MGM, finally took over production, they taught the kids how to “act”, they destroyed the charm and natural personalities of Spanky, Darla Alfalfa and the rest of the gang…My hats off to Hats Off! Keep ‘em coming…
If you can get a look at "Small Talk", their first talking picture, the first words uttered by any Rascal is a prayer on the lips of Joe Cobb. Grace offered before a meal, and a prayer that Mary finds an adopted home. I also found pleasure in tracking the casting from the silent era to the sound era. The gradual add/drop development of the cast was smooth and thoughtful. It was simply smashing to see them do so well in talkies. But their age was showing, and they had to move on.
There's really not enough pie throwing in today's films and shows
Nowadays it's all kids throwing avocado toast at each other.
@@suedenim Beyond Sausage
@@suedenim Nowadays it’s UA-cam commenters throwing tired memes at each other.
Those twins reading the titles out loud somehow remind me of the twins that summon Mothra more than the "come play with us" girls from The Shining. Only instead of a giant moth monster, they summon a group of wacky kids.
I still think these are the funniest, "kid-friendly" shows ever. (I'm a young 40, and grew up with VHS versions of Our Gang, etc)
My brother and I watched the Our Gang shorts in syndication when we were kids in the 1970s. As primitive as those films were, they were still hilarious and highly entertaining, holding their own against the 1970s shows and usually being funnier than anything else on TV at the time. One of our friends was the spitting image of Alfalfa and would often give himself the pointy cowlick with hairspray. It’s mind-boggling to me that these shorts will be a century old in less than a decade.
Pssssst. They turned 100 in 2022. :)
@@windmillkid indeed they did! I guess I was thinking about the start date for their MGM silent films later in the 1920s.
This show was so much a part of my childhood that when our mother called us, my brother and I always answered "here I is!".
As a kid, my aunt nicknamed me and always called me Spanky, and by asking her what she meant I got introduced to the series.
I loved these growing up. My grandparents had a vhs box set of all of them that I "borrowed" for most of my child hood. This and the three stooges are definitely up there with my favorite shows of all time.
That sword fight still kills me as much as it did when I first saw it as a kid back in the 70's.
There was only a brief mention here about the original 'Our Gang' cast of the silent era. Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, Jackie Condon, and others blazed the trail for this series.
When switching over to sound production, the kids had to be taught how to say lines in German, French, Spanish, etc as the only work-around at the time for the international audience.
They definitely need an in depth bio
Funny enough Robert Blake of Barrett’s and gene reynolds of mash all got their start from this Mildred kornman younger sister of leading lady Mary kornman became a famous model and was one of the last surviving stars of the silent era
I've worked for a non profit for seniors running a senior center in my small home town for nearly the past 2 decades, and honestly only remember seeing The Little Rascals a here, and there growing up not thinking much of them, but over the years since I started my work I always got request from my clients to show them on movie day, and when we finally got internet about a decade ago, I found a batch of the shorts on UA-cam for them, and they honestly have become some of my favorite comedies of that era next to The Three Stooges for their charming, and good natured humor. 👍for another great retrospective.
So glad that this series is finally available to watch in its entirety on Blu-ray.
Hopefully they included all shorts including the so called "banned one"
This is actually my favorite Our Gang era, with When the Wind Blows & Love Business being my favorites, with young-Spanky era shorts Birthday Blues & Mush and Milk close behind 😊
Honestly, the silent era had me cracking up. The intro cards for each character had me laughing every time.
"Mickey, a veteran engineer with over an hour's experience."
"Joe: Too long for short pants, too short for long pants."
"Mary: She left home, along with her mother's lipstick"
"Jackie: Commander of the Periscope Forces, consisting only of himself."
The silent era has a satirical feel that couldn’t continue into talkies, at the fault of nobody, but it is what makes it stand out to me.
A favourite:
“Jackie: Superintendent of Exploitation”
Or maybe:
“Mary - unanimously elected cashier. She did the voting…”
I agree they are the funniest. Jackie Condon is the man.
I am glad 2 of these rascals are still with us.
how can you not fall in love with miss Crabtree.
To me, the first five years of the sound era are the best of the series. I also really like the silent shorts, as well. Even as a kid watching the Little Rascals on TV in the early 80s I didn't think the shorts that came out after 1935 were as good.
The early shorts were much better, they had more adventure and crazy silliness to them. After 1936 the shows were all about putting the kids in singing and dancing numbers that mimicked the big musicals of MGM, all the adventure and zaniness was gone, and all the poor kids ever did was sing show tunes, it was pretty sad.
8:37 Anyone interested in the Leroy Shields soundtrack music, be sure to check out the near-perfect reproduction albums by orchestral group “The Beau Hunks” released on two CDs in 1995. They also did recordings of the Laurel & Hardy film soundtracks, as well as others, as none of the original version masters still exist 😕
Man I really love these videos. I grew up watching a lot of this stuff. My Grandparents would sit us down and we’d watch all this stuff. I don’t suppose you could do a Shirley Temple retrospective? She was their favorite, hands down.
I watched these here in Southern California on the KTLA Family Film Festival every weekend. These kids made my childhood pretty special. The episode with the cart is a favorite. Great job on this tribute.
They were an afternoon staple of my childhood in the 70s!
@@seanryan3020 same here on Channel 20 in the Washington DC area in the 1970s.
@@DWNicolo NY's Channel 11 when I was in Connecticut and Channel 4 in Denver for me.
@@seanryan3020 Here )Cleveland) in the late '50's -early '60's, as part of local afternoon kid's shows.
It's amazing to watch Jackie Cooper as a young boy and fast forward to his role as Perry White in the Superman movies. That's a long career!
Few things bring me as much pleasure as The Rascals. Huge fan here. Love this era of The Gang! Some of the best episodes in the series! Not really anything I didn’t know here, but still a great video. My second favorite era of shorts next to “Baby Spanky” episodes. Stymie is my second favorite member next to Baby Spank. Thanks! Been watching these for nearly 50 years.
"well ....just keep passin bye til you come to the river and THEN drop in " LMAO ..... one of the funniest lines ever delivered ...and several more from that same short ...my favorite .... WOW June Marlow was a total knockout .....
Sometimes I wish I had been born in that era like my dad .... I can only guess how many people's sanity was saved by the now CLASSIC comedy shorts of the depression era ....
Stymie is my favorite, all time. Young Spanky, Farina, Chubby and Scotty were great, as well.
Same here! Was hoping someone else was a Stymie fan in the comments. He was so funny in how he just went with the flow, and made the best of every predicament.
Nobody coming to his birthday? More candy for him! Hahaha
It may choke Arti but it ain't gonna choke Stymie..
@@scottslicklen2306 who’s Malaria!
Our Gang's adventures always inspired me to think big as a young child.
A wonderful and sensitive documentary. It lends dignity and appreciation to each of these amazing early film industry participants. Thank you
I always found this line-up underrated too, especially considering Farina actually appeared in more shorts than any other kid, even Spanky
Weirdly, one of my favorites of yours. I've never cared to learn about film prior to the 80s or maybe 70s (give me an hour and I might come up with two handfuls of films I've seen from before then), but between this and your Laurel & Hardy stuff, it makes me feel good to learn about this stuff.
What a shame ! You are cutting yourself short ! There are so many good films that you are missing out on. Most movies made during and after the 80's are
lacking in story and dialogue. Too many in the modern era rely on gimmicks and CGI to hold the short attention spans of todays' audiences. I was lucky, that
when I was around 10 years old - I would stay up late during the summers and watch old monster movies on T.V. - that eventually led to interest in other films
from the 30's and 40's. There are so many good ones that it would be impossible to even start a list here in the comments section.......
I agree, loved the earlier Rascals, from 29 to 33. Stymie, Jackie, Farina, Wheezer, Mary Ann, Chubby, baby Spanky and of course Pete.
Wasn’t Jackie Cooper one of the only actors of the LR to successfully transition from kid actor to adult actor?
Dickie Moore had a decent career, but Cooper was the most successful by a country mile (that is, if you don't want to include Robert Blake who were in the M&M shorts)
He also became a director, he did some of the M*A*S*H episodes.
Yeah
@@cdjeeyore There wasn't much Jackie Cooper didn't do in his long career on either side of the camera.
He had a TV series The people's Choice" (1955-58),when I was a kid. His co-star was a Basset Hound named Cleo.
This cast had some of my favorites. Jackie was pretty funny, and I always thought Weezer was great. Scottie with early Spanky were great too.
The earliest reels always were my favorites. Just seemed more like kids having fun and not a script. Thanks.
I remember that one kid got kicked off the cast because he freaked out and beat the orphan who played Alfalfa to death. It's a shame, he had a great bit.
You know, later on in life he went on to own and run his own bar.
It’s pretty crazy to me how much Jackie Cooper looks the same as when he was older. Like he could grow out of his roll on here, and walk straight to the Daily Planet.
Thank a bunch, Joe - this is outstanding! And here's another vote for the Jackie vs Chubsy-Ubsy love rivalry over Miss Crabtree as being a favorite in this early series. I agree that the kids all looked like they were having a great time just being themselves. Not like stereotypical anxious "child actors" at all.
My favorite line from Chubby "Oh Miss Crabtree, there's something on my mind, " he's quoting some famous line from a popular movie at that time. I have a bad habit of quoting it myself, but no one gets the reference.
I still laugh non-stop when I watch those little rascals episodes. Very talented young actors/actresses.
The funniest thing (to me) were the wood vehicles that the gang would make and drive......they all had the scissoring arm with a boxing glove attached to punch people........and the vehicles would always lose control going down hills........I was hysterical when the out of control vehicle would hit someone and they'd go flying up in the air yelling "whoa"........great stuff......I'm even laughing while I'm writing this.......
I had a bunch of those Our Gang Cabin Fever VHS tapes too as a kid. I didn't understand why the casts would completely change between episodes, but I always loved when this group came on.
Dickie Moore was a favorite. "Freewheeling" is such a funny episode. The one where they are firemen is great too.
they did a handful of firemen ones… I assume you mean hook and ladder, which stars dickie. my favourite is the fourth alarm (1926), but firefighters from 1922 is pretty good too.
Farina was so talented he was supposedly able to cry on cue, while Jackie Cooper apparently needed to be tricked and manipulated to get the tears flowing.
Don’t call me Norman-just call me Chubbsy Ubbsy. I watched The Little Rascals and saw both the originals and the later group. I loved them all!
This brought nostalgia tears to my eyes. I grew up watching the re-runs of these wonderful characters that are a without a doubt the most talented kids I have ever seen on the screen (considering the era and ages of the children) and how clever to use children as vehicles for humor. They were (to me) literature characters come to life! Like Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. In the series, they were just a bunch of very clever kids either making due, getting into trouble with their ideas, doing everyday things (like going fishing) and rescuing their friends all wrapped up in the innocence that made this work for audiences. Unfortunately now long forgotten slap stick comedy. I cannot thank you enough for taking me back to remember these iconic kids that I grew up watching.
It's nice to see this era touched upon. The silent era featured Joe Cobb and Micky Daniels. The ones that would carry over into the sound era were Wheezer and Farjna.
I'm not too familiar with the silent era but they're very innovative for their time.
The 1st of the sound era cartoons was Small Talk. That era seemed to end with 1931's Fly My Kite. A lot of gang members left after that one film. The Gang seemed a little sparse up until George "Spanky" McFarland came along in 1932.
I had "School's Out" on VHS as a kid and watched it a million times. It was a gift from my grandma. Oh, and Stymie on the back of that car at the end of your video (18:27) is insane. I'm sure he was held there tight, but the fact that they had kids doing their own stunts is crazy.
I was wonder if that was Farina in that locomotive scene. The wide shot looks like a puppet but that close up extreme low angle looks very much alive.
@@deadpan80 I think it's rear projection, so it's almost like he's watching a movie of the train and they film him from behind reacting to the train on the screen in front of him. It looks very real though. (7:18) Oh, and after the train goes over, I do think it's a dummy on a board or something that pops up.
@@marklee81 I don’t know if rear projection was used that early, but it’s possible.
@@marklee81 That's exactly what it is.
As a child, the episode that had the biggest effect on me was the one where the dog catcher put Petey in his gas chamber and turned on the gas.
That one was rather emotional
@@Thomasnmi Especially to a little boy who loved dogs.
Chubby always had me laughing
Some of that footage is almost 100 years old and that's crazy.
Watching them now seems like a history lesson, in the 70's when I was a kid and this show was on daily, it was like watching the childhood of my older aunts and uncles.
Very well done.
The only “gripe” was that you kept referring to the “talkies” era gang as “the original “. You did mention some of the actual Original kids, the set you focused on were not “the Originals”. but this is more a trivial matter.
I have all of the “Talkies”, and 25 of the Silent Era shorts.
The first 3-4 years of shorts seemed excellent and original.
By the time the Talkies came, and later shorts were “reinterpretations” of original stories.
[ but still fun to watch].
📻🙂
Agreed.
Although I grew up on The Little Rascals movie and I love the Alfalfa, Spanky, Darla era of the shorts, I absolutely love the eras that came before it. Great video!
Don't forget the other "other" Little Rascals, the Walt Kelly comic book version. The kids lasted far longer in print than on film, and Kelly utilized the mixed race group to get actual nonwhite characters on comics covers, which was unheard of back then. Further, he had Buckwheat mature into Buck and rid him of his insulting "darkie" dialect. Progressiveness aside, the Pogo creator gave them great adventures and fine illustrations!
Stimey was always my favorite.
Weezer and Mary Ann were my favorites of the earlier cast.
The entire series of 'Our Gang' and 'Little Rascals' were terrific!
I still watch them when I need a much needed break from the topsy-turvy world of today.
I’m 59 and barely remember the original Our Gang shows. Having children did introduce me to The Little Rascals movie which I thought was amazingly adorable. If you haven’t seen it, check it out.
Several of the original silent film version of our gang ended up on TV shows like good times and Sanford and son. Sunshine Sammy Morrison was on a few sitcoms And on all in the family, Archie Bunker’s cab driver boss was a former member of the dead end kids. And I know the guy who played stymie was on good times, and Sanford and son
One thing that was consistent throughout the series, except for the last era, was how they would introduce the youngest actors in before phasing the oldest ones out. They still did make random appearances at times, usually referred to as “the older kids”. It did help add continuity to the shows. I found it interesting how there was never really any solid foundation or family each child was attached to, it changed with each show, as it was needed within each plot.
I’m almost 40 and I thank you for referring to me as “younger audiences” 😂
This is the first video I remember you being sponsored. Congratulations! You deserve it, I love these videos! If you post them, we will watch. (Yes, it's a Field of Dreams pun)
The $5 dvd bin, hell even the $1 bins from the 2000s, made me fall in love with old school stuff like Our Gang.
I think I first learned of limburger cheese from one of the shorts.
I love that 1929 shorts you can tell that the crew was still figuring out how to use sound
Excellent work, as always.
I grew up watching a mix of these in “reruns” in the early 80’s.
I never underrated them. I loved the early cast as much as the late. Farina was hilarious.
I remember all of these. :) They inspired many a child-owned business venture and show on our street.