Jack Chertok Movies

The Our Gang kids square off against "Butch's Assassins" in a crucial football game. Star player Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer balks at participating, leaving it up to Darla Hood to coerce and cajole him into donning his uniform. The climax of the game finds Alfie attempting a sixty-yard touchdown, despite the formidable opposition of his lifelong rival Tommy "Butch" Bond. Originally released on November 12, 1938, the one-reel Our Gang entry Football Romeo benefited from the comedy expertise of uncredited script contributor Jack White, of Three Stooges fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Once again, Our Gang members Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and Tommy "Butch" Bond are bitter rivals for the affections of little Darla Hood. The nerdish Waldo (Darwood Kaye) comes up with a solution: Alfalfa and Butch will compete for the title of Junior Mayor during Boys' Week, and whichever one wins will earn the honor of escorting Darla to the annual Strawberry Festival. But despite the strenuous efforts of both young candidates, a "dark horse" wins not only the election, but also the girl. Originally released on August 27, 1938, the one-reel Our Gang comedy Party Fever was among the earliest directorial efforts of George Sidney (The Harvey Girls, Show Boat, Bye Bye Birdie). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Our Gang comedy series moved from Hal Roach Studios to MGM with the one-reel gem The Little Ranger. Snubbed by his girlfriend Darla Hood, Gang member Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer accepts the invitation of tomboyish Shirley "Muggsy" Coates to attend the local picture show. While watching the adventures of his favorite cowboy star, Alfalfa dreams that he himself is a Wild West sheriff, with his pals Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas and Eugene "Porky" Lee as deputies. Naturally, Darla also figures prominently in Alfalfa's dream, as does his archrival Tommy "Butch" Bond. What happens next determines Alfie's destiny when he awakens from his slumbers. A very funny entry, The Little Ranger successfully retained all the elements that had made Our Gang so popular during its Hal Roach days -- something that could not be said for most of the subsequent MGM offerings. The film was originally released on August 6, 1938. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Former Our Gang kid Scotty Beckett makes an amusing return appearance to the series as the title character in the one-reel comedy Cousin Wilbur. Much against his will, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer invites his sissified Cousin Wilbur (Beckett) to join the All 4 One Club. The enterprising Wilbur immediately increases the membership by offering cash compensation (usually a penny or two) for every black eye and busted nose administered by neighborhood bullies Tommy "Butch" Bond and Sidney "Woim" Kibrick. When the two tough guys try to muscle in on the club, Wilbur surprises everyone by proving himself to be the best bare-knuckle fighter on the block! Cousin Wilbur was originally released on April 29, 1939. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Famous filmmaker Jacques Tourneur (known for his compelling film noir and scary horror movies) makes his directorial debut in this crime drama that centers on a gang's getaway driver who is captured and imprisoned. There he undergoes rehabilitation and decides to go straight. The head gangster's moll also opts for reform while her boyfriend decides to stay a crook. The good couple ends up earning an early parole; they make the most of their second chance and prove that prison rehabilitation works. The film is noted for its realism. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The title of this one-reel Our Gang comedy is explained when Gang member Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer comes face to face with his wealthy lookalike Cornelius (also played by Switzer). This fateful meeting provides a golden opportunity for both boys: By trading places with his double, Alfalfa will be able to weasel out of his yard work and live a life of luxury, while Cornelius will be able to escape the rigors of dancing lessons, baths, and the like, and briefly enjoy the benefits of being a "regular kid." But the consequences of the boys' identity-trading serves only to lend credence to the old saw "Stay in your own backyard." Originally released on January 20, 1940, Alfalfa's Double fails to live up to the promise of its premise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In his final Our Gang appearance, Tommy Bond essays his usual role as the Gang's eternal nemesis Butch. This time, Butch wins the heart of little Darla Hood, leaving heartbroken Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer to cry in his alphabet soup. Mistaking the boy's doldrums for indigestion, Alfalfa's dad (William Newell) prepares to give his son a good dose of Seidlitz Powder -- or, as Alfie calls it, "Settles-It" Powder. Later on, the kids pay a visit to Butch's jerry-built chemistry lab, where the young troublemaker is mixing up what he thinks is an explosive. Recognizing the mixture as Settles-It Powder, the crafty Alfalfa offers himself as Butch's guinea pig, "bravely" downing the concoction in hopes of impressing Darla. Alas, the powders haven't been properly combined, and before long a bloated Alfalfa is floating into the sky, while the rest of the gang frantically scurries to his rescue. Filmed in November of 1939, the one-reel Bubbling Troubles was held back from release until May 25, 1940. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wrongfully accused of stealing, an angry Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer decides to get even with his parents by embarking upon a life of crime. To that end, he enlists the other Our Gang kids as his "mob." Hoping to deflect his pals from this drastic action, Spanky McFarland decides to teach the gang a lesson. He tricks the kids into thinking they're burglarizing a house, when in fact they're merely helping the homeowners clean out their junk. Things take an unexpected turn when a real-life fugitive from justice (Al Hill) chooses the gang's clubhouse as his hideout, with the cops hot on his heels. The one-reel Our Gang comedy Good Bad Boys was originally released on September 7, 1940. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This entry in MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" series focuses on customs evasion. It shows how even wealthy people, not just career criminals and smugglers, attempt to evade paying customs tax on items they bring back from overseas. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

The "new pupil" in this one-reel Our Gang entry is a pretty young lass named Sally, played by popular child actress Juanita Quigley. Immediately upon Sally's arrival, Our Gang kids Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and Spanky McFarland literally fall over each other trying to get her attention, leaving the gang's traditional sweetheart Darla Hood in the lurch. But when it turns out that Sally can't stand either one of the boys, she and Darla cook up a scheme to dampen their romantic aspirations. Originally released on April 27, 1940, The New Pupil is a forced, unfunny comedy that, sadly, was par for the course when the Our Gang series moved from Hal Roach Studios to MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode in MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" series takes on election fraud. It gives a behind-the-scenes account of how gangsters and crooked politicians conspire to fix elections and install their own candidates instead of the ones who were legally elected and warns that public apathy can lead to the erosion of the democratic process. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

Edward Arnold made the first of his two screen appearances as Bayard Kendrick's blind detective Captain Duncan McLain in MGM's Eyes in the Night. The plot is set in motion by Norma Lawry (Ann Harding), whose stepdaughter Barbara (Donna Reed) has been keeping company with washed-up actor Paul Gerente (John Emery). Norma feels that Gerente, an ex-lover of hers, is a bad influence for Barbara, but the girl merely assumes that Norma wants Gerente all to herself. When the ageing actor is murdered, Barbara assumes that Norma committed the crime. Rather than go to the police, Norma heads to her old friend Duncan McLain, but when the detective arrives at the scene of the murder, the body has disappeared. Detecting the odor of violets in the room, McLain uses this tiny clue to build a case against a gang of Nazi spies, headed by the Lawry's butler Hansen (Stanley Ridges), with whom the late Mr. Gerente had been collaborating. Just knowing who did it isn't enough in this case, however: getting the drop on McLain and his associates, the villains hold the detective and Lawry prisoner until they are able to get their hands on a secret formula developed by Barbara's father (Reginald Denny). In true movie-serial fashion, it is McLain's faithful seeing-eye dog Friday (played by "himself") who saves the day. A "B" picture with "A" entertainment value, Eyes in the Night proved successful enough to warrant a sequel, 1945's The Hidden Eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide