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Post by rascalwatcher on Oct 5, 2011 12:13:03 GMT -5
Here's something I thought of the other day - when, if ever, did Our Gang jump the shark?
(Which for those who aren't familiar with the term, when had they reached their peak and it was a slow climb downhill from there - the term is in reference to the TV show "Happy Days", in which Fonzie jumped over a shark while on water skis.)
Keep in mind - it doesn't mean the series was BAD at that point - just not quite as good as it had been before, which in 22 years is bound to happen sometime.
What was that point for you? I personally would say when they stopped producing two-reelers. While not as didactic as the MGM films, I think this is the point where the humor wasn't quite where it had been before.
Thoughts?
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Post by bigears on Oct 5, 2011 12:29:17 GMT -5
MGM taking over the series was the ultimate jump, but there were a few others. I think it began to jump...
1. When Wheezer and Stymie became too old and left.
2. When Bob McGowan quit as director.
3. When they stopped using the wonderful background music that began with 'Pups is Pups' and ended around 1934.
4. When they began to do too many musical episodes.
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Post by ymymeatemup on Oct 5, 2011 13:18:11 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure the guy that came up with the concept had a different idea of what 'jumping the shark' means. The "Happy Days" episode in question wasn't the point when the series started to slide, but instead was the point when it had gone downhill so much that it reached a point of no return.
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Post by zootmoney on Oct 5, 2011 18:10:54 GMT -5
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Post by OPT on Oct 5, 2011 20:20:57 GMT -5
I personally picked the final 52 episodes as the Jumping point. Not that I didn't like some of them....most anyone who knows the show all agree, they are nothing compared to what was put out before MGM owned it. General Spanky was a mistake but it was not the start of the down slide IMHO. I actually like General Spanky, just not in the series. They should never have made the connection from the shorts to the feature film. Here are several interpretations of what it is meant by "Jumping The Shark" www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jump%20the%20shark |
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Oct 7, 2011 0:15:03 GMT -5
I chose the Never option. I've always found things to like about each era of the series, and the ever-changing cast helped keep the nucleus of The Gang fresh despite the fact that the films were being made for more than twenty years. I would point to the early 1930s era of Jackie Cooper and Bobby Hutchins as perhaps the time of the funniest Our Gang films, but in general I'm just as content to watch a Mickey Gubitosi/Leonard Landy/Darla Hood one-reeler produced by MGM after Hal Roach sold the franchise.
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Post by oatmeal on Oct 7, 2011 10:57:04 GMT -5
the one reelers are some of the most popular with kids since most kids relate to the newer ones and their attention span for a shorter reel is best..also gordan douglas did a great job with the hal reels..gordie was with hal from 1930 as he was an actor playing icecream delivery boy in 1930 episode to ms crabtree's class..and he delivered the dress to spankys mom in birthday blues..he won an academy award in bored of ed a remake of his icecream delivery episode to school
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Post by rascalwatcher on Oct 7, 2011 13:36:11 GMT -5
I remember a lot of the one-reelers as a child, as they mostly showed those due to length. Some of the two-reelers were cut down (apparently even for length, as I saw restored scenes that left me wondering why they were cut), or at least split for a commercial. I do enjoy some of the one reelers, but I like even the "feel" of the two-reelers better. Of course, that could just be the changing cast. I've never been a fan of Alfalfa, and came in near the start of the switch to one-reelers.
That said, I also "like" all of them, and will watch even some of the lesser-quality MGM episodes - because it's the gang! Like George Costanza said, people will watch it because it's on.
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Post by mtw12055 on Oct 8, 2011 20:58:51 GMT -5
I have to agree with mickeygubitosifan and rascalwatcher, I don't think the series ever really "jumped the shark". Did it have it's share of weak shorts? Sure. I can't think of a TV or film series that hasn't had at least one weak episode, or even one brief weak moment. But having the gang there makes up for the weaker episodes, including the later MGM ones (even if the performance seem somewhat forced in those).
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Post by littlerascal4891 on Oct 11, 2011 12:26:39 GMT -5
I have to agree with mickeygubitosifan and rascalwatcher, I don't think the series ever really "jumped the shark". Did it have it's share of weak shorts? Sure. I can't think of a TV or film series that hasn't had at least one weak episode, or even one brief weak moment. But having the gang there makes up for the weaker episodes, including the later MGM ones (even if the performance seem somewhat forced in those). Well said, I agree. I admit that I don't like the MGM films as much as the previous years, but they're still entertaining. And almost every series I can think of has their share of poor episodes and/or moments. |
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Post by myhomeo on Oct 18, 2011 19:47:53 GMT -5
If I had to select a moment the series started to decay, I'd have to say when they started focusing almost exclusively on Spanky and Alfalfa as a comedy duo. Yes, both are great and those are some of the most fondly remembered episodes, but it seemed to trigger a shift from stories about how smart kids are to how stupid kids are.
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Post by xxshoppergurlxx on Oct 22, 2011 0:33:51 GMT -5
when MGM bought the series definitely because they turned them into "morality tales" basically and some of them seem very "Leave it to Beaver"-esque while there's nothing wrong with that, it just lost a lot its charm.
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Post by dchord568 on Oct 25, 2011 12:46:24 GMT -5
I've just now discovered this forum. As a lifelong Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang fan (like millions of others, going back to after-school kid show viewings in the 1950s), I'm delighted to be here. I'm looking forward to exploring the various threads.
My vote was for "Switching entirely to one-reelers." That's not quite precise, but as close as I can get. I would pinpoint "Roamin' Holiday" as the last Our Gang short with the "feel" of the series that I most treasure — although I have a fondness for "Hide and Shriek" that owes as much to my parallel fascination with amusement parks (and dark rides specifically).
The whole Alfalfa/Darla/Butch/Waldo axis has never appealed to me, and the post-RH shorts seem to me mostly either that or the gang being particularly annoying. I know it sounds a bit nebulous, but it just seems to me that the feel of the series changed at this juncture, to something that had very little left of what I prized from the earlier McGowan and Meins entries.
I have managed for years now to avoid seeing any of the MGM shorts, and I hope to keep it that way!
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Post by princej on Oct 29, 2011 16:57:05 GMT -5
Although I think i'd partly jumped when Scotty Beckett left.
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Post by RJH on Nov 6, 2011 1:53:51 GMT -5
I go along with the MGM era as the point where the majority of films became rather non-entertaining, though several are worth watching and shouldn't be lumped in with the rest. I would put Porky's departure as about the last point where the series steepened its downhill descent, as I like several that have him in them, and few after he left. "Going to Press" is good, but then I don't care for anything after "Mighty Lak a Goat."
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