Herbert Glazer Movies

Our Gang member Janet Burston believes that her family is neglecting her, so she decides to run away from home. The other gang members try to help Janet get adopted (or "adapted") by a more agreeable family, choosing a kindly elderly couple (Sarah Padden and Harry C. Bradley) for the honor. But when the old couple discover that Janet is a runaway, they decide to teach her a lesson by creating a home atmosphere so unpleasant and demanding that she'll be begging to return to her own kinfolk. The only noteworthy aspect of this Our Gang copy is the supporting-cast presence of British actress Elspeth Dudgeon, who previously played the centenarian patriarch of the eccentric Femm family in the 1932 horror classic The Old Dark House. The one-reel Family Troubles was originally released on April 3, 1943. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Moving out of their standard small-town surroundings, the Our Gang kids visit the farm owned by the uncle of Gang member Mickey (Robert Blake). Here the youngsters attempt to milk a cow by placing two bottles under the udders and hoping that nature takes its course. If this weren't hilarious enough, the kids feed Mexican jumping beans to the chickens, are chased by an ornery mule, and end up stuck in a hay-baling machine. Once again, a lot of potentially funny material is laid low by misfire direction and unconvincing performances -- hallmarks of the later MGM Our Gang one-reelers. Farm Hands was originally released on June 19, 1943. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just when it seemed that the MGM Our Gang series was going to continue wallowing in mediocrity, along came the one-reel gem Mighty Lak a Goat. In this consistently funny outing, the Gang members try to clean off their clothes after being splattered with mud. The "miracle" cleaning solution devised by Billy "Froggy" Laughlin works beautifully, but with one major drawback: The stuff stinks to high heaven! Oblivious to their putrid pungency, the kids manage to empty out a bus, a classroom, and a movie theater (even the actors on the screen can't stand the smell) before they sniff out the reason for their sudden unpopularity. Watch for Ava Gardner in a tiny role as a movie-house cashier. The last truly worthwhile Our Gang comedy, Mighty Lak a Goat was originally released on October 10, 1942. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Venerable minstrel-show impresario Walter Wills makes his third and final Our Gang appearance in the one-reel comedy Doin' Their Bit. Hoping to entertain the military troops stationed in Greenpoint, Mr. Wills organizes the Our Gang kids into a junior USO troupe. In addition to performing a distressingly unfunny "boot camp" sketch (which attempts to garner laughs by making jokes about "dead Japs"), the gang participates in a brace of production numbers, slickly choreographed by Bud Murray. In the final analysis, the regular Our Gang members are virtually expendable: Most of the entertaining is done by a batallion of talented young dancers and singers. Doin' Their Bit was originally released on July 18, 1942. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The janitor of the Greenpoint department store is murdered during a robbery, and Our Gang members Mickey (Robert Blake), Froggy (Billy Laughlin), Buckwheat (Billie Thomas), and Janet Burston witness the crime. The thieves (Norman Willis and Dick Rich) take the boys hostage, but Janet escapes and heads for the police. Alas, no grownup will believe her story, so Janet enlists the aid of the other gang members to rescue the boys and capture the crooks. A surprisingly grim and depressing Our Gang" comedy, the one-reel Little Miss Pinkerton was originally released on September 18, 1943. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide