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Post by RJH on May 4, 2014 22:54:35 GMT -5
Don't Lie (1942) - Buckwheat is a chronic liar, so Spanky, Froggy and Mickey, decide to teach him a lesson. When Buckwheat tells them he saw a monkey by a "spook house," the others don't believe him and concoct a plan where Froggy gets dressed up like a monkey and will scare Buckwheat in that house into never lying again. Spanky and Mickey blindfold Buckwheat and take him to the house, but Froggy meets the real monkey who takes Froggy's costume and place after hooking him up on his suspenders. The real monkey does scare Buckwheat, but when Froggy's suspenders snap and he meets up with Spanky and Mickey, they all get scared, and then let the monkey hang them up again. Soon circus owners come by, release the kids, and explain the monkey wants them to visit her at the circus. When the circus crew is gone, Buckwheat is made to promise he'll never lie again. The rest of the gang is skeptical, and right away Buckwheat announces he sees a lion in the window, another escapted circus animal. The other three don't believe him until they hear it roar, whereupone they all break through a wall, four neat cutouts and run away.
This is just awful. Spanky has been the biggest liar in the series, and he and the other kids lecturing Buckwheat on lying is absurd. Their holier-than-thou attitude is grating. Their reactions to the monkey don't ring true, and they make no effort to escape or unhook each other. Then there's the plot hole of somehow Froggy's suspenders getting mended after they broke so he can be hung up a sceond time. There is also the problem of why scaring Buckwheat like that would cure his lying problem. Another low point is Buckwheat mis-identifying a picture of George Washington as Abraham Lincoln. It doesn't occur to anyone that Lincoln had the nickname "Honest Abe" and would also be a good example for Buckwheat. SCrabbling to find something positive, all four are equals as they crash through the wall at the same time at the end.
General Spanky (1936) - This showed up on one of the cable networks that show old movies around twenty years ago, so this review is based on an old memory, refreshed by the thoughtful review above. My reaction was that I despised the film and I never wanted to see it again. I have no intention of ever getting a copy, and have no inclination of spending 70-80 minutes viewing it again if it does show up somewhere. What I do remember is Buckwheat crying because he got separated from his master, hooking up with Spanky, and eventullay teaming with Alfalfa to fight off the evil Notherners. I can deal with Buckwheat in slave-type roles in the gang's plays with some historical basis, and other occasions grimace at a stereotype and keep in mind what standards were at the time of the films, but Buckwheat fighting for the opportunity to remain a slave the rest of his life is so opprobrious, so far beyond the pale that I don't care if this film has any redeeming features. Our Gang is supposed to be a comedy series, and if you pick major events in American history where comedy is inappropriate, the Civil War would be among those at the top of the list. In order for "General Spanky" to be palatable for me, they need to drop all references to slavery and the Civil War, lose most of the boring scenes involving adults, and concentrate on the kids forming their army, training, and taking on some threat.
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Post by ymymeatemup on May 7, 2014 0:53:20 GMT -5
DON'T LIE (1942)
Things I like:
The Mirror Routine. The one saving grace of this film is the reasonably amusing mirror-image gag employed as Froggy walks past the open doorways. And actually, there's the brief moment when Buckwheat runs in place, which is executed pretty well. And actually, the pile of pots and pans balanced on Melinda's head is kinda funny, but I'm being generous with that one!
Things I don't like:
The Phony Acting. Not that this is any surprise, but as usual, these boys are insufferably heavy-handed.
The Phony Adults. No, not the actual adults, but the three boys acting like they've got some sort of moral high ground over Buckwheat. Even if the previous 200+ films hadn't happened (thus providing us with darning evidence of their past behavior), who would wanna hang out with these guys? Hey Spanky! If you send a guy home the way a kid is sent to his room, he doesn't actually have to do it! No matter how much you might look like his Mom!
The Phony Chimp. I suppose it was somewhat necessary considering the degree of acting they needed out of "Melinda," but this was the only time a fake simian was presented as a real one in this series, and I find that somewhat disappointing.
The Phony Haunted House. Is it possible that this was a subtle way of remaking "Fast Freight," the OTHER Our Gang short with a not-so-scary spook house? Rule of thumb: If sweeping the floor makes it look like a normal house, then it ain't haunted!
Grade: D-
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Post by ymymeatemup on May 7, 2014 0:59:01 GMT -5
Hmmm, that's funny. I thought I had written 'darning evidence' by mistake, so I tried to fix it, but it turns out to be censorship. I guess I'll have to submit my essay on the building of the Hoover Darn on some other message board.
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Post by ymymeatemup on May 8, 2014 22:21:17 GMT -5
GENERAL SPANKY (1936)
Things I like:
Buckwheat. He's consistently the most enjoyable performer in the entire film, though he's best in the early scenes, especially when he discovers he's been left behind on the riverboat. This was an era when the Our Gang series wasn't particularly sentimental, so it's unusual to see any of the current kids in such a heartbreaking moment. And Buckwheat pulls it off splendidly, not only sitting down for a genuinely serious cry, but limiting it to a few mere seconds before shutting off the waterworks and getting on with his life. Now, if I could just get used to the idea of Buckwheat being a slave...
Alfalfa's Big Number. These moments are always better when Alf takes the situation seriously, as he does here. This wasn't necessarily one of his greatest hits, but the way he glares at Irving Pichel when the latter excuses himself is priceless.
A Few Other Things Here And There. Generally speaking, the antics of the kids are fairly enjoyable throughout the film, though they almost never reach the level of 'classic moments.' The amount of time devoted to the adults just underscores the fact that this feature film amounted to little more than a couple of halfway decent one-reelers. The portion that dealt with the plot just feels like filler to me.
Things I don't like:
The Civil War. I don't mean in general - just as a backdrop for an Our Gang film. Perhaps if the series had routinely placed the kids in different historical eras, it would feel more natural to set this feature during the Civil War. But none of the shorts do this, so I never get the feeling that I'm watching an Our Gang film. It's also worth mentioning that, like virtually all Hollywood films from this era that dealt with the Old South, there's a lot of sugar-coating of that deplorable chapter of our history when the owning of other people was considered acceptable.
Phillips Holmes. He seems like a nice fella, and it is touching to see how kind he is to Spanky, but on the other hand, he speaks to Spanky with such condescending mock seriousness that I just want to throw a pie in his face.
Ralph Morgan. All that stuff I said about Holmes? Yeah, that goes for this guy, too.
The Ending. Considering the fact that Marshall Valient is about to be shot for being a Confederate spy, it always amazes me the way this film just continues at its leisurely pace. If there was more plot after this sequence, then that would be okay, but instead we reach the end of the film. No buildup, no excitement - just a lame little bit of comedy with the Yankee general being initiated into the kids' club, and then "Oh! It's over!"
Grade: C-
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Post by RJH on May 10, 2014 21:34:11 GMT -5
Duel Personalities (1939) - Darla has stood up Alfalfa for Butch, so Alfalfa joins the rest of the gang and watches a hypnotist demonstration. Misunderstanding the word "skeptical," Alfalfa volunteers to be hypnotized, and is made to believe he is D'Artagnan, while Spanky, Buckwheat, and Porky are the Three Musketeers. Alfalfa shows uncharacteristic bravery, and when the gang asks the hypnotist to turn Alfalfa back to normal, the hynoptist is knocked out by a falling brick. Alfalfa is still under the influence when Butch and Darla come by, professes his love for Darla right in front of a very annoyed Butch, and ends up challenging Butch to a duel over Darla with swords. After Butch leaves, the hypnotites has been brought to and snaps Alfalfa out of the trance. When Spanky tells Alfalfa what happened, Alfalfa faints and is brought to the clubhouse/barn in a wheelbarrow. Darla tells her girlfriends the news, and Muggsy scolds her, pointing out that someone might get hurt or killed. Darla rushes to the clubhouse, but the boys have decided they don't want to fight a real duel. Butch has this alternate plan where he and Alfalfa shoot each other with cap pistols, and Darla will rush to the one she prefers, and the other will give her up forever. Darla overhears this, and the remark that no girl is worth fighting a duel over. This duel goes on as planned, and when both boys fall down, Darla calls for Waldo and says she can now go to a show with him.
This is pretty enjoyable and entertaining. It's nice to see Alfalfa in D'Artagnan mode, acting much the opposite of his usual character. There are several good gags and lines. Besides those mentioned above, Buckwheat and Porky get to pour a bucket of water on Alfalfa's face to wake him, and dig a grave at the site of the duel, with the tombstone inscription (uncharacteristically spelled correctly and with no backwards letters), "Here lies Mr. ______, died on the field of honor fighting over Darla." (There is a continuity error here; the wooden tombstone shown when the boys are digging doesn't match the closeup seconds later.) The duel is none like any other seen, with the combatants walking backward toward each other before turning and firing at point blank range. The film with Darla reminding, "Don't forget to bury them, Spanky," as Alfalfa and Butch, after having sat upon hearing Waldo's name, slap their foreheads and fall back to the ground.
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Post by ymymeatemup on May 13, 2014 18:49:11 GMT -5
DUEL PERSONALITIES (1939)
Things I like:
The General Idea Of It. Hypnotism was a theme that turned up very rarely in this series, so there's definitely a novelty factor going on here. And it isn't just the idea - the execution works well from beginning to end, both in the writing and the acting. Alfalfa's performance is a mixture of brilliance and shakiness, but he was given quite a big job to do this time around, not only acting like himself but also playing a parody of D'Artagnon. His facial reaction when Butch mentions guns is a highlight.
Butch. Perhaps the smartest thing MGM did with this series was putting Butch in a lot of the episodes, as he improves the good ones (like this film) and nearly saves the hopeless ones (like "Dog Daze").
Spanky's Brief Moment Of Comedy. He had been playing straight man for years by this time, so it's pleasantly surprising that he has the funniest line in the film.
Things I don't like:
The Great Indoors. It's an indication of this film's strength that the biggest gripe I can think of is the final scene in the yard, which is obviously shot on a soundstage. Not only is the background clearly a painted backdrop, but there's loads of reverbation in everybody's voices.
Grade: B
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Post by ymymeatemup on May 13, 2014 19:03:50 GMT -5
Incidentally, is the "Three Musketeers" film mentioned early on the Don Ameche/Ritz Brothers version? That was released about a month before "Duel Personalities". I'm not sure how much time there were in between writing the OG scripts and filming the short, but were Law and Mack aware of the new "Musketeers" film? Perhaps they were referring to the 1935 version? My guess is that the line either refers to the 1935 version, or isn't meant to be specific, as there were quite a few film adaptations by this time. The 1935 version was from RKO, which makes it unlikely that MGM would make reference to it. The 1939 version was from 20th Century-Fox, and the script would have made reference to it before it even came out. While it may have been common knowledge in the industry that Fox was making a Musketeers film, it's doubtful that MGM would let Alfalfa 'promote' it the way he does. |
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Post by ymymeatemup on May 14, 2014 22:13:32 GMT -5
ELECTION DAZE (1943)
Things I like:
Pretty Much Nothing. Not a bad premise, but things go haywire pretty quickly. Bad acting, bad story resolution, heavy moralizing. Yep, sounds like Our Gang MGM-style to me.
Things I don't like:
Froggy's Speech. Obviously, this was meant to be the big comedy scene. This poorly-written, poorly-performed sketch lays an egg with each punchline. It's easy to see why Dickie Hall returned to the background after this short.
The Half Clubs. Could the writers have thought of a dumber idea? The kids divide the club into two halves, and then hold their meetings at the same time. The fact that Mickey and Froggy simultaneously say the same things just puts the cherry on top of this turd pie.
The Acting. For the most part, the acting on everybody's part is a bit over-the-top, though perhaps not as atrocious as in certain other episodes. I find it amusing that Mickey, having graduated from adorable imp to leader of the Gang, pokes up an eyebrow whenever he needs to look dignified. And while I admit that Buckwheat takes the moral high ground among the kids, he really lays it on thick with the stereotypical hero-worshipping of Honest Abe. And Janet, well.....you know.
The Extras. Are we looking at new footage here, or is the nodding while vacantly staring into space left over from "Benjamin Franklin, Jr?" And then there's the pack of tough guys in the crowd, most of whom look like they'd lose a fight to Froggy.
Grade: F
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Post by RJH on May 18, 2014 22:31:50 GMT -5
Election Daze (1943) - Mickey's term as president of the All for One and One for All Club is ending, so there's a meeting to elect a new president. At first it appears that everyone is willing to re-elect Mickey, but Froggy decdies to throw his hat in the ring. The ensuing election is a tie, so they decide to hold another election the next day after the candidates have a chance to make speeches. They try to bribe the voters with lemonade and jelly beans, and when the second election is held, it is still a tie. Mickey and Froggy decide to split the club in half, each with the president they want. Then they decide to hold meetings at the same time, and chaos results until Buckwheat steps up and gives his oration on Lincoln holding the country together and a divided house won't stand. So there is another election, by secret paper ballot. Mickey and Froggy decide to break the tie and vote for each other, but when the results are anounced, they and Buckwheat get one vote each and Janet gets 35 votes. In her acceptance speech she announces that much to the boys; consternation, they will have to wash their faces (cue Happy complaining) and comb their hair (now Buckwheat) before meetings, which will include tea parties (cue Mickey) and visiting days for dolls (and finally Froggy).
This is pretty bad, but it isn't among the absolute worst. It's acually among the best of 1943, which is of course faint praise. It does have a plot, unlike all those support-the-troops films, and those pointless shows. One thing I liked is that someone paid attention to the math. There are 38 club members, and the first two elections are 18-18 ties, with Mickey and Froggy not allowed to vote for themselves according to the club rules as Janet points out to Froggy. In the last election, with Mickey and Froggy voting for each other on paper ballots (trivia: they are both left-handed), there are 38 total votes, so Janet voted for Buckwheat, and Buckwheat and the other 34 members voted for Janet. Janet voting for Buckwheat is among the most praiseworthy things she did in the series, and I want to give her credit for that. On the down side, why would anyone vote for Janet? Buckwheat may have been forced into it by the not-voting-for-yourself rule, but nobody else has an excuse. Also, after many MGM films where Buckwheat had very little to do, here he gets to speak for the longest uninterrupted time in the series. There is parodying of elections with Mickey giving out free lemonade, and then Froggy offering a better deal with jelly beans. However, Happy (Dickie Hall) constantly interrupts Froggy's speech with a horn, and that gets very annoying very quickly. A mildly clever bit it when the clubhouse sign is split in two so that Mickey is president of the All for One Club and Froggy the president of the One for All Club. After Janet's executive orders though the boys will need to form a new club.
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Post by myhomeo on May 19, 2014 16:40:40 GMT -5
An odd note: In an episode of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000, Mike Nelson gives a speech while Crow keeps interrupting him by blowing a horn. I hope this isn't where they got the idea....
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Post by RJH on May 19, 2014 22:59:43 GMT -5
Giants Vs. Yanks (1923) - My print of this is incomplete and of atrocious quality, which seriously affects how well the film is received.
The gang is supposed to play a baseball gang, but most of the members are stuck doing chores. Manager Joe goes around trying to assemble the team, and they invent ways to get out of them, with Mickey's being the most clever, getting a goat to run on a treadmill to turn a clothes tree so clothes can be dried. Mickey had been pedaling a stationary bike to accomplish. Jack gets a passerby to chop wood for a meal, but the man complains of back pain after one chop. This guy then shows Jackie a magic trick, making his hat rise when he sticks a finger in his mouth and blows. Jackie tries to repeat this many times and fails. Jack and Jackie are brothers in this, and run off iwth their baby sister Imogene. Ernie is supposed to deliver laundry but instead drives the wobbly wagon to the field, and the game is on. However, there are only about three batters, and Ernie abrupty changes from being in the field to being at bat. When he copmlains about a called strike, umpire Farina pulls out a knife and Ernie backs off. A woman who loves babies sees Imogene and asks to have her for a little shile, and brings her into her house. Suddenly the baseball game is over, and the gang runs into the house to play with a litter of puppies. Then it turns out one of the maids is ill, and the doctor puts the house under quarantine, trapping the gang inside for a week.
Of course the gang immediately starts trashing the place. Mnay objects are thrown, and Jackie swings on the chandelier.. The older boys, Mickey, Ernie, Jack, Joe get locked in a room upstairs, where they play dress-up with the grown-ups' clothes, and fire a real rifle through the wall. Jackie is particularly destructive downstairs, painting Farina white and Imogene black, and smashing plates and vases. The house owners rush from one disaster to the next and are constantly exasperated. Meeanwhile, the gang's parents, three mothers and Ernie and Farina's father, discover the kids have abadoned their chores, and converge on the house. They are temporarily rebuffed by the quarantine, but then the doctor says he has reconsidered the symptons and that the fever is not contagious. The gang is promptly evicted, and is in for a round of spankings. Seeing Ernie's punishment, Farina runs away while their father tries to chase him and spank Ernie at the same time. Also, the husband of the houseowners chokes the doctor in anger.
Based on what I can see of this film, I'd say it's solid but not spectacular. This is one of those films where the second half has nothing to do with the first. The baseball part is way too short, but maybe a lot of that got cut out. The trashing of the mansion is kind of standard. There are several laughs, but I don't care for the painting of the smallest kids. Yeah, I know that was probably considered clever in its day. Ernie in a coat and tails pretending to woo Mickey in a dress is a highlight; Mickey eventually kicks Ernie away. Joe puts on women's clothes, and Jack is a hunter and discovers the rilfe in the room is loaded with real bullets. I guess I don't feel the plot is very strong, and it could be interesting to see the complete film.
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Post by antifrodis on May 22, 2014 16:24:13 GMT -5
Giants Vs. Yanks (1923) - My print of this is incomplete and of atrocious quality, which seriously affects how well the film is received... Based on what I can see of this film, I'd say it's solid but not spectacular... I guess I don't feel the plot is very strong, and it could be interesting to see the complete film. This looks like my version of the film that somebody posted to Youtube, but with different opening credits. It should be nearly complete. |
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Post by ymymeatemup on May 23, 2014 23:44:39 GMT -5
GIANTS VS. YANKS (1923)
Things I like:
Dress Up. The highlight of the Gang's quarantine, punctuated by the great comedy interaction between Ernie and Mickey.
Hungry Hogan. Easily the most charming moment in the short, not only because of Dick Gilbert and Jackie Condon, but Beanie Walker as well.
Seven Minutes Later. And only seven days to go. One of my favorite Walker titles. The Gang's stay in the Reddy home has to be one of the most chaotic situations any adult in the series ever endured. This seems to have been a fundamental characteristic of the early episodes, that of dropping the kids into a calm setting and letting them run wild. Now if only the Reddys had actually done anything to warrant such bad treatment....
The Giants. I personally find it pleasing to realize that the Gang's team is the Giants, which in modern times, plays in San Francisco - which means that they've been my favorite team since I can remember.
Things I don't like:
Crying Babies And Slow Motion. Two gimmicks of the early silent episodes that are never funny. Luckily, both of these are taken care of in the same scene. Both Imogene and Farina are made to cry, and then Farina tries to walk while being pulled back by an unseen wire. In slow motion.
Not Much Else. For some reason, I find the white and black spots gag to be rather amusing, I guess because it seems like the innocent sort of thing little kids might do. Painting Farina and Imogene is more blatant, but it still seems like innocent childhood stuff to me. There's also the lack of much baseball in this film, but frankly, the game segment strikes me as less interesting than the Gang's struggle to actually make it to the ballpark, or the chaos that takes place in the Reddy home.
Grade: B+
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Post by RJH on May 24, 2014 19:20:05 GMT -5
This looks like my version of the film that somebody posted to Youtube, but with different opening credits. It should be nearly complete. Thanks. The added footage improves the film a little. Most of what was missing was before the baseball game, with Ernie trying to get ready and Farina thwarting him by releasing poultry from the coop. This explains the remark about Farina with an axe (looks too light to be real) and Joe catching a turkey and kind of riding it back to Ernie's yard. When Farina opens the coop door again, Ernie imprisons in a funny cage that looks a lattice of thin boards that would break the moment Farina tries to climb out of it. There are a couple more batters shown in the game, and umpire Farina making a controversial call at the plate that brings the attention of the lot owner who chases the kids off the field. At this point Jack realizes he has to fetch Imogene, sees the puppies, and that's how the gang winds up in the house. There were also many more intertitles present, which was always a good thing in that era. |
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Post by RJH on May 24, 2014 19:45:56 GMT -5
Family Troubles (1943) - Janet feels neglected, the gang helps her get "adapted" by a couple determined to teach her a lesson, the gang rescues her and hide out in a cave when they hear the police are after them and think they're vicious kidnappers, and then Janet comes home and all is well that's end well.
Fortunately I don't have to write a detailed review of this dreck. None of the characters are likeable and most are flat-out annoying. The film is not funny or entertaining, and the preachiness makes watching this a drag. Searching for a highlight, I'll pick the signals Buckwheat and Froggy gave each other to let Buckwheat know the way to the cave was clear. Buckwheat had an ordinary whistle, and Froggy's repsonse was ... unique and undescribable. Clearly this film is among the worst of the series.
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