Gordon Douglas was loaned out from Hal Roach Studios to direct The Little Ranger and another early MGM short, Aladdin's Lantern, while MGM hired newcomer George Sidney as the permanent series director. "The Little Rascals" redirects here. On June 14, 2011, Vivendi Entertainment re-released seven of the eight DVD's from RHI/Genius Products' The Little Rascals – The Complete Collection as individual releases. [25] The first two entries of the season in fall 1933, Bedtime Worries and Wild Poses (which featured a cameo by Laurel and Hardy), focused on Spanky and his hapless parents, portrayed by Gay Seabrook and Emerson Treacy, in a family-oriented situation comedy format similar to the style later popular on television. However, after filming the movie, Brittany retired from acting at the age of 7! [30] Roach agreed, producing shorter, one-reel Our Gang comedies (ten minutes in length instead of twenty). Cabin Fever acquired the rights to use the original Our Gang title cards and MGM logos, and for the first time in over 50 years, the Roach sound Our Gang comedies could be commercially exhibited in their original formats. Our Gang was very successful during the 1920s and the early 1930s. [13] Early in existence of Our Gang, these theater owners complained to Pathé that Morisson and Hoskins had too much screen time and their prominence in the shorts would offend white audiences. The franchise began in 1922 as a series of silent short subjects produced by the Roach studio and released by Pathé Exchange. Sidney Kibrick, the younger brother of Leonard Kibrick, played Butch's crony, Woim. Tommy Bond, an off-and-on member of the gang since 1932, returned to the series as Butch beginning with the 1937 short Glove Taps. Legacy and influence [ edit ] Painted cover to Four Color Comics number 674, featuring "The Little Rascals" ( Dell , January 1956). Brittany Ashton Holmes (Darla) Alfalfa’s sweetheart is Darla, and in the film Darla is played by Brittany Ashton Holmes, who was born February 27, 1989 in California. The two reunited for the 20th anniversary of the iconic children’s film in 2014. Other popular elements in these mid-to-late-1930s shorts include the "He-Man Woman Haters Club" from Hearts Are Thumps and Mail and Female (both 1937), the Laurel and Hardy-ish interaction between Alfalfa and Spanky, and the comic tag-along team of Porky and Buckwheat. Another director, Herbert Glazer, remained a second-unit director outside of his work on the series. For example, Norman Chaney ("Chubby"), Matthew Beard ("Stymie"), and Billie Thomas ("Buckwheat") all won contests to become members of the gang: Chaney replaced Joe Cobb, Beard replaced Allen Hoskins ("Farina"), and Thomas replaced Beard. The shorts did well at the box office, and by the end of the decade the Our Gang children were pictured on numerous product endorsements. Meins's Our Gang shorts were less improvisational than McGowan's and featured a heavier reliance on dialogue. Robert A. McGowan was credited for these shorts as "Robert McGowan"; as a result, moviegoers have been confused for decades about whether this Robert McGowan and the senior director of the same name at Roach were two separate people. The Little Rascals is a 1994 American family comedy film produced by Amblin Entertainment, and released by Universal Pictures on August 5, 1994. Poor guy is already balding, and apparently had to take a job at Walmart. Many producers, including Our Gang alumnus Jackie Cooper, made pilots for new Little Rascals television series, but none ever went into production. The Our Gang series was a success from the start, with the children's naturalism, the funny animal actors, and McGowan's direction making a successful combination. The video contained three previously-released shorts and the previously-unreleased silent short Dog Heaven; the VHS tape was also available in a gift set with a Pete plush doll.[59]. I just try to look at it as mostly a fun thing. See the article on, Maltin & Bann, pp. Under its new name, The Little Rascals enjoyed renewed popularity on television, and new Little Rascals comic books, toys, and other licensed merchandise were produced. The band had no connection with the actual Our Gang series. Alfalfa has fallen in love with Darla, threatening the very existence of their "boys only" club. The Painful Lives of the Our Gang Cast Members-Truth!& Fiction! Billie Thomas as Buckwheat remained in the cast until the end of the series as the sole holdover from the Roach era. Currently, ViacomCBS, King World's latest successor, handles distribution rights. [25] Lacking a replacement, Hal Roach persuaded him to stay on for another year. “Alfie once put fish hooks in Spanky’s back pockets and poor Spanky had to have stitches placed on his tush,” she says. In 1939, Mickey Gubitosi (later known by the stage name of Robert Blake) replaced Eugene "Porky" Lee, who had matured too quickly. [36] The MGM entries are considered by many film historians, and the Our Gang children themselves, to be lesser films than the Roach entries. Matthew Beard as Stymie left the cast soon after, and the Buckwheat character morphed subtly into a male. Republic would release Little Rascals VHS volumes for retail purchase in non-comprehensive collections through the rest of the 1980s and early 1990s. Despite its brief running time, there is introductory material, exposition, a crisis, a climax, and an ideal conclusion. [39] The final short was Dancing Romeo, which was released on April 29, 1944 (as an MGM Miniature, not an Our Gang comedy). The colloquial usage of the term Our Gang led to its becoming the series' second (yet more popular) official title, with the title cards reading "Our Gang Comedies: Hal Roach presents His Rascals in..."[20] The series was officially called both Our Gang and Hal Roach's Rascals until 1932, when Our Gang became the sole title of the series. However, MGM did not want the series discontinued and agreed to take over production. A number of groups, companies, and entities have been inspired by or named after Our Gang. Because they discontinued various shorts at different times, and also continued to add new releases, there is not one bulletin that lists all 80. This was a second film loosely based on the series and featuring interpretations of classic Our Gang shorts, including Helping Grandma, Mike Fright, and Birthday Blues. In later shorts, both Butch and Waldo were portrayed as Alfalfa's rivals in his pursuit of Darla's affections. In spring 1929, the Roach sound stages were converted for sound recording, and Our Gang made its "all-talking" debut in April 1929 with the 25-minute film Small Talk. Most of the collection uses the 1994 restorations, while 16 shorts are presented with older Blackhawk Films transfers as their remastered copies were lost or misplaced during preparations.[62][63]. Among them were the future child stars Mickey Rooney and Shirley Temple, neither of whom made it past the audition. Several Our Gang alumni, among them Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Scotty Beckett, Norman "Chubby" Chaney, Billy "Froggy" Laughlin, Donald Haines, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, Darla Hood, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, and George "Spanky" McFarland, died before age 65, in most cases well earlier. [2] Douglas, in particular, had to streamline his films, as he directed Our Gang after Roach halved the running times of the shorts from two reels (20 minutes) to one reel (10 minutes). These were released as "Famous Kid Comedies," as Official could not use "Our Gang". After the girl and her mother left the office, Roach looked out of his window to a lumberyard across the street, where he saw some children having an argument. From 1982 to 1984, Hanna-Barbera Productions produced a Saturday morning cartoon version of The Little Rascals, which aired on ABC during The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show (later The Monchichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show). RHI Entertainment and Genius Products released an eight-disc DVD set, The Little Rascals – the Complete Collection, on October 28, 2008. 1979 brought The Little Rascals Christmas Special, an animated holiday special produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, written by Romeo Muller and featuring the voice work of Darla Hood (who died suddenly before the special aired) and Matthew "Stymie" Beard. Currently, the rights to the Our Gang/Little Rascals shorts are divided. Other members in these years included Mary Ann Jackson's brother Dickie Jackson, John "Uh-huh" Collum, and Tommy Bond. Overall, the Our Gang films produced by MGM were not as well-received as the Roach-produced shorts had been, largely due to MGM's inexperience with the brand of slapstick comedy that Our Gang was famous for, and to MGM's insistence on keeping Alfalfa, Spanky, and Buckwheat in the series as they became teens. Along with Alfalfa, other popular characters included Spanky, Buckwheat and Darla. For other uses, see, For a detailed listing of the Our Gang child actors, recurring adult actors, directors, and writers, see, 1926–1929: New faces and new distributors, 1993-present: Cabin Fever/Hallmark VHS and DVD releases, Maltin & Bann, p. 119. For years afterward, Blackhawk Films eventually released all 80 Roach talkies on 8mm and 16 mm film, including Big Ears, which is proven since it is listed in the Blackhawk Bulletin. In 1949, MGM sold Roach the back catalog of 1927–1938 Our Gang silent and talking shorts, while retaining the rights to the Our Gang name, the 52 Our Gang films it produced, and the feature General Spanky. Join us as we take a… OMG #BugHall aka Alfalfa from 'The Little Rascals' is married! Neither film was critically or financially successful, and Roach turned to re-releasing the original Our Gang comedies. Tap link in bio to see all of his adorable wedding photos | #Regram: @jilldegroff, A post shared by BRIDES Magazine (@brides) on Feb 15, 2017 at 1:36pm PST. Co-star Darla Hood gave the inside scoop on how Alfalfa was like on-set. [55] Bracken's official biography was once altered[55] to state that he appeared in Our Gang instead of The Kiddie Troupers, although he himself had no knowledge of the change. In the 1950s, home movie distributor Official Films released many of the Hal Roach talkies on 16 mm film. The resident Spoiled Brat uses his money-fueled machine to take out Alfalfa's new MacGyvered car. Roach changed distributors from Pathé to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1927, and the series entered its most popular period after converting to sound in 1929. True Hollywood Story documentary entitled "The Curse of the Little Rascals". Everything clicks. [51], The children's work in the series was largely unrewarded in later years, although Spanky McFarland was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame posthumously in 1994. [8], The African-American characters have often been criticized as racial stereotypes. After Ernie, Mickey and Mary left the series in the mid 1920s, the Our Gang series entered a transitional period. The characters in this series are well-known cultural icons, and identified solely by their first names. In 1983, with the VHS home video market growing, Blackhawk began distributing Little Rascals VHS tapes through catalog orders, with three shorts per tape. The series broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals.[1]. Also at this time, the Our Gang cast acquired an American Bulldog with a ring around one eye, originally named Pansy but soon known as Pete the Pup, the most famous Our Gang pet. The four black child actors who held main roles in the series were Ernie Morrison, Allen Hoskins, Matthew Beard and Billie Thomas. [19] Morrison's "Sunshine Sammy" instead became one of the foci of the new Our Gang series. In the early 2000s, the 71 films in the King World package were re-edited, reinstating many (though not all) edits made in 1971 and the original Our Gang title cards. The Little Rascals home video rights were then sold to Hallmark Entertainment in 1999, who released the DVDs without an official launch while cleaning out their warehouse in early 2000. Semi-regular actors, such as Jackie Lynn Taylor, Marianne Edwards, and Leonard Kibrick as the neighborhood bully, joined the series at this time. Across 220 short films and a feature-film spin-off, General Spanky, the Our Gang series featured over 41 child actors as regular members of cast. Eventually Our Gang talent scouting employed large-scale national contests in which thousands of children tried out for an open role. The set is available by mail order and digital download as part of the Warner Archive Collection, and is available for purchase via the iTunes Store. On August 26, 1997, a limited-edition volume, For Pete's Sake, was released in honor of the Rascals' 75th anniversary with an introduction from original cast member Tommy "Butch" Bond and "Petey," the dog from the 1994 feature. He would later become known as "Alfalfa", a character he played on the Hal Roach produced series of film shorts called Our Gang, known later in syndication as The Little Rascals. Darla e Alfafa grandinhos: Owwwwnnnnnnn! Alfalfa was convicted of stealing trees from the Sequoia National Forest and selling them for Christmas trees in 1958. The stress of directing child actors forced Robert McGowan to take doctor-mandated sabbaticals for exhaustion,[25] leaving his nephew Robert A. McGowan (credited as Anthony Mack) to direct many shorts in this period. Sep 1, 2017 - This Pin was discovered by Britney. [31] No further Our Gang features were made. We were just a group of kids who were having fun. He won parts in a number of outside features, appeared in many of the now-numerous Our Gang product endorsements and spin-off merchandise items, and popularized the expressions "Okey-dokey!" The 1930 Our Gang short Pups is Pups was an inductee of the 2004 National Film Registry list.[52]. As of December 1, 2020[update], the following notable cast members are confirmed as still living. [46] The two separate packages of Our Gang films competed with each other in syndication for three decades. Sonar Entertainment (formerly known as RHI Entertainment, Cabin Fever Entertainment and Hallmark Entertainment)[65] owns the copyrights of and holds the theatrical and home video rights to the Roach-produced Our Gang shorts. The following is a listing of the primary child actors in the Our Gang comedies. In 2009, Warner Home Video released all 52 MGM Our Gang shorts in a compilation titled The Our Gang Collection: 1938–1942 (though it contains the 1943–44 shorts as well) for manufacture-on-demand (MOD) DVD and digital download. This storyline gave all the children who watched this a very positive vibe, not to mention their adult-like characters which makes it more fun. Cooper soon won the lead role in Paramount's feature film Skippy, and Roach sold his contract to MGM in 1931. Sonar acquired these after absorbing Hal Roach Studios in 1988, and both Roach's estate and Cabin Fever Entertainment in the late 1990s.[66]. The final Roach-produced short in the Our Gang series, Hide and Shriek, was his final short-subject production. Two further Hallmark DVD collections featured ten shorts apiece and were released in 2003 and 2005, respectively. In 1927, Roach ended his distribution arrangement with the Pathé company. Jackie Cooper left Our Gang in early 1931 at the cusp of another major shift in the lineup, as Farina Hoskins, Chubby Chaney, and Mary Ann Jackson all departed a few months afterward. On May 31, 1938, Roach sold MGM the Our Gang unit, including the rights to the name and the contracts for the actors and writers, for $25,000 (equal to $454,078 today). The King World/CBS Little Rascals package was featured as exclusive programming (in the United States) for the American Movie Classics network from August 2001 to December 2003, with Frankie Muniz hosting. Hi-Neighbor!, released in March 1934, ended the hiatus and was the first series entry directed by Meins, a veteran of the once-competing Buster Brown short subject series. Carl Switzer was born in Paris, Illinois in 1927. A cena original de Alfafa e Batatinha com roupinhas de balé! The pilots were not bought, but were notable for including Gary Coleman. Scotty Beckett departed for a career in features (he returned in 1939 for two shorts, Cousin Wilbur and Dog Daze). [13], In their adult years, actors Morrison, Beard, and Thomas defended the series, arguing that the white characters in the series were similarly stereotyped: the "freckle-faced kid", the "fat kid", the "neighborhood bully", the "pretty blond girl", and the "mischievous toddler". The company's licensing only lasted for a short period. Initially, the music consisted of orchestral versions of then-popular tunes. These new television prints made their debut on the American Movie Classics cable network in 2001 and ran until 2003. Hatley and Shield's jazz-influenced scores, first featured in Our Gang with 1930s Pups is Pups, became recognizable trademarks of Our Gang, Laurel and Hardy, and the other Roach series and films. Monogram Pictures and its successor, Allied Artists, reissued the films to theaters beginning in 1950. Hallmark colorized a few Our Gang shorts and released them across 8 VHS tapes. [22] A reviewer wrote of the Farina character - depicted as female though played by a male child[23] - in Photoplay: "The honors go to a very young lady of color, billed as 'Little Farina.' The film, directed by Penelope Spheeris, starred Travis Tedford as Spanky, Bug Hall as Alfalfa, and Ross Bagley as Buckwheat; with cameos by the Olsen twins, Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Brooks, Reba McEntire, Daryl Hannah, Donald Trump and Raven-Symoné. 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