Mickey Daniels Movies

Once again, the Our Gang kids go into the taxi business, this time with an old, abandoned, motorless auto and an obliging mule. When the mule escapes, a motorist offers to tow the kids' vehicle to the top of a hill. Upon their arrival at the top, the youngsters briefly leave their taxi unattended -- whereupon little Allen "Farina" Hoskins sneaks aboard and takes the controls. Sure enough, the taxi begins careening uncontrollably down the hill, then continues its wild ride through congested city streets and sidewalks as the terror-stricken Farina tries to stop it. The film was first released on December 6, 1925, and it was partially remade as the 1932 Our Gang talkie Free Wheeling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Determined to get out of school to attend the circus, the Our Gang kids fake an epidemic by splotching their faces with ersatz measles. The doctor quickly figures out what the kids are up to and orders the young tricksters to remain in bed, even after it is announced that everyone else in their classroom has been given free circus tickets. A few clever gags notwithstanding, Circus Fever, originally released on February 8, 1925, does not hold up that well. Far better are the later Our Gang films that borrowed the basic plot elements of Circus Fever, notably Teacher's Pet, Fish Hooky, Spooky Hooky, and Three Smart Boys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the Our Gang kids make the acquaintance of Billy Lord, a wealthy youngster who owns his own home-movie camera, the youngsters decide to go into the motion-picture business. With movie-struck teenager Martha Sleeper as their leading lady, the kids put together a rip-roaring cliffhanger adventure, with thrills and spills aplenty. Alas, the film's premiere is disrupted by shouts of "Phooey!" from Jackie Condon, who is angered at having been left out of the proceedings. A few well-aimed eggs and tomatoes hurled by another outcast, Jay R. Smith, all but guarantees that the film's first screening will be its last. Combining clever and inventive gags with surprisingly slipshod material, the silent, two-reel Better Movies made its own theatrical debut on November 1, 1925. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoping to build their own amusement park, the Our Gang kids are disheartened to discover that their favorite vacant lot has been purchased for development. Fortunately, the developer, 60-year-old Henry Mills (Paul Weigel), is a big kid at heart. Over the protests of his hide-bound board of directors, Mr. Mills not only agrees to let the kids keep the lot, but also offers to help them build their park. Beyond the inherent pleasures in seeing the gang's elaborate homemade amusement devices, Boys Will Be Joys doesn't have much to recommend it; still, it's hard to dislike any film that opens with live-action titles showing a group of laughing youngsters. This silent, two-reel comedy was originally released on July 26, 1925. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy was first released on May 3, 1925. Shootin' Injuns finds the Our Gang kids collectively deciding to run away from home and strike out for the Wild West. The youngsters get no further than a nearby house, which has been outfitted with magnetic gimmicks for the benefit of an amusement park impresario. After spending a hair-raising night in what seems to be a haunted house, the kids are more than happy to return to their parents -- that is, if they can catch up with their parents, who have likewise been frightened away by the spooky house. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Romance enters the lives of the Our Gang kids, prompting them to go to their surrogate "grandma" for advice. After Joe Cobb, Mickey Daniels, and Allen "Farina" Hoskins go a-courting, the gang reassembles at a fancy beauty salon where their pal Eugene "Pineapple" Jackson is working as a page. Within a few minutes, the kids reduce the establishment to shambles, and the cops arrive to cart them off to reform school -- where Grandma comes to the rescue once more. Originally released on April 5, 1925, the silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy The Love Bug is seldom shown in its original form; most prints have been struck from the radically edited version included in the Mischief Makers TV package of the early 1960s. ~ 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

The Our Gang comedies were never more enjoyable than when they fulfilled the fantasies of the kids in the audience. Case in point: the silent two-reeler The Sun Down Limited, in which the Our Gang kids construct and operate their own railroad service, powered by a somewhat overworked dog. While Mickey Daniels and Joe Cobb enjoy a brisk business transporting their fellow gang members to and fro on a small, abandoned stretch of track, neighborhood bully Toughy does his best to sabotage the operation. Inevitably, the kids' makeshift train hops the tracks and begins careening down city streets, with poor Allen "Farina" Hoskins bravely attempting to halt the vehicle all by himself. Even film historian William K. Everson, no fan of the Our Gang series, listed this comedy as one of the best Hal Roach films ever made. The Sun Down Limited was originally released on September 21, 1924. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy finds the kids enjoying target practice with a variety of weapons, from an air rifle to a bow and arrow. Tired of shooting at imaginary targets, the youngsters accept the invitation from Mickey Daniels to hunt real "big game" on his family's farm. After harmlessly "capturing" several barnyard animals, the kids try to bag a bear -- but end up the pursued, rather than the pursuers. One quickie gag, in which black youngster Allen "Farina" Hoskins' eyes bulge when he sees the bear, has often been cut for television showings; also frequently missing is a longer scene in which little Joe Cobb suffers the ill effects of his first cigarette. It's a Bear was originally released on July 27, 1924. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The beloved humorist Will Rogers, whose own series of Hal Roach two-reelers was produced concurrently with the studio's Our Gang series, makes a guest appearance in the Gang comedy Jubilo Jr.. The film opens with Rogers, as wandering hobo Jubilo, befriending a group of fellow tramps and telling them all about his childhood adventures. The film then flashes back to the younger Jubilo, now played by Our Gang member Mickey Daniels. Determined to purchase a three-dollar hat for his hard-working mother, little Jubilo hatches all manner of moneymaking schemes, including his own neighborhood circus. Though the film ends on a jarringly Pirandellian note, the final image of the Our Gang kids suddenly materializing on the horizon is both poignant and unforgettable. Originally released on June 29, 1924, Jubilo Jr. was remade as the 1932 Our Gang talkie Birthday Blues. Curiously, the earlier film was not included in the first Our Gang TV package; instead, it made its video premiere as part of Paul Killiam's Movie Museum silent-film series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy Commencement Day made its first theatrical appearance on May 4, 1924. It's the last day of school, and the Our Gang kids prepare for the commencement exercises, which of course are designed more for the entertainment of the parents than the children. Despite being dressed in their best go-to-meeting clothes, the youngsters can't help but get into mischief; Mickey Daniels dukes it out with class bully "Snoozer," "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison has trouble keeping track of his younger siblings Allen "Farina" Hoskins and Jannie "Mango" Hoskins, and Joe Cobb is likewise pestered by his kid brother Jackie Condon. The commencement play starts off well enough, but things spiral downhill in a hurry thanks to an unexpected onslaught of sneeze-inducing pepper and the climactic invasion of a swarm of bees. And on top of everything else, little Farina gets stuck in the schoolhouse well. Most currently available copies of Commencement Day have been taken from the 13-minute TV abridgement, retitled Little Red Schoolhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy The Buccaneers was originally released on March 9, 1924. As the film's title suggests, the gang decides to become pirates, but their jerry-built galleon sinks to the bottom of the harbor the moment it's christened with a ketchup bottle. Undaunted, the kids stow away on Captain Whelan's scow and before long find themselves on the high seas. Rescued by a passing Navy battleship, the kids are immediately put to work by the captain, who intends to discourage the youngsters from yearning for a life at sea. Although the kids manage to elude the captain and the crew, they're not so lucky when their parents catch up with them. A subplot involves the efforts by fat Joe Cobb to deliver a package of fish -- which mysteriously disappears thanks to a pack of hungry felines. An abbreviated version of The Buccaneers, retitled The Pirates, was included in theMischief Makers TV package in 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide