Little Rascals Vols. 3-4 (1955) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I loved "The Little Rascals" when I was growing up. I'm glad to see they have a nice mix of episodes with my favorite characters. Spanky, Alfalfa, Jackie, Buckwheat, Marianne, and Pete (the dog!) are all here!
If you are unfamiliar with the Little Rascals, it was a series of short comedies filmed in the 1920's and 1930's called "Our Gang". The films were about poor kids and their very funny escapades. (Note: there is racial stereotyping that was common at the time of filming, not that that is any excuse!) These were intended to be stand-alone films. In some films, the gang had parents. In others, they live in an orphanage. There were plenty of other inconsistencies like this from episode to episode. Hal Roach sold the original series to MGM, bought it back, and renamed it, "Hal Roach's Little Rascals". More episodes were filmed into the early 1940's. No episodes were ever produced for TV, but it started playing on TV in 1955 under the name, "The Little Rascals". Jackie Cooper played "Jackie". (Robert Blake played "Mickey", but not in any of these episodes.)
Here is an episode guide, with a tiny description:
Teacher's Pet: Jackie brags to a nice woman about the tricks they plan to play on the new teacher. Guess who their new teacher is?
School's Out: Jackie is worried that the new teacher, Miss Crabtree will get married and leave. So when the gang thinks she has a boyfriend, they try to discourage his interest.

Readin' And Writin': Brisbane tries to get kicked out of school after his mother reminds him that he can be president if he does well.
Spooky Hooky: Spanky and Alfalfa want to skip school and go to the circus, so they send Buckwheat and Porky to put a fake doctor's note on the teacher's desk. When they find out the teacher is taking the class to the circus, they do everything they can to get the note back.
Sprucin' Up: Spanky and Alfalfa show off to the new truant officer's daughter.
For Pete's Sake!: After Marianne's doll is destroyed by the local bully, the gang tries to get her a new one. They end up trading Pete, the dog, for a doll!

The Kid From Borneo: The gang decides that a wild man from Borneo wants to eat them up.
Dogs Is Dogs: Pete, the dog, ends up at the pound after he is accused of eating Mr. Brown's chickens.
The Pooch: Stymie steals a pie, but is forgiven when he gets the other kids' dogs from the dogcatcher.

Dog Heaven: Pete, the dog, is upset because Joe spent money on a girl rather than a promised dog collar. Pete saves the girl from drowning, but gets in trouble when Joe thinks Pete pushed her into the water.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Little Rascals Vols. 3-4 (1955)

Get 55% OFF

Click here for more information about Little Rascals Vols. 3-4 (1955)

Read More...

Our Gang - Little Rascals Greatest Hits (1933) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Good collection of Rascals shorts. "Shrimps For A day" is the classic tale of Spanky and two midgets (Olive and Dick Brasno) who lead a kiddie revolt against a tyrannical orphanage owner. If seen in childhood, it will stay in your mind forever! "Hi Neighbor" and "Fly My Kite" are great, but easily available elsewhere (they seem to be on almost every Our Gang DVD). "Beginner's Luck" is a howl-fest about Spanky's misadventures at a kiddie talent show. Look for Alfalfa's debut in this one as well as the Five cabin Kids, a talented group of Black children who were quite popular at the time. Check the kiddie imitation of Louis Armstrong!
Then there's "The Kid From Borneo." One of the less "politically correct" Rascal epics, modern Black viewers may not take well to the story of the children's encounter with a Black "jungle savage". Stymie (of all people) is given lines referring to the title character as a "sissy cannibal" and a "gorilla ape." However, it does have moments of real humor and contains some great chase scenes. One has to really "leave your brains at the door" to enjoy this one and remember that the positive racial aspects of the Rascals far outweigh the negative, given the times that they were made. Personally, my reaction to the film veers between cringing and laughter, although I've seen far worse.
That aside, the transfers vary and youmay have to turn up the brightness on your tv to enjoy this set. But overall, a good collection, especially for longtime fans.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Our Gang - Little Rascals Greatest Hits (1933)

Item Name: Our Gang - Little Rascals Greatest Hits; Studio:Good Times Video

Click here for more information about Our Gang - Little Rascals Greatest Hits (1933)

Read More...

Little Rascals, Vol. 3 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Recently, some friends and I were discussing films of the transition period between the silent movies of the mid 20's and the talkies of the late 20's. I posed the following question: Which actor has had the most enduring impact on succeeding generations of audiences? The responses were givens: Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Rudolph Valentino--and Miss Crabtree. None of us was surprised at this last choice; we were somewhat abashed to realize that none us knew the name of the actress who played the sweet blond teacher of the early Little Rascal comedies. Her name, as we later learned, was June Marlowe, a veteran of more than two dozen forgettable silent films.
She made her initial appearance in Teacher's Pet, and was such a hit that producer Hal Roach quickly used her again in two sequals, School's Out, and Love Business. The reason Miss Crabtree made such a impact in 1930 is the same reason that once one sees her (hopefully as a child), then one can never forget the warmth and love that she doled out and received.
In Teacher's Pet, the previous teacher of the Little Rascals, Miss McGillicuddy, has married, leaving an opening for Miss Crabtree to fill. The Rascals,led by a very young Jackie Cooper, are quite sure that any woman named Crabtree must be a real sourpuss. They plot to drive her away with juvenile antics like sneezing powder and itchy ants. As Jackie heads to school, a lovely woman gives him a ride in her big car. Jackie,not realizing that she is the reviled Miss Crabtree, immediately falls in puppy love with her and tells her all the gory details. She drops him off and when he arrives at school, he sees that his recent female acquaintance and Miss Crabtree are one and the same. After some predictable comeuppances on the part of the Rascals, Jackie is shamed and runs out to cry. Miss Crabtree follows him to welcome him back into the fold with cake and ice cream.
Now this may sound like rather light fare to generate an impact that reverberates even today, but as I viewed Teacher's Pet for the first time in decades, I could see that beneath the juvenile mischief of the Rascals and the smiles of Miss Crabtree lay some serious psychological and social subtexts.
As the movie opens, the Rascals are bemoaning the loss of their beloved Miss McGillicuddy. To Jackie and the other Rascals, Miss McGillicuddy gave them warmth and love. Into this loveless void steps Miss Crabtree, who merely by her presence, re-establishes the primacy of the enduring power of love. With her smiles, her laughter, her voice, Miss Crabtree is transfigured into the icon of the loving Madonna, who need do no more than simply be there to reassure the Rascals and the audience, first of the 20's and now of the turn of the century, that love and caring can never disappear from a world filled with angst. It is to this fount of love that audiences have been responding for seven decades.
In School's Out, Miss Crabtree ever so gently faces some serious issues that intrude on the light comedy of the series. Farina complains sadly that his daddy is in jail more than not. Chubby discloses that his father beats him with 'some fluency.' To these all too common social disasters, Miss Crabtree simply envelops the Rascals with her loving persona, assuring them that if she can't change their condition, she can at least make it more bearable. The plot of School's Out is another piece of fluff involving yet a second case of mistaken identity, this time with her brother, who the Rascals fear will marry Miss Crabtree and take her away as Miss McGillicuddy was taken away. Though this plot may be slight, it still fills the screen with the unmistakeable dread of loss of love. Miss Crabtree is the living symbol that reassuring love can never be truly lost, only postponed.
In Love Business, Miss Crabtree makes her final appearance as the object of the attention of the love-struck Jackie Cooper and of Chubby. Both Jackie and Chubby vie for the hand of the lovely Miss Crabtree, only to realize that love comes in more than one flavor, and if one cannot have the taste that one prefers, there are other kinds.
For these three movies, which are available on one cassette, watching them is an emotional experience. Yes, I grant that June Marlowe does not have the depth or range of later more formidable actresses, but in this series she did not need them. What was needed then--and perhaps now--is a gentle reminder that sweetness and kindness are qualities that can never vanish from our consciousness. It can be no coincidence that millions of fans fondly remember Miss Crabtree as the reason that their lives were touched in a way that resonates decades later.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Little Rascals, Vol. 3

Click here for more information about Little Rascals, Vol. 3

Read More...