Our Gang Comedies

First off-the-bat, these are all 52 remaining Our Gang films, from 1938-1944, NOT 1942 as the description above reads. These 10-minute short films are the worst in Our Gang's history but I'm giving this collection five stars...and I'll tell you why. During the last few shorts during the Hal Roach period, Our Gang films began their downslide, as Spanky & Alfalfa were older and getting hammier in their acting. Once Roach sold the rights to MGM, the series took a nosedive - but they still had some good moments. The best actor from 1938-1940 was Tommy Bond (Butch) who is a more polished, natural actor; also, Sid Kibrick (Woim) is great as Butch's sidekick, even though his dialogue is limited to lines like, "yeah, Butch." But Spanky and Alfalfa became the worst "Our Gang" actors the older they got; Darla has moments of lameness too, but not to the extreme of Spank & Alf. Buckwheat was OK but was worse in the Gang's final years, 1942-1944. Porky left early, followed by Butch, Alfalfa, Darla (who was just starting to beautifully blossom) and finally, Spanky. They were eventually replaced by Mickey, Froggy & Janet; these last years (1941-1944) are referred to as "The Froggy Years" as one would complain about the awfulness of the films - but it's unfair to Billy "Froggy" Laughlin, as he was actually the series' saving grace. His acting was not as bad as we all thought - he actually pulls off some very funny moments, but we have to suffer through the awful, preachy plotlines to get to 'em....you also get to hear Froggy's REAL voice in a few of these films. What else made these lame? Little things. 1) No Pete The Pup...the remainder of dogs were these little yappy dogs that always get under your feet with names like "Whiskers" and "Rover" - not big, lovable lugs like all the Petes during the Roach years. 2) New, lesser "Gang" members with names like "Fatty" (no fatter than Spanky) and "Happy" (who has one of the biggest sourpuss faces and is anything BUT happy). 3) Waayyyyy too many episodes had the gang putting on a show for one reason or another. Yawn. (Runnin' outta ideas?) 4) The opening/closing theme - a medley of "London Bridge Is Falling Down/Farmer In The Dell." If they had kept the original theme it really, really woulda helped. 5) Too many episodes where we, the audience, are supposed to learn a lesson. At certain points, some adult - a judge or equivalent of - looks right into the camera and addresses the audience with lines like "if each parent would take more time to teach their kids, blah-blah-blah." Also, too many "moral" episodes where the kids themselves get too preachy, especially Spanky; he becomes the "goody-goody" of the gang, which makes my heart sink. Mickey (Robert Blake) comes a close second. The worst of the bunch? "Time Out For Lessons," where Alfalfa learns that he should balance time between his football playing and schoolwork; after telling the gang "we're not gonna practice until we've done our homework" and his dad tells him to balance play with work, Alfalfa leaves to play football with the rest of the gang and utters, "FROM NOW ON, WE TAKE TIME OUT FOR LESSONS!!!" In real life, he'd probably be kicked off the team. 6) Terrible special effects. Scenes when gang members go flying through the air look amateurish with wires clearly visible. So, why do I give this collection 5 stars? 1) This is the first, and possibly only time you'll have the chance to get this complete collection of the rest of the gang films. 2) It's also important that you watch and learn how NOT to treat a beloved series; either step up the quality or bow out entirely. Filmmakers should watch the "Our Gang" films beginning with the Hal Roach sound films (1929-1937) and then observe how the series deteriorated with these MGM episodes. A great, great filmmaking lesson is to be learned here. 3) For collectors of comedy films of this period, it's a vital collection. 4) The quality - video & audio - is top-notch. 5) It's very family-friendly - probably even more so than then the original Hal Roach films (still contain some racial humor but less than the Roach films). So, yes, even with all it's flaws - AND THERE ARE MANY - it's still important for serious collectors. Five stars? Most definitely.

What a great set of classic nostalgia. I grew up watching these on TV. This set has the Little Rascals (Our Gang) comedies from mid-1938 to 1945 when MGM decided to stop making them. There is another set which has some 80 episodes or shorts. This set focuses on the older Spanky, Alfalfa and Buckwheat characters. These all have sound and the transfers are pristine. In 1941, Alfalfa got too tall and started looking too old for the gang of children. He was replaced by Froggie and a couple others but the stories were still fun and charming. This set includes two of my personal favorites which feature a robot which uses "invisible rays" for power, and their rival gang sells them some invisible rays to make their home made robot (they say -rowboat) work. If you are a fan, these shorts are near perfect. A BluRay would have been better, but they are black and white and they look good even when played on an HD TV.

Final 52 Little Rascals Were Re-Named "Our Gang", after producer, Hal Roach sold this humorous group of youngsters, that were nicknamed "The Little Rascals". "Spanky", Darla Hood, "Alfalfa", "Butch" & all others to M-G-M (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). The 52 shorts are not in chronological order of being filmed. DVD DISCS 1, 2 3 & 4 have 11 shorts apiece & DVD Disc 5 has the other 8. To better explain, all 52 short's title is in quotation marks & each short's length of time is in parenthesis () right side of each title & each shorts theatrical Date of Release, (at IMDB.com), [Internet Movie Database]). ADDITIONAL FACT: ALL 52 shorts are less than 00:11:00, or eleven minutes! (All TITLES are in QUOTATION MARKS & exactly spelled as IMDB has their titles spelled, exactly. On each shorts, theatrical Date of Release, {Saturday or TUESDAY}, Month, Day Number & Year, are in curved bracketts. I also used curved bracketts, in the time of all five discs & I used square bracketts, [], on all 5 DISCS' SHORTS' NUMERAL, 1, 2, 3 4 & 5). I capitalized the letters, on the dates, that were not on a Saturday. Sample: TUESDAY. (There were only two Tuesdays, 27th & 29th, the 5th & 7th, on DISC 3). DISC 1: [SHORTS 01 - 11] {1:51:56} = 6,716 SECONDS. DISC 2: [SHORTS 12 - 22] {1:57:19} = 7,039 SECONDS. DISC 3: [SHORTS 23 - 33] {1:54:23} = 6,863 SECONDS. DISC 4: [SHORTS 34 - 44] {1:58:43} = 7,123 SECONDS. DISC 5: [SHORTS 45 - 52] {1:26:43} = 5,203 SECONDS. {THE TOTAL TIME, OF ALL 52 SHORTS, ADDED TOGETHER IS 9:09:04 & 32,944 SECONDS}. DISC 1: (SHORTS 01 - 11) {1:51:56} = {6,716 SECONDS}. 01: "The Little Ranger" (10:42) = 642 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, August 6th, 1938}. Darla personally picked Butch to be her date, which is rather odd. Shirley "Muggsy" Coates, another early teen girl, invited Alfalfa, to be her date & he accepted her invitation. While in the theatre, Alfalfa fell asleep and dreamed that the two were young Western cowboys. In Alfalfa's dream/vision, Butch was the "top cowboy", through out the west. When Alfalfa wakes up, he "popped" Butch's nose immediately, after waking up & won another rivalry match, among the two long time rivals. 02: "Party Fever" (9:35) = 575 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, August 27th, 1938}. Alfalfa & Butch agree (which is extremely rare) that the winner will be Darla's boyfriend. Both are going for mayor. 03: "Aladdin's Lantern" (10:07) = 607 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, September 17th, 1938}. Alfalfa starts to attract Darla's attention as Aladdin, after getting Darla to be his date, his "magic carpet" scheme fails, leading Darla to leave Alfalfa. 04: "Men In Fright" (10:32) = 632 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, October 15th, 1938}. The most popular girl, of the group, Darla Hood, is visited by other "Our Gang" & family parents, while in a hospital, while she recovers, after her tonsils were removed in a tonsillectomy. 05: "Football Romeo" (10:25) = 625 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, November 12th, 1938}. Darla is much like a cheerleader, almost being an elementary homecoming queen & in another Alfalfa/Butch rivalry. 06: "Practical Jokers" (8:36) = 516 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, December 17th, 1938}. Darla tells Spanky & the others, that Butch created the numerous & unknown practical jokes & is responsible for numerous pranks, that occurred and is responsible for the unknown gags, that were pulled on the "Our Gang" club members! 07: "Alfalfa's Aunt" (10:41) = 641 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, January 7th, 1939}. Alfalfa "jumps to a wrong conclusion", after reading a page or two, in his aunt's book & thinking that his mother's sister wants to kill him (as she starts to write a mystery book, while visiting his parents' house). When Alfalfa shows a page to Spanky, the group decide to "rescue Alfalfa." After there are numerous scares (to Alfalfa's Aunt), she then decides to leave the house, later that evening! Her son-in-law, (Alfalfa's dad was glad to be "rid of her") after Spanky, Porky, Buckwheat & all others "sent her away"! PS: THIS IS AMONG THE FIVE MOST HUMOROUS SHORTS, in the set of 52 short sets! 08: "Tiny Troubles" (10:22) = 622 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, February 18th, 1939}. A criminal midget, [acted by Jerry Marin] disguises himself as a baby, he got the "our Gang" clubhouse to be jailed, temporarily. (A true reminder: "Free Eats" was Spanky's debut & it had two criminal midgets, they pretended to be infants & pickpocketed everyone, they were around, but Stymie got one of them to speak English (after poking a needle in the rear-end of one!) Stymie called them "fidgets". (Fidget was probably created, by criss-crossing two words. F for fake & then subtract the m from midget, f+idget = fidget). 09: "Duel Personalities" (9:53) = 593 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, March 11th, 1939}. Alfalfa is under hypnosis & challenges butch to a duel, all for Darla. Just as their duel starts, Butch & Alfalfa lose their bravery & decide to use a cap gun fight, instead. This leads Darla to pick Waldo, to be her boyfriend and depart from Butch and Alfalfa. 10: "Clown Princes" (10:33) = 633 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 15th, 1939}. "Our Gang" members realize Porky's parents are low on money of house rent, so they try to help by creating a circus. Darla is a snake charmer, Spanky is Leading Barker, Buckwheat is a man-eater & there are many other characters & roles of a circus. 11: "Cousin Wilbur" (10:30) = 630 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 29th, 1939}. Alfalfa's cousin, Wilbur, comes by for a 14-day (two weeks) visit. But Wilbur looks odd or weird to "Our Gang" club members, so they mis-treated him & was not respected, at all! Butch (with force) then takes over as "Our Gang" Insurance Company Manager! DISC 2: (12 - 22) [1:57:19] = {7,039 SECONDS}. 12: "Joy Scouts" (10:30) = 630 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, June 24th, 1939}. Male "Our Gang" members (with jealousy) watch a Boy Scout group pass by marching to their camp-out. They do not follow a scoutmaster's advice & create their own group, but havoc goes with them! Poison Ivy, thunderstorms, & extremely weak tent material, they are doomed every where they go! 13: "Dog Daze" (10:38) = 638 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, July 1st, 1939}. "Our Gang" members are accidentally get criss-crossed with a pet-napping crime ring! Just before being jailed, one friendly officer patiently listens to Spanky & solves the whole issue & Spanky helps him find the true & real criminals. 14: "Auto Antics" (10:09) = 609 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, July 22nd, 1939}. Alfalfa & Butch are rivals again, this time they 'combat' with their vehicles. As Darla to be the prize of the race winner. Butch spikes up Alfalfa's car so it will not be able to win! But his vehicle goes out of order, ALSO! PS: From the smoke, of the races, Darla Hood really fainted (off screen), from acidentally inhaling the smoke, as this was being filmed & she was temporarily hospitalized! 15: "Captain Spanky's Showboat" (10:45) = 645 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, September 9th, 1939}. Spanky's uncle allows him to use his very own showboat. "Our Gang" members quickly decide to debut it on their stage & be the highlight of the club. Riders are long moustached villains, criminal-clad heroines (female heroes) & big biceped heroes, as they make their apppearances in a melodrama, that ended all melodramas. (melodrama = melody + drama) 16: "Dad for a Day" (10:52) = 652 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, October 21st, 1939}. Our Gang members speak with an extremely shy man, Mr. Henry, about his secret of liking Widow Baker & her son. Mickey. Mr. Henry owns a gasoline station, almost next door to Widow Baker's lunch counter. With the annual Father's Day holiday nearing, they request Mister Henry to act as if he would be Mickey's dad, while acting as Mickey's dad, is when he breaks his shyness & proposes to Mickey's mother & she gladly accepts his marriage proposal. PS: Spanky's father, was "Elmer Fudd" original voice, Arthur Q. Bryan. Arthur Q. Bryan is best remembered in animation cartoons as "Elmer Fudd", almost always hunting Bugs Bunny & or Daffy Duck. (Elmer Fudd hunted both Bugs & Daffy in three shorts. Titles: "Rabbit Fire", "Rabbit Seasoning" & "Duck! Rabbit! Duck!"). 17: "Time Out for Lessons" (10:52) = 652 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, December 2nd, 1939}. Alfalfa's sports pride, especially football, has put him "on cloud nine", with his high pride & narcisticy, he temporarily refuses his school homework. Shortly afterwards, Alfalfa realizes that if he completely stops school, his football career might end with it. So he decides to start back to studying all of his daily school subjects, especially those he is weakest in. 18: "Alfalfa's Double" (10:46) = 646 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, January 20th, 1940}. Double Trouble! Alfalfa sees a new look-alike named Cornelius. But they're completely opposite, in personality. The two change/trade clothes & go to the other's family & friends. Alfalfa is poor while the look-alike, Cornelius is rich, for his age, Cornelius took the "Our Gang" group to a delicatessen for the snack of a milk-shake, (a whole one, for each person) but forgetting that his cash was left in his real pants, that Alfalfa Switzer is currently wearing! After the "Our Gang" worked at the delicatessen, to pay off their debt, Alfalfa & Cornelius returned back to their own family. Just as Alfalfa is starting to do yardwork, he sees Darla, Spanky, Porky, Buckwheat & others, then he asks for their assistance, they think Alfalfa is playing a practical joke after having to work in the delicatessen to pay their debt. Immediately, after Alfalfa's requested for help, they answer "yes", then they start throwing items into his yard, from their side of the fence, making Alfalfa's work 4 or 5 times "dirtier", or worse (than it already was)! 19: "The Big Premiere" (10:34) = 634 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, March 9th, 1940}. During the opening night of a theatrical movie, at the Fox Carthay Circle theatre & "Our Gang" characters show up to watch the festivities, but causes a disruption. Policemen send them home. But the followig evening, "Our Gang" members create their own premiere at their clubhouse building. PS & Additional Fact: Last "Our Gang" short with actress, Shirley "Muggsy" Coates. 20: "All About Hash" (10:52) = 652 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, March 30th, 1940}. Mickey's parents are almost continuously quarreling, especially on Monday evening, when she prepares hash as their Monday evening supper meal. After Mickey tells the others of his parents' fighting each other, they try putting on a radio script & help them realize that their fighting each is worthless. 21: "The New Pupil" (10:52) = 652 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 27th, 1940}. Two new families move in & the new school students. A female, named Sally is the new pupil the the title was created for, not knowing of Froggy's quick fame with the club. PS: This is Billy "Froggy" Laughlin's first, with "Our Gang". Froggy Laughlin was the replacement of "Alfalfa" Switzer, as his MGM "Our Gang" contract was near its expiration date. 22: "Bubbling Troubles" (10:47) = 647 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, May 25th, 1940}. As Spring is nearing, "Cupid's Arrow" smote both Butch & Alfalfa, all for Darla Hood to be HIS courting date. Butch has the inside tracks of Darla, But Alfalfa wins her out, by scheming with his brain & the mis-use of an apotent "spring fever" remedy. 2 Additional Facts: This is the conclusion of Tommy "Butch" Bond, being an "Our Gang" member for almost 9 years & first time that Alfalfa has younger brothers, named "Tisket" & Tasket". Their hair or toupee is a cowlick, looking like Alfalfa's. Alfalfa's twin brothers, Tisket & Tasket were in # 26, "Kiddie Kure" also, (Alfalfa's last short) but no toupee, on their heads in it. DISC 3: (23 - 33) [1:54:23] = {6,863 SECONDS}. 23: "Good Bad Boys" (10:57) = 657 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, September 7th, 1940}. After Alfalfa is "framed" for stealing oranges from a citrus fruit stand, (that he did not do), this leads him to become a real criminal & he even gets some of the "Our Gang" members to team up with him! But Spanky led the others to find the true juvenile, and be sent to reformed school & clear Alfalfa's bad record. 24: "Waldo's Last Stand" (10:43) = 643 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, October 5th,1940}. After "Our Gang" members realize Waldo's success & his lemonade stand, they talk with him & convince him to team together & open a nightclub. Additional Fact: Waldo Kaye's final "Our Gang" appearance. 25: "Goin' Fishin'" (9:40) = 580 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, October 26th, 1940}. After the "Our Gang" members wake up one morning, at dawn, just before sunrise, Spanky heard that sunrise is the best time for fishing. 26: "Kiddie Kure" (10:49) = 649 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, November 23rd, 1940}. Thurston Hall guest-starred as a hypochondriac, Mr. Morton. After overhearing his doctor suggest to his wife to adopt children & keep him active, he meets Spanky, Darla, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Froggy, Mickey & the other "Our Gang" members, after they go to pick up a baseball that broke a window pane, of his house. After walking into his house, Mr. Morton acts senile & goofy a few times, but when Alfalfa's twin little brothers get into Mr. Morton's medications, Mr.Morton immediately calls the doctor back (the same one that suggested his wife to adopt children, earlier). When Mr. Morton tells the physician that his pills were swallowed by Alfalfa's 2 little brothers, (Tisket & Tasket) the doctor laughs at Mr. Morton & tells him that all he was taking was nothing but sugar pills & Mr. Morton stopped acting sick & weak, after realizing all his running while chasing "Our Gang" members, for 4 or 5 minutes. 2 P.S.'s & Additional Facts: 1st, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer's final "Our Gang" Short appearance. 2nd, Alfalfa has twin little brothers, Tisket & Tasket. Tisket & Tasket were first seen in # 22, "Bubbling Troubles". In Bubbling Troubles, they had "Cowlick hair", like Alfalfa, but not in # 26, "Kiddie Kure". 27: "Fightin' Fools" (8:57) = 537 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {TUESDAY, February 25th, 1941}. "Our Gang" members declare "war", after they come out of the lake & find their clothes all tied up by the club of "The Slickers" & almost too tight to untie, by or for themselves. The "weaponry" is nothing but rotten vegetables. After 4 or 5 minutes of 'combat', a truce is called after both clubs run out of their supply of rotten vegetables & each has to get cleaned back up from the strong odors, of the rotton vegetables, that hit them. 28: "Baby Blues" (9:21) = 561 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, February 15th, 1941}. Mickey read somewhere that 1 of every 4 children is Chinese (worldwide), he starts to have fear that the upcoming sibling is going to be Chinese race & almost runs away from home, until his parents & "Our Gang" members tell him that what heard is worldwide, not in his immediate family. 29: "Ye Olde Minstrels" (10:53) = 653 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {TUESDAY, March 18th, 1941}. Spanky, Darla, Froggy, Buckwheat & other "Our Gang" members join Froggy's uncle's Red Cross drive & they are in a musical. Froggy's uncle & band conductor puts black make-up on and sings a song or two. After Our Gang sing along with Froggy's uncle, they decided to create a musical minstrel with their own members. PS # 1: Watch when Froggy's uncle is first blackfaced, Buckwheat is white faced, (temporarily, 2 to 5 seconds)! PS # 2: The blackface is a reminder of movie history of 1927's Warner Brothers' movie, "The Jazz Singer" with Al Jolson. It was the very first United States of America theatrical movie that was not completely silent & background music! (In it, Al Jolson's musical voice was heard). 30: "1-2-3-Go!" (10:24) = 624 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 26th, 1941}. During a baseball game, Mickey goes after the baseball into the street & is hit by an automobile, breaking a bone in one of his legs. As Mickey recovers, at the hospital, Spanky, Froggy & Buckwheat create another club, re-naming "Our Gang" to the "1-2-3-Go! Safety Club". After Mickey is completely healed from the injury, a radio disc jockey asks him & the others about going into the street too soon. Mickey suggests Froggy to speak to the radio disc jockey. Froggy starts 3 or 4 times, but each time the radio speaker explodes from his coarse voice (of "Popeye, the Sailor"), then when Froggy speaks in his normal voice, the speaker is okay, until he says "Fooled you, didn't I?," with his "Popeye the Sailor" voice. Then, THAT speaker explodes. Then the M-G-M closing credits begin. 31: "Robot Wrecks" (10:55) = 655 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, July 12th, 1941}. After constructing a robot "mechanical assistant" to help do their chores, "Our Gang" group watch in dismay, after seeing their creation makes everything possible worse than it already was! Then Spanky realizes arch-rival members of another club, "Slicker" & "Boxer" have not been seen, or heard from, calling them names to insult them. Spanky, Froggy, Buckwheat & others team against him & make him clean up the messes he made, while disguised as their "creation, of a robot". 32: "Helping Hands" (10:47) = 647 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, September 27th, 1941}. "Our Gang" members decide to help joining a national defense club, & creating an Army, with Colonial (spelled Kernel) Spanky as the General leader in command. An army major watches them drill & informs them how they really can assist "Uncle Sam"'s teams, of Army, Navy, Marines & Air Force. Darla Hood, is dressed like a 12-year young nurse, "Florence Nightingale". 33: "Come Back, Miss Pipps". (10:57) = 657 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, October 25th, 1941}. After Miss Pipps, the group's schoolteacher, has a birthday party, for Mickey, the school principal fires her immediately. This led to the "Our Gang" members to team together at getting their friendly schoolteacher re-hired & immediately! The principal then regretted firing her. At the conclusion, shortly after she was re-instated, the principal's birthday occurred & a birthday party was created for him. DISC 4: (34 - 44) [1:58:43] = {7,123 SECONDS}. 34: "Wedding Worries" (10:55) = 655 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, December 13th, 1941}. Darla Hood's father, (a widower) is getting married & this lead Froggy to jump to a wrong conclusion of step-parents. Mister Hood is a dentist, he used nitrous oxide, better known as "laughing gas" to remove any feeling around his patient's teeth, as he works on them. After other "Our Gang" members listen to Froggy's thoughts & attend it, they disrupt the wedding by using Dr. Hood's laughing gas chamber & spray it inside, where the other attendants are. After being caught, by a maid of Dr. Hood, the marriage finally goes through successfully. During the final minutes, the fathers of Froggy, Spanky, Mickey & Buckwheat spank their son, as "Jingle Bells" is the background music, from an organ. It would have been more humorous, if Darla was the organist, for her way of revenge, of nearly not getting a second mother! PS & Additional Fact: This was the final "Our Gang" appearance of most famous female member, Darla Hood. 35: "Melodies Old and New" (10:57) = 657 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, January 24th, 1942}. "Our Gang" members want to earn money, to purchase new football uniforms for the team & so they decide to present a musical comedy, in their basement theatre. Despite their musical successes, they earned only $1.28. Almost as if it was completely free. 36: "Going To Press" (10:47) = 647 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, March 7th, 1942}. "Our Gang" members claim, show & prove that the pen is mightier than the sword, by establishing a crusading neighborhood newspaper & succeed in breaking up the trouble-making "Gashouse Gang". 37: "Don't Lie" (10:48) = 648 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 4th,1942}. After other "Our Gang" members hear Buckwheat's story of seeing a gorilla, they do not believe him, because of numerous times he lied earlier. As answering questions saying the first thought that come to his mind & as if lying has become his newest "hobby". They remember the tale of "The Boy that Cried Wolf" & create a gorilla costume, with Froggy, wearing the gorilla uniform. 38: "Surprised Parties" (10:55) = 655 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, May 30th, 1942}. Froggy is deeply saddened when other members have a birthday annually, but not him he is a Leap Day child, meaning that his date of birth occurred on the rarest month & date of February 29th! Froggy is temporarily removed from "Our Gang" club, just long enough for the others to create a surprise party for him. While watching the others leave the building, Froggy secretly goes inside. After calmly & quietly watching the last member(s) leave the building, he goes inside to see a party is planned for someone else (that he thought was for someone else). He sabotages almost everything to fall apart, or open earlier than planned. He secretly joins the club disguised as a girl, so he will not be recognized & watch to see who the party was created for. When he learns that it was meant for him, he goes in front of others & lets the games, that he sabotaged, go back to him! Then, at the final games, he goes to take the punishment, is when he was finally recognized, after another game got to his face & the others go to see how "she" is recovering. PS: This is the second and last time, that Froggy rarely spoke or sounded like "Popeye, the Sailor". 39: "Doin' Their Bit" (10:58) = 658 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, July 18th, 1942}. "Our Gang" members decide to help & assist "Uncle Sam" entertain their local soldiers, by forming & creating their own U. S. O. unit. With Froggy's uncle's assistance & help, they organize a show in a local high-school building. The admission is free of charge (to all men & women in a military uniform). But those wearing a military uniform, must pay! 40: "Rover's Big Chance" (10:52) = 652 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, August 22nd, 1942}. As "Our Gang" members are playing a baseball game, a casting director of Mammoth Pictures car tire blows out, near by their field of playing & he watches them play. Then after seeing Rover, play baseball so well, he introduces himself & complimented Rover's ability of playing baseball, so he gives Spanky a business card of his address & telephone number. After arriving to the studio, atfirst, they think Rover is going to be killed (during a screen test & when a Mammoth director, or producer said "shoot"), thinking that the camera was a secret gun. After this, every afterwards was a failure. PS: The Mammoth Pictures' director complimented Rover calling him "the next Rin Tin Tin". 41: "Mighty Lak a Goat" (9:43) = 583 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday October 10th, 1942}. [This is one of the most humorous shorts of this era. # 26, "Kiddie Kure" (Alfalfa's last short) is another of the top two] In the morning, as "Our Gang" members, Spanky, Froggy, Buckwheat & Mickey are walking to school, an automobile driver passes by them, not knowing that a tire went over a small puddle of mud, getting the 4 muddy & dirty! After Froggy led the 3 others to his house he cleaned their clothes, but did not know that of the very fowl odor now on each of them, that the school teacher lets them return back to their home & not have to go to school that day. Hearing this they try going to see what it is like around city offices & a theatre, everywhere they go, all other people "evacuate" the area, of where they "accidentally met the strong & foul odor"! After 3 or 4 places they went to & immediately become alone, they finally realized that the clothes they were wearing are not "suitable", that they bury them & hid stark naked behind a large wooden sign, with the 5-line rhyme, below. LINE 1: HERE LIE THE CLOTHES OF SPANKY, LINE 2: MICKEY, BUCKWHEAT AND FROGGY. LINE 3: DON'T DIG 'EM UP OR YOU'LL GET GROGGY! LINE 4: WE BURIED 'EM WELL - WE BURIED THEM DEEP - LINE 5: SO LET THEM REST IN THEIR SMELLY SLEEP! (All 4 have a quote to say {of 2 sentences}, as it concludes. In order, they are Spanky, Mickey, Buckwheat & Froggy) 1st: "Spanky": Our clothes are there.. [Spanky then points to where the oderous clothes were buried]. 2nd: "Mickey": and we are bare. 3rd: "Buckwheat": So, here we'll stay,,, 4th: "Froggy": 'til you go away. [Then all four wave farewell to the filming camera, after Froggy concludes the two sentence phrase & the camera closes] 42: "Unexpected Riches" (10:54) = 654 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, November 28th, 1942}. "Our Gang" members, Spanky, Froggy, Buckwheat & Mickey find a "treasure map", [that was drawn by a rival, Kenny] just to trick them into doing Kenny's job, of digging a hole in his backyard, (that Kenny's dad commaded Kenny to do) so he could plant a tree in the backyard. Froggy, Buckwheat & Mickey daydream of getting wealthy (but not Spanky), while each one rests. When Kenny's dad sees what was done & the "map that was drawn", Kenny's dad gives them the money, that he offered Kenny. PS: This was the final "Our Gang" short with most popular "Little Rascal" character, George "Spanky" McFarland. He started ten years earlier, in 1931, in Hal Roach's "Free Eats" longer short (& Stymie called 2 thefty midgets, "FIDGETS"). 43: "Benjamin Franklin Jr." (10:57) = 657 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, January 30th, 1943}. Mickey Gubatosi (Robert Blake) dresses like Benjamin Franklin's picture & older colonial clothes, of the 1770's decade, after hearing others grumble & complain, because it is World War 2 & people having to ration on water & food. The other "Our Gang" members decide to put on a drama & look for ways of patriotism. 44: "Family Troubles" (10:57) = 657 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 3rd, 1943}. Janet thinks her parents do not like or love her any more & runs away to hide in the "Our Gang" clubhouse. After being discovered she is "missing", her parents see her in the "Our Gang" clubhouse & believe one or some of them kidnapped her! DISC 5: (45 - 52) [1:26:43] = {5,203 SECONDS}. 45: "Calling All Kids" (10:57) = 657 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 24th, 1943}. A juvenile & musical comedy performance of patriotism, in the spirit of George M. Cohan. The theme is patriotic & all "Our Gang" members are able to be a part & get into the act. They do juvenile imitations of Judy Garland & Eleanor Powell, just to name 2 female patriots. 46: "Farm Hands" (10:31) = 631 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, June 19th, 1943}. "Our Gang" members visit Mickey's uncle during a weekend. The comedy starts after Froggy accidentally spills Mexican jumping beans in with the chicken/poultry seed! The result: "Jitterbugging Baby Chicks"! 47: "Election Daze" (10:09) = 609 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, July 31st, 1943}. Froggy & Mickey are "temporary rivals", as they go for President of "Our Gang" clubhouse. Froggy buys votes by free jelly beans & Mickey bought votes with free lemonade. The election ended up in a tie, the voters then change their votes, from Mickey & Froggy to Janet. Janet is elected unanimously, or almost unanimously. Except, Froggy & Mickey voted for each other. 48: "Little Miss Pinkerton" (10:44) = 644 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, September 18th, 1943}. Shortly after the "Our Gang" group enter a department store, it is robbed & the robbers take all of the "Our Gang" members (except Janet, for she was well hidden) as a shield to help them escape the police that are coming, Shortly after escaping, Janet tells the Police of the abduction of the "Our Gang" children, then the police successfully locate & apprehend the murderers, thieves & kidnappers! PS: One of the 5 most popular shorts, in this set of 52! 49: "Three Smart Guys" (10:44) = 644 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, October 23rd,1943}. After "Our Gang" members are kept in school late one day, the next day Froggy, Buckwheat & Mickey object school & play hooky! The trio go fishing, but did not catch anything. Then they meet an adult fisherman & sees "his big catch". 50: "Radio Bugs" (10:53) = 653 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 1st, 1944}. "Our Gang" members try to create their own radio station but sees that they will need a sponsor for their station, after being at a real radio station & sees that radio stations require a sponsor. After starting a comical & musical radio program, they start looking around, for an "Our Gang" radio sponsor. 51: "Dancing Romeo" (10:54) = 654 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 29th, 1944}. Froggy has a crush or puppy love for Marilyn. But Marilyn will accept him if he can dance. So Froggy & other "Our Gang" members create a group of ropes & tie them to Froggy, each rope will make Froggy dance or jump from one spot to another & make him look fancy as he "dances". Froggy does a solo dance & this won Marilyn's heart, for him! 52: "Tale of A Dog" (10:51) = 651 SECONDS. Date Of Release: {Saturday, April 15th, 1944}. People fear being around Big Shot & Buckwheat, after hearing that they have "Small Pox". Small Pox was just a name Buckwheat picked for a harmless & spotted dog. PS:The dog, "Small Pox" was re-named "Spotty". In the final moment, the dog winks an eye, after it appeared to "speak in English language" (& a southern accent), saying "My, oh my. That sure is good stuff!" {COMPLETE TIMINGS, ALL 52 SHORTS: 9:09:04 = 32,944 SECONDS & ADDING EACH ONE'S DATE OF RELEASE. AMONG THEM, there are 50 SATURDAYS & 2 TUESDAYS. ONLY 2 TUESDAYS ARE THE 27th & 29th SHORTS.

Just plan old fun to watch

The big news this month is that SPANKY, ALFALFA, BUCKWHEAT, DARLA, and the rest of their pals take the spotlight in the OUR GANG COLLECTION. Originally developed by producer Hal Roach as a series of silent short subjects, OUR GANG remained a box office favorite for decades creating healthy profits for their distributor MGM. When Roach decided to cease production of the series in mid-1938, MGM took over production, retaining the kid star favorites responsible for the endless popularity of the shorts. This new 5 disc set contains all 52 of the Our Gang shorts produced by MGM between 1938 and 1944, in their original uncut form as first seen in theaters. Among the titles are PARTY FEVER, THE LITTLE RANGER, ALFALFA'S AUNT, DON'T LIE and dozens more. Also seen in the cast are FROGGY, PORKY, and even little Mickey Guibitosi, who soon changed his screen name to Bobby (Robert) Blake. This collection marks the first-ever home video release of the entire group of the 52 MGM shorts, news sure to be welcome by the horde of Our Gang fans far and wide. The Our Gang comedies are the first in a series of monthly Warner Archive Collection releases to be drawn from the Warner library of classic theatrical short subjects originally produced by both Warner Bros. and MGM. Go to: WBshop.com - The Official Online Store of Warner Bros. for the lowest prices

As a mother of five kids....I can tell you that I wish Hollywood would create wholesome happy comedies like these again. Not like the immoral, violent, and pathetic TV shows children of today are exposed too. What a difference a few decades makes in bringing a society down to levels of uncivilized arrogance and void of compassion and just basic manners and courtesy. What happened to good clean fun? It is so sad that today our children turn to drugs, violence and criminal behavior and grow up to be angry adults. Our public schools certainly do not help any. Eventually the moral standard will deteriorate to the point of having no civility any longer. Wake up Hollywood! Bring back goodness for everyone's sake! 5 stars to the directors of yesteryear!

Fun gift for husband.

This five-disc set presents, with superb sound and visual quality, the final six years of the Our Gang series. Hal Roach started the Our Gang comedies back in 1922 and produced seven years of silent comedy shorts followed by another nine years of talking episodes, the latter of which are well-known to baby boomers from their television syndication as "The Little Rascals." In 1938 Roach sold the production rights for the Gang to MGM, which had already been distributing the Roach films to theaters since the late 1920's. The post-Roach shorts have always been presented as starring "Our Gang," and are the ones featured in this set. They too have been shown on syndicated television and various VHS/DVD compilations over the years, and have shown up occasionally on Turner Classic Movies, but this is the first complete set of what Our Gang experts call "The MGM's" or "The Final 52." The films in this package are presented chronologically, which means that the first disc is by far the best, and the fifth disc is hands down the worst. When MGM first took over the series, the shorts had many of the elements that made the late-30's Hal Roach Rascals films classics: the likeable leader "Spanky" McFarland, the determined singer "Alfalfa" Switzer and his fickle girlfriend Darla Hood, who by the way is the real musical talent of the Gang, the lovable younger tagalongs "Buckwheat" Thomas and "Porky" Lee, and the convincing villains Tommy "Butch" Bond and Sidney "The Woim" Kibrick. Many of the episodes focused on Alfalfa's efforts to steal Darla's heart away from tough Butch or nerdy "Waldo," or sometimes both! These episodes are very well-made and enjoyable. As the MGM years rolled on, the stories became more and more moralistic. Time Out for Lessons, a 1939 title on Disc 2, is a good description of the direction in which MGM was steering the series: Rewards are the good work, not the glory. Education is more important than play. Don't envy children who have more wealth than you. Cross the street safely. Don't Lie! Support your Uncle Sam during wartime. With the shorts continuing production until 1944, wartime life and lesson-teaching became the main themes of these so-called "comedies." This reviewer gives the first disc four stars out of five, the next two, three stars, the fourth one, only two stars, and just a single star for the last. But, the whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts. For its good reproduction quality and completeness, I give four stars to the set as a whole, and would give five if not for the lack of DVD extras and any accompanying booklet. Children age and change quickly and cast turnover was an ongoing problem for Our Gang. Adorable Porky Lee, Buckwheat's little true-blue pal, suddenly grew into a very tall child: taller than Spanky who was five years older. MGM gave Porky a pink slip and his film career was finished. Several of the other kids stayed well past their prime: Spanky stayed until age 14, Alfalfa, Butch, and Buckwheat each remained until 13, and Darla departed as a very mature-for-her-age 10-year-old. Unfortunately, the new cast members were some of the least appealing characters in the history of The Little Rascals/Our Gang. As an adult, Robert Blake (star of In Cold Blood, Baretta, and countless "entertainment" tabloid criminal court features) was embarrassed by his performances as "Mickey" of Our Gang. Who wouldn't be? Mickey Gubitosi (his real name, which was given to his character) started out as a simpering, shrugging, blubbering little brat with a thick Jersey accent who couldn't act his way out of a teardrop. The studio worked on him, changed his name to Bobby Blake and his character's to Mickey Blake, and while at least his line readings improved, his role as the smiling goody-good boy kept him just as annoying on the screen. No Gang of any kind would want this kid in it. After Spanky left, the lead actor in Our Gang was Billy "Froggy" Laughlin who had some acting skill and a unique persona with his platinum blond hair, Harry Truman specs and croaky speaking voice. The trick voice gimmick grew stale, though, after the first few films, and worse, Froggy was rarely given funny things to say, and when he was, bad direction made even those jokes unfunny. Froggy was born too late (to have worked in the better stories and gags in the Hal Roach films) and died much too soon (at 16, in a motor scooter/truck collision, only 4 years after the last Our Gang comedy.) Perhaps no child generates as much disdain from Our Gang fans as Janet Burston, who replaced Darla in 1942. It was obvious that Janet was trying to be another Miss Temple, with her golden hair in Shirleycurls, but the talent wasn't enough and the personality was wrong. Janet's mugging and overacting make Mickey Gubitosi/Blake seem like Alec Guinness. She managed to make the annoying stories and jokes of the last two years of Our Gang twice as annoying as they already were. This reviewer shares her first name and belongs to an Our Gang online group where she is always quick to remind the fellow members that she is NOT the Janet who was actually in the Gang! So, who should buy this set? * Die-hard fans of the Rascals who have enough interest in the series to want to watch and own it all. (Casual fans should buy the Hal Roach Little Rascals set instead.) * Those interested in WWII era film history * Those old enough to have been youngsters at the time these films were made. They will enjoy the nostalgia of seeing the clothes, automobiles, and décor of their youth. * Historians of Black film actors. Buckwheat's one of the best-loved film characters of all time, and although there are too many elements of racism (for instance, in several episodes he's all excited about watermelon) he is treated more like just another kid in the Gang in these films than in those made by Roach. The evolution from Farina through Stymie, and finally Buckwheat, cannot be accurately examined without these later shorts. Listen to Buckwheat speak about Lincoln in Election Daze. Such a speech would have made him President of Our Gang's All-For-One Club in a just society. Thankfully, we indeed are closer to that kind of justice today. But throughout these films, Buckwheat is the type of person anyone should like to have for a friend. * MGM history buffs. * Fans of character actors of the 30's and 40's. Many familiar faces turn up here and there: Ava Gardner as a cinema ticketseller, Andy Hardy's "Aunt" Sara Haden as a beloved teacher, Leave it to Beaver's Hugh Beaumont as a court assistant, Mickey Rooney's father as a dental patient, and many more. The box bears a warning on the back: "The Our Gang Collection is Intended for the Adult Collector and is Not Suitable for Children." It would be more accurate to say that the content includes racist material that was common for its time and left in, though offensive, for historical purposes. Children of today might enjoy some of these films, but may be quite bored by some of the topical situations like war bonds, not to mention the lesson-teaching plots. There is slapstick, music, fun, and of course, many kids doing real-kid things like playing, fighting, trying to earn money, and just being with their pals. Adult collectors should buy this set to watch alone, or with their kids, along with conversations about the culture and humor of these times gone by. Must-have additions: The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang