Joe Cobb

A followup to the musical-revue short Our Gang Follies of 1936, the one-reel Reunion in Rhythm was apparently filmed under the title Our Gang Follies of 1937. Its release title reflected the fact that, in addition to such current Gang members as Spanky McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Darla Hood, Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas, and Eugene "Porky" Lee, the film also features return appearances by former "Our Gang" stalwarts Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, Joe Cobb and Mathew "Stymie" Beard. The occasion is a class reunion at Adams Street Grammar School, where the students stage a show for the entertainment of the alumni. Musical highlights include "Baby Face", performed by Darla and Porky; &"Broadway Rhythm", performed by Spanky and the ensemble; and a medley of &"Going Hollywood" and "I'm Through With Love", sung by Alfalfa and Georgia Jean LaRue. Originally released on January 9, 1937, "Reunion in Rhythm" is the least satisfying of the "Our Gang" musicals, perhaps because the kids seem a tad over-rehearsed this time out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Four of the "Our Gang" kids fabricate elaborate excuses to get out of school so they can go fishing. Unfortunately, the boys have picked the very day that their teacher is taking the whole class for a free excursion to the Seaside Amusement Park. The rest of the picture finds the would-be fishermen trying to sneak into the park without attracting the attention of the eagle-eyed truant officer. Originally released on January 28, 1933, Fish Hookey is a watershed "Our Gang" film: in addition to featuring the current crop of "Gang" members, the film also accommodates guest-star appearances by four former members from the silent era: Mary Kornman as the teacher, Mickey Daniels as the fun-loving truant officer, and Joe Cobb and Allen "Farina" Hoskins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This silent "Our Gang" comedy starts out as a vehicle for Allen "Farina" Hoskins, here cast as a youthful hobo, riding the rails in the company of his dog Pete. While passing through California, Farina links up with the rest of the Our Gang kids, who are eager to join him in his life of carefree vagabondage. Their odyssey comes to a sudden and spooky end when the kids find themselves stranded in a "haunted" house. Happily, the cops arrive just in time to rescue the Gang from their own vivid imaginations. A tired and derivative series entry, Fast Freight was originally released on May 4, 1929. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lazy Days is built entirely around the fact that the Gang members in general and Allen "Farina" Hoskins in particular are too lazy to perform their chores or even indulge in horseplay. The pace picks up a bit when the kids decide to enter a "beautiful baby" contest in hopes of winning a $50 prize. When fat Joe Cobb tries to pass off his equally porcine pal Norman "Chubby" Chaney as an infant, it is clear that youngsters' chances of winning are slim indeed (and, as it turns out, were nonexistent in the first place!) Described by one observer as a "loud, long, yawn," Lazy Days was originally released on August 15, 1929. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The second "Our Gang" talkie, Railroadin' was filmed entirely out-of-doors, on location in and around the railroad yards behind the Samuel Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood. The fun begins when train engineer Otto Fries, the father of Gang members Joe Cobb and Norman "Chubby" Chaney, takes a lunch break, leaving Joe and Chubby to their own devices. Goaded on by their pals, the two kids attempt to operate their dad's locomotive, leading inexorably to a riotous runaway-train sequence, expertly combining laughs and thrills. Originally released on June 15, 1929, Railroadin' was long unavailable because its soundtrack discs could not be located. Then in the late 1970s, a complete talkie print was made available from Blackhawk Films, and subsequently released on video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the livelier late-silent entries in the "Our Gang" series, Cat, Dog & Co. begins with the kids thoughtlessly abusing or overworking their pets. But thanks to the gentle admonitions of a lady from the Be Kind to Animals Society (played by future gossip columnist Hedda Hopper), the kids tearfully vow to change their ways. Determined to extend kindness and generosity to all forms of animal life, the youngsters set loose all the critters in town, including a rather fearsome collection of oversized rodents and amphibians from a local experimental laboratory. The film's strangest sequence finds a conscience-stricken Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins imagining that he has been put on trial in an all-animal court for being cruel to chickens! Upon its original release on September 14, 1929, "Cat, Dog & Co." came equipped with a sound-on-disc musical score, played on a pipe organ by future Hal Roach composer-arranger LeRoy Shield. This score has been restored for the film's reissue as part of the VHS/DVD "Little Rascals" package--necessitating the interminable stretch-printing of one dialogue subtitle in order to achieve proper synchronization. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first all-talking "Our Gang" comedy, Small Talk was also one of the few series entries to run three reels rather than the customary two. A sentimental effort, the film details the trials of tribulations of two orphans -- played by Mary Ann Jackson and Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins -- when one of them is adopted by a wealthy matron (Helen Jerome Eddy). Though Wheezer is showered with toys, fancy clothes and other luxuries, he remains lonesome for his sister Mary Ann. The two kids are reunited when Mary Ann, together with the rest of her orphan pals, pay an unanounced visit to Wheezer's new digs. After laying waste to the mansion and accidentally summoning the cops, the youngsters are rescued from a return trip to the orphanage when a group of rich ladies agrees to adopt all of them immediately. Though exhibiting the customary clumsiness of early sound films, Small Talk also contains several surprisingly sophisticated "talkie" gags, including an opening bit involving various makeshift musical instruments. Originally released on May 18, 1929, the film was not included in the "Little Rascals" package released to television in the early 1950s because no decent picture and sound material then existed. Small Talk was restored for the home-movie market by Blackhawk Films in 1974, and released on video and DVD in the 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The last of the silent "Our Gang" comedies, Saturday's Lesson was also one of the best in the entire series. It is Saturday, and the Gang members would rather be playing than doing their accustomed household chores. Escaping the watchful eyes of their parents, the kids scurry off to a local park, congratulating one another for their evasive action. This is overheard by a sandwich-board man (Jack O'Brien) who is dressed in a Devil costume. Deciding to have some fun with the kids -- and to teach them a lesson in the bargain -- the "Devil" makes a spectacular appearance in a puff of smoke, then scares the youngsters into returning to their chores, warning them that he'll "catch 'em" if they don't obey their parents. Duly chastened, the kids perform their duties so energetically that their mothers are left dumbstruck. The film ends with one of the rare moments in which the Gang comes "out" of the picture to address the audience. Though filmed before the "Our Gang" talkies Small Talk, Railroadin', Lazy Days, Boxing Gloves and Bouncing Babies, Saturday's Lesson was withheld from release until November 9, 1929. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the hard-working, widowed mother of Our Gang member Allan "Farina" Hoskins falls ill, things look bad for her family: She has no money for food or medicine, and even worse, the cruel landlord intends to evict her unless two hundred dollars in back rent is immediately forthcoming. Determined to raise the money himself, Farina is equally determined not to let bad fortune weigh him down, and to that end he adopts a perpetual winning smile. Unfortunately, the rest of the gang misinterprets Farina's grin, thinking that he's mocking them. Only after Farina has been abused beyond reason by the other kids does Joe Cobb discover the truth. Hoping to make up for their past misdeeds, the gang vows to earn enough money to save both Farina's mother and her humble home. As it turns out, however, Farina and his family are rescued by a convenient oil gusher. Long considered lost, this silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy was rediscovered in France in 1991: Inasmuch as it has not yet been released to video, the above synopsis is based on contemporary reviews and an eyewitness account by "Little Rascals" historians Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann. Originally released on February 26, 1928, The Smile Wins was the last Our Gang film released through Pathe; thereafter, producer Hal Roach would distribute his product exclusively through MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of a handful of currently unavailable Hal Roach/MGM "Our Gang" silent films, School Begins was a series of gags built around the unenviable ritual of returning to school during the first week of September. Hoping to get out of their classroom responsibilities, Gang members Joe Cobb and Harry Spear arranged a series of excuses to be sent home, all of which came a-cropper. Fortunately for the boys, the school day ended abruptly and prematurely when Harry's kid brother, played by Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, brought a live fish, and a brace of trained seals, into the little red schoolhouse. School Begins was originally released on November 17, 1928. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "Our Gang" kids befriend elderly Chief Cummings, a former fire chief who runs a ramshackle taxi service with the help of his faithful firehorse Duke. When the Chief is threatened with the loss of his business -- and his horse -- the Gang comes to the rescue, using business tactics that would earn them a stiff prison sentence were they adults! A running gag has little Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins taking such dismissive instructions as "Go sit on an egg!" and "Go jump in the lake!" all too literally. A thrilling climactic chase caps the otherwise standard "Our Gang" comedy Old Gray Hoss, which made its first theatrical appearance on October 22, 1928. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though currently unavailable for viewing, the Hal Roach/MGM "Our Gang" silent comedy "Fair and Muddy" would seem to be a remake of the earlier two-reeler One Terrible Day. According to existing records, the plot concerns an elderly dowager who decided to "adopt" the Our Gang kids, much to the consternation of her flustered chauffeur (played by future B-western villain Charles King). When the kids all showed up in spotlessly clean white sailors suits, the audience knew well in advance that those outfits would end up stained beyond repair by the end of the film --- and thanks to one of those outsized mud puddles which existed exclusively in the world of Hal Roach comedies, that is exactly what happened! "Fair and Muddy" was originally released on May 5, 1928. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide