For generations, Our Gang comedies have been enjoyed by millions of fans the world over. Now, celebrate the 100th anniversary of this iconic and beloved film series in The Little Rascals – The Complete Collection (Centennial Edition).
In 1922, producer Hal Roach introduced the kiddie troupe known as “Our Gang” to theater audiences and kicked off one of the most popular and prolific franchises in the field of short subjects, with 220 one- and two-reel comedies released over a twenty-two year period.
By the late 1920s, the series (later re-titled “The Little Rascals” for TV syndication) made the transition from silents to “talkies” and would soon embark on its most revered and best remembered period–the 80 sound shorts made at Hal Roach Studios between 1929 and 1938–all of which are included in this one-of-a-kind collection.
A must-have for any true Our Gang fan, this 6-disc set also includes over 4 hours of bonus material and features the talents of George “Spanky” McFarland, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Darla Hood, Matthew “Stymie” Beard, Jackie Cooper, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Eugene “Porky” Lee and many, many more.
The shorts included in this set were by and large included in previous volumes that were released and reviewed individually, but some of the configurations are different for the new discs. The A/V and narrative qualities appear unchanged, and overviews of each can be found at the appropriate links below
DISC ONE SHORTS
For thoughts on The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 1, including A/V quality, please check out our review here.
1929
- Small Talk
- Railroadin’
- Lazy Days
- Boxing Gloves
- Bouncing Babies
- Moan & Groan, Inc.
1930
- Shivering Shakespeare
- The First Seven Years
- When the Wind Blows
- Bear Shooters
- A Tough Winter
- Pups Is Pups (previously on Volume 2)
- Teacher’s Pet (V2)
DISC TWO SHORTS
For thoughts on The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 2, including A/V quality, please check out our review here.
1930
- School’s Out
1931
- Helping Grandma
- Love Business
- Little Daddy
- Bargain Day
- Fly My Kite
- Big Ears
- Shiver My Timbers
- Dogs Is Dogs
1932
- Readin’ and Writin’ (previously on Volume 3)
- Free Eats (V3)
- Spanky (V3)
- Choo-Choo! (V3)
DISC THREE SHORTS
For thoughts on The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volumes 3 & 4, including A/V quality, please check out our reviews here and here.
1932
- The Pooch
- Hook and Ladder
- Free Wheeling
- Birthday Blues
- A Lad an’ a Lamp
1933
- Fish Hooky
- Forgotten Babies
- The Kid from Borneo (V4)
- Mush and Milk (V4)
- Bedtime Worries (V4)
- Wild Poses (V4)
1934
- Hi’-Neighbor! (V4)
- For Pete’s Sake! (V4)
- The First Round-Up (V4)
- Honky-Donkey (V4)
DISC FOUR SHORTS
For thoughts on The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volumes 4 & 5, including A/V quality, please check out our reviews here and here.
1934
- Mike Fright
- Washee Ironee
1935
- Mama’s Little Pirate
- Shrimps for a Day
- Anniversary Trouble (previously on Volume 5)
- Beginner’s Luck (V5)
- Teacher’s Beau (V5)
- Sprucin’ Up (V5)
- Little Papa (V5)
- Little Sinner (V5)
- Our Gang Follies of 1936 (V5)
1936
- The Pinch Singer (V5)
- Divot Diggers (V5)
- The Lucky Corner (V5)
- Second Childhood (V5)
DISC FIVE SHORTS
For thoughts on The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 6, including A/V quality, please check out our review here.
SHORTS:
1936
- Arbor Day (V5)
- Bored of Education
- Two Too Young
- Pay as You Exit
- Spooky Hooky
1937
- Reunion in Rhythm
- Glove Taps
- Hearts are Thumps
- Rushin’ Ballet
- Three Smart Boys
- Roamin’ Holiday
- Night ‘n’ Gales
- Fishy Tales
- Framing Youth
- The Pigskin Palooka
- Mail and Female
- Our Gang Follies of 1938
1938
- Canned Fishing
- Bear Facts
- Three Men in a Tub
- Came the Brawn
- Feed ’em and Weep
- The Awful Tooth
- Hide and Shriek
Special Features
Disc One
- Introduction by Leonard Maltin – The Little Rascals at 100: A nearly seven-minute audio introduction from the famed film critic over clips from the shorts and other vintage material. Maltin discusses the enduring legacy of the shorts, the initial seed of ideas, discovering the young talent, the history of the series from the silent era to the talkies, the presence and influence of Hal Roach, the restorations and more.
Disc Six
- Foreign Language Shorts: A collection of the only surviving Little Rascals shorts that remain from the period between 1929 and 1931 in which Hal Roach coached the kids line by line to speak in a non-English language where he would be able to earn overseas revenue streams. Quite a bit of damage remains intact here.
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- Las Fantasmas: This 21-minute short from 1930 is the Spanish-language version of When The Wind Blows. It is the only film that survives fully intact.
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- Los Cazadores de Osos: This 11-minute short from 1930 is the Spanish-language version of Bear Shooters. Despite image reels surviving for both reels of the Spanish version, only the audio materials for reel 2. Thus, only the second reel is provided here.
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- Temps d’Hiver: This 11-minute short from 1930 is the French-language version of A Tough Winter. Reel 1 of the French version survives and is presented here.
- Our Gang Shorts: Three newly-restored silent-era shorts are provided here which are just as entertaining as the talkies. The image looks really nice, and the audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0.
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- The Big Show (1923) (21:06)
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- Dogs Of War! (1923) (19:56)
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- Mary, Queen of Tots (1925) (20:25)
- Good Old Days – The Music Of Our Gang: A 29-minute featurette which takes a look at how the shorts evolved from the silent era to the talkies, the implementation of synchronized sound, how it improved the pacing of the shorts, the exclusive compositions that were created for Hal Roach studios, the evolving library of cues, the background of the talent responsible and more.
- Then and Now – A Special Tour of Our Gang Shooting Locations: A 13-minute featurette which takes a look at some of the notable shooting locations where these movies came to life and how they look in the modern day. This is well researched, but it leaves you wanting a bit more of the actual modern locations rather than the numerous clips and graphics.
- Our Gang Centennial at the Hollywood Museum: A 17-minute collection of highlights from the opening of the “100 Years of Our Gang” exhibit on July 27th, 2022 which included a speech from Sidney Kibrick (who mostly appeared as “Woim”) and is the last surviving featured player of the series. You get some great shots of the exhibit as well as comments from Leonard Maltin, Historian and Author Richard W. Bann, Hal Roach’s daughter Maria Roach Carpenter and more.
- Our Gang Reunion on You Asked For It TV Show: A nine-minute reunion from 1951 featuring Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Johnny Downs, Mickey Daniels, Joe Cobb and Jackie Condon. Also appearing is on-set teacher Fern Carter, cameraman Art Lloyd and director Bob McGowan. This is a fun bit of history that was unearthed for fans.
- A Day In The Life of Spanky and Porky: A 48-minute piece from 1985 in which “Spanky” and “Porky” travel around Boulder, Colorado as they take the stage, answer questions and sign autographs as guests at the annual “Trivia Bowl” event. There are some illuminating moments regarding the matter of compensation, filming and more.
- The Little Rascals Jukebox: Two collections entitled “Alfalfa Tunes” and “Rascal Varieties” totaling 46 minutes are provided here if you want to take in musical moments from the show.
- Image Galleries: There are galleries provided for “Ephemera”, “Holidays”, “Promotional Stills, Portraits, Candids and More” and “Scene and Production Stills”.
- Other Rarities
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- Speed-O Byke Theater Ad with Spanky (0:53)
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- In-Theater Ad with Mary Ann Jackson (2:12)
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- Screen Test for Unknown Film with Mary Ann Jackson (No Sound) (1:47)
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- In-Theater Ad with Norman “Chubby” Chaney (1:40)
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- Spanky McFarland Interview (4:25)
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- Art Lloyd Home Movies (No Sound) (4:15)
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- Commercial for MGM Our Gang (1:19)
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- Audition Reel for Jackie Lynn Taylor (5:45)
Final Thoughts
The Little Rascals series was never a stronger presence than during the Hal Roach talkie era which found so many talented young kids full of verve and personality. Over nearly a decade, the quality of the shorts remained extremely high as you had a rotating array of burgeoning stars getting into the most ridiculous, hilarious situations. There are elements that are a product of the time in which they were made, but it is easy to admire what was created and how it has endured over the decades. As we celebrate its centennial, ClassicFlix has collected all of their wonderful individual volumes into one package complete with the same amazing A/V presentations, but now with hours of new special features. This is a dream set for anyone interested in these classic short films. Essential
The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection (Centennial Edition) will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on November 15, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: ClassicFlix has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.