Mickey Daniels Movies

With the Our Gang kids involved, no street could ever possibly be quiet, despite the title of this silent two-reel comedy. In the early scenes, the gang "initiates" a new member, who happens to be the son of a policeman. Later on, the kids inadvertently capture an escaped convict named Red Mike (played by Jack Hill, later the perennial stunt double and stand-in for Hal Roach Studios comedian Charley Chase). The best gags have little to do with the plot, notably the hectic sequence in which a mule is pressed into service as a "carpet-beater." A Quiet Street was originally released by Pathe Exchange on December 31, 1922. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Because it was sandwiched between the exceptional comedies Grandma's Boy and Safety Last, Doctor Jack is one of Harold Lloyd's lesser-known features. Nevertheless, it's quite charming and actually did even better at the box office than Grandma's Boy, which was Lloyd's first true feature. Doctor Jack (Lloyd) is a nice young country doctor who prefers to use common sense and his sunny personality to effect cures instead of resorting to pills and potions. His most challenging case comes when a rich father (John T. Prince) asks him to look after his daughter (Mildred Davis, who, a few months after this film's release, would become Mrs. Harold Lloyd). The girl is being cared for by Dr. Ludwig von Saulsburg (Eric Mayne), who claims to be an eminent specialist. He keeps her in a darkened room and has prescribed her various medications. It takes Dr. Jack only a moment to figure out there is nothing wrong with the girl that a little sunshine and excitement won't cure. Von Saulsburg, who has been making a comfortable living off of the girl's family, is horrified by the country doctor's approach; to make matters worse, the girl falls in love with Dr. Jack. Their romance gets Dr. Jack thrown out of the house, but he gets back in the family's good graces by a little trick: Disguised as a lunatic, he terrorizes the household, then dressed as himself, he comes to the rescue. Along the way he makes a fool of the eminent Dr. Von Saulsburg. The excitement proves that the girl is perfectly healthy -- and ready to become Dr. Jack's wife. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Though not the first Our Gang comedy to be filmed, the silent, two-reel One Terrible Day was the first to be released, on September 10, 1922. It all begins when wealthy Mrs. Van Renssaler decides to improve her social standing by sponsoring a day's vacation for a group of local kids. Unfortunately for the dignified dowager, she is saddled with the Our Gang troupe, who make a shambles of the outing. The film's best scenes take place in and around Mrs. Van Renssaler's fancy limousine -- or at least, it was fancy until the kids showed up. Elements of One Terrible Day would resurface in such later Our Gang efforts as Fair and Muddy, Free Eats, Washee Ironee, and Honkey Donkey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This time out, the Our Gang kids are reluctant boarders at Mother Malone's School, an operation run by an overbearing old termagant (Helen Gilmore) and her submissive husband Pop Malone (Richard Daniels). Forced to do all the chores and eat unappetizing (and nutritionally-suspect) meals, the kids plan a midnight escape, with Pop helping them every inch of the way. Unfortunately, the young fugitives find themselves in the hideout of a nasty bootlegger (Charles Stevenson), where Pop comes to their rescue. Emboldened by the experience, Pop finally gives his wife a piece of his mind -- and by film's end, Pop is in charge of the school, and the kids are finally treated with decency and respect (and to sumptuous meals). Originally released on April 8, 1923, the silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy Boys to Board is also available in a shortened TV print, retitled Boarding School. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Its title notwithstanding, the silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy Giants vs. Yanks devotes only a few minutes of its running time to baseball. After a lively sandlot contest involving Gang members Mickey Daniels, Jackie Condon, Jackie Davis, Joe Cobb, and -- breaking baseball's "color line" long before Jackie Robinson -- black youngsters "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison and Allen "Farina" Hoskins, the plot goes in a different direction entirely, as the kids are quarantined in the house of a wealthy couple. The best gags are centered around Mickey's ingenious methods for washing and drying his family's laundry, an operation involving a bicycle and a "carousel" clothesline. Giants vs. Yanks was originally released on May 18, 1923, some seven months after the second "Subway Series" between the real-life Giants and Yanks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first of several Our Gang comedies built around the manly art of self-defense, The Champeen finds Gang member "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison in desperate need of a dollar to pay for some apples he's swiped from the local grocer. Capitalizing on the feud between Mickey Daniels and Jackie Davis over the affections of little Mary Kornman, Sammy stages a championship bout in his backyard, advertising the combatants as "Knockout Mickey, the Irish Giant" and "Terribul Jackie, the Bone Crusher." The climactic fight is one of the best sequences in the entire Our Gang canon, filled to overflowing with clever gags and ingenious camera angles. As a bonus, chubby series stalwart Joe Cobb makes his first appearance, as an enthusiastic spectator. The silent, two-reel The Champeen was originally released on January 28, 1923. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Our Gang kids set up a concession stand across the street from the local racetrack. Befriending Mary Kornman, the daughter of a wealthy horse-owner, the youngsters gain free access to the track, and thrill to the sight of a race in progress. Thus inspired, the kids set up their own track and stage their own "champeenship" race, with the youthful jockeys astride such beasts of burden as cows, goats, and donkeys, and with the action covered by a junior-grade newsreel team (grinding away with a cigar-box camera). Inevitably, the race degenerates into a comic free-for-all and a climactic chase, but not before little Allen "Farina" Hoskins crosses the finish line on his trusty tricycle. Originally released in November of 1923, Derby Day was chosen some 37 years later as the "pilot" film for The Mischief Makers, a TV package primarily comprising abbreviated Our Gang silent comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the lesser silent Our Gang two-reelers, July Days is for the most part a random collection of unrelated gags detailing the gang's methods of passing time during their summer vacation. After a soupçon of plot development involving the rivalry of Mickey Daniels and Jackie Davis over the affections of Mary Kornman, the film arrives at an abrupt dénouement when village blacksmith "Dad" Anderson (Richard Daniels) receives a generous contract to mass-produce his own invention, a sail-propelled scooter. The final image, of the neighborhood youngsters gracefully sailing down the streets in the aforementioned scooters, is so vicariously pleasing that it makes up for the disjointed nature of the rest of the film. Its title notwithstanding, July Days was originally released on August 26, 1923. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally released on July 1, 1923, the silent, two-reel Dogs of War may well have been the most schizophrenic entry in the entire Our Gang series. The film begins with an elaborate sandlot recreation of a battlefield, with the Our Gang kids staging an elaborate mock war, complete with such "artillery" as rotten eggs and overripe vegetables, and with makeshift tanks and cannons adding to the imaginary carnage. Suddenly an armistice is declared when "Red Cross Nurse" Mary Kornman is called away to the local movie studio to appear in an epic titled Should Husbands Work? for a magnificent five dollars a day. Recognizing a good thing when they see it, the rest of the kids head to the studio (actually the Hal Roach lot) and offer their services as actors. Ordered to get out and stay out, the youngsters devise a clever method to gain access to the studio where, in addition to wreaking their usual havoc, they produce a one-reel "masterpiece" that more closely resembles an Andy Warhol experimental picture of the 1960s. Watch for comedy great Harold Lloyd in an amusing cameo -- which also serves as a plug for Lloyd's latest release, Why Worry?. One TV version of Dogs of War, retitled Hollywood USA, jettisons the "war" sequence entirely, with little damage to the film's continuity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Our Gang kids volunteer to assist a ragtag vaudeville troupe in a performance of their traveling show, but despite their well-meaning efforts, the kids not only wreck the performance, but also release a collection of pesky insects upon the unsuspecting audience. Beyond the standard "theatrical" gags, including the familiar but sure-fire bit in which tiny Allen "Farina" Hoskins exposes a fraudulent Strong Man, the film's best bits are reserved for the lengthy opening sequence, in which the Gang operates its own incredible double-decker "tour bus." Incidentally, two of the adult vaudeville patrons in the climactic scene are played by the fathers of Our Gang stars Joe Cobb and Mickey Daniels. The silent, two-reel Back Stage was originally released on June 3, 1923. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this riotous silent comedy, hilarious bespectacled "everyman" Harold Lloyd plays an introverted, speech-impaired, awkward tailor's assistant who secretly writes a book, The Secrets of Making Love and decides to leave his small-town home to get it published in the big city. While aboard the train, he helps a lovely girl smuggle her doggy past a conductor. Afterward, romantic sparks fly between the shy guy and the gal. Their blossoming love is nearly nipped in the bud when Harold's manuscript gets rejected by the publisher. Devastated, he suddenly feels himself beneath the girl's love and abandons her. Poor Harold's broken confidence is instantly mended when the publisher decides to publish the book after all and hands him a healthy advance. Elated, Harold rushes off to find his girl. Unfortunately, he learns she is about to marry another. In the story's riotous, thrill-packed climax, the determined lover uses every means of transportation available in his frantic rush to get to the alter in time to stop her. The film's other highlights involve inventive fantasy excerpts from his lovemaking book. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The plot of the Our Gang silent comedy Fast Company is set in motion when the kids embark upon a swimming expedition. Along the way, Mickey Daniels exchanges clothes with a wealthy boy and takes the other kid's place in a swank hotel room. It isn't long before the rest of the gang arrives at the hotel, with their pet goat and monkey in tow. Originally slated for release during Our Gang's 1923-24 season, Fast Company was begun under the direction of Charles Parrott, better known by his screen name of Charley Chase. But when Chase was called away on business to the Hal Roach Studios' New York office, the uncompleted film was temporarily abandoned. As reported in Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann's book on "the Little Rascals," the film was completed in late 1924 by Robert F. McGowan. Fast Company finally reached the public on November 16, 1924; most available prints have been taken from an abbreviated TV version, retitled The Big Switch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide