'The Little Rascals': The Complete Collection Centennial Edition Blu-Ray Review

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.

- 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.

- 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.

- 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.

- The Big Show (1923) (21:06)

- Dogs Of War! (1923) (19:56)

- 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”.