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Post by Mark on Jul 3, 2011 13:14:53 GMT -5
Each year they changed the theme with a new version. I'm naming one short for each different version of the theme. Which of these is your favorite?
-Teacher's Pet -Helping Grandma -Love Business -Little Daddy -Fly My Kite -Spanky -Free Wheeling -Bedtime Worries -Hi'-Neighbor! -The Pinch Singer -Reunion In Rhythm -Rushin' Ballet
My favorite is probably Reunion In Rhythm. But the only other short they used that for is Glove Taps.
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Post by mtw12055 on Jul 3, 2011 16:51:39 GMT -5
My favorite is probably the original version that first appeared in Teacher's Pet. My second favorite is probably a tie between the Hi'-Neighbor! version (it actually first appeared in Wild Poses) and the Reunion in Rhythm version. Actually, I don't think there's a difference between the Helping Grandma, Love Business, Fly My Kite, or Spanky versions, nor does there seem to be a difference between the Teacher's Pet and Free Wheeling versions.
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jul 3, 2011 23:53:01 GMT -5
The sound of Reunion in Rhythm is very different from the other versions of the theme. It kind of reminds me of college football fight songs from the era.
Personally, I tend to favor the Hi'-Neighbor! theme. To me, it's the most sentimentally evocative version of the song that I've ever heard. A close second would be the opening music to Free Wheeling.
I actually like the beginning theme to Rushin' Ballet primarily because of how different it is from the two versions to which I'm most partial. It transforms Good Old Days into a lively, spirited tune that I think reflects well the upbeat comical action of the Our Gang films.
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Post by ymymeatemup on Jul 4, 2011 2:21:35 GMT -5
I think I prefer the original waltz version - which turned up in slightly different variations, but always retained its nostalgic potency. I'm also partial to the version used in the King World prints, which debuted in "Little Papa" IIRC, but this is probably because of its use in those old TV prints - it's nostalgic for me. The "Reunion In Rhythm" variation is one that I've never quite gotten used to, but I like the version used in the final episodes.
Does anybody else find it refreshing when "Mike Fright" opens with "Little Dancing Girl"? That's one of my favorite things about that episode.
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Post by mtw12055 on Jul 4, 2011 12:00:00 GMT -5
The usage of "Little Dancing Girl" as the theme for Mike Fright certainly kept things fresh.
I've also enjoyed a few reproductions of "Good Old Days" that have been used over the decades after the series ended. Out of these reproductions, the version used in the 1994 remake was probably my favorite. If really gave the film a full cinematic feel to it, while at the same time, giving the same sort of feeling one gets from the original series.
I also thought the reproduction in "Rascal Dazzle" was catchy (though maybe a bit over the top at times), while the version used in the Jello Pops commercials gave a sort of nostalgic feel for the original series. But the version used in the Christmas Special seemed a bit too bland to me.
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jul 5, 2011 0:21:47 GMT -5
The first time I watched Mike Fright, I was concentrating so hard on trying to spot Billy Lee (I didn't know how small his role might be, and he was one of my favorite younger actors from that era who wasn't ever an Our Gang regular) that I guess I never even took notice of the fact that the regular theme wasn't used at the beginning. I wonder why they elected to go with an alternate music piece for the start of Mike Fright. Was it just to help keep things fresh (which I agree that it successfully did), or may there have been some other idea behind the temporary switch in opening songs?
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Post by ymymeatemup on Jul 5, 2011 11:49:13 GMT -5
I think it's possible that it was connected to the fact that they were doing a musical short, which was still a relatively new development in the series. "Little Dancing Girl" - or its title, anyway - fits the theme.
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Post by mtw12055 on Sept 18, 2016 13:56:41 GMT -5
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Post by sandro on Sept 18, 2016 15:30:34 GMT -5
It has several versions that I like as Teacher's Pet, Helping Grandma, Love Business, Little Daddy, Fly My Kite, Spanky. But what I like most is the theme of Free Wheeling because the part of the xylophone and Bedtime Worries because of the piano part. and the theme of Helping Gradma I think the saddest of all. 1994's version is also cool.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2016 15:56:21 GMT -5
I like the version used in the title cards during the latter Hal Roach era, also used in the 1950s package designed for TV.
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rascalstooge
Full Member
10 years this coming November.
Posts: 237
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Post by rascalstooge on Sept 26, 2016 13:36:43 GMT -5
So many good ones. I seem to prefer the Teacher's Pet and Hi' Neighbor versions the most.
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Post by myhomeo on Sept 26, 2016 17:03:16 GMT -5
And let's not forget grown-up Spanky singing the song at the close of his speeches. (You can find an example on Youtube...)
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Post by tboneator64 on Sept 29, 2016 23:01:03 GMT -5
And let's not forget grown-up Spanky singing the song at the close of his speeches. (You can find an example on Youtube...) Here is George "Spanky" McFarland's rendition of "That Old Gang Of Mine": www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCcDmf7mb1gCHEERS!
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Post by sandro on Nov 22, 2016 11:32:52 GMT -5
i think this one is sad too. Our Gang: Inside the Clubhouse (1984)
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Post by myhomeo on Nov 23, 2016 17:01:50 GMT -5
But I'm reasonably certain there's no Extended Dance Remix...
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