The Great Film Discussion

[mtw12055]

If you consider the Our Gang films canon (I'd avoid trying to. It'll give you a massive headache), then it's possible Spanky's barn was the same one Ernie had in "The Champeen!"

[RJH]

Or as a sign said, "Sammy's Barn," but that didn't have a canvas against one of the sides. I don't want to think about this any more; just another thing that doesn't make sense.

Goin' Fishin' (1940) - The gang digs for worms to go fishing and then sleep at the bus stop in order to catch the first bus. A cop wakes them up and tells them to pick up their gear, and doesn't realize he picked up Mickey in a blanket. When the bus comes, they struggle up the spiral stairs with the gear, and tell the conductor that Mickey has the fares. Mickey has to take off his shoe, but it has a hole in it. The rest of the gang starts to come off the bus, when Alfalfa says Mickey should have put the coins in his good shoe. Mickey had ("Golly, am I dumb!") and they get back on after the cop tells the conductor tells him he has to let paying customers ride the public transportation. When the conductor tells the gang the bus is headed to the West River instead of the East River, the gang wants to get off, but that would delay the bus more, so the conductor and cop convince the gang that the fishing is better in the west. The bus moves a few yards, but the cops hat is snagged by a fishhook, and he chases the bus down to stop it and retrieve his hat. When the bus stops, some gear falls off the top in front of a back tire. Spanky fails to let the conductor let Spanky off, so when the bus gets going again, it rolls over the bag filled with sharp objects and goes flat. Passengers complain about the delays throughout. When the conductor and driver get the tire fixed, the sun has come up, and Spanky declares it's too late to go fishing. The gang gets off the bus again, and wants their fares back. The conductor says no way, so the gang decides to get back on the bus. The alarmed conductor is so desperate to get going he gives them the fares back, and the bus drives away at rapid speed. The gang wonders why he is sore at them.

I'm tempted to say "Goin' Nowhere' would be a more apporpriate title. Most of the film is the gang going up and down the stairs of the bus, and it is easy to guess before the first minute is up that they're never going to make it to fishing. The conductor does a good job with his ever-increasing annoynance with the gang. There is a gag with two chickens pulling on opposite ends of a worm near the beginning. Leonard does get a line, and Buckwheat wears an alarm clock and says something about worms drowning. Mickey resurrects Farina's idea of using a mousetrap at the end of his fishing line. The bus scene until the end is supposed to take place before dawn, but it is clearly shot in daylight throughout. At least Mickey wondering the way the conductor is sore at them is consistent with him not being able to tell which shoe has several coins in it. Overall I didn't find this very funny, but it isn't awful, and is definitely better than the moralizing shorts that had started to get into the series at this time.

[RJH]

Going to Press (1942) - The gang has established their own newspaper, complete with printing press, intercom system, and several different jobs among the staff. When Mickey finds out that the Gas House Gang beat up someone, the gang decides to make it their lead story for the next issue. Buckwheat and Big Shot get roughed up trying to distribute the papers, and threatening notes are pinned to their backs. The gang then prints another issue claiming that they have evidence as to the Boss's identity. Meanwhile, Froggy snoops around and gets to the Gas House clubhouse, but is caught and taken for a ride, on the basket of a bicycle driven by a Gas Houser, who eventually comes to an abrupt stop at the end of the line, causing Froggy to pitch forward into a stream. Frank, the actual Boss, and the rest of the Gas House break into the newspaper office (a barn) since the gang announced they're going fishing and that the evidence is secure in their safe. Frank cuts the safe open with a can opener, and when he reaches inside, a rope cinches around his wrist and an alarm goes off. Caught, he is forced to sign an extremely long confession and promises the Gas House gang will go out of the extortion business. A goat then eats some printing type that will delay the next issue a couple days.

This is a lot better than the several MGM shorts before and after this. It's good to see that gang back to running a grown-up business in the barn with a lot of gadgets. The overall story is like a kiddie version of a newspaper investigating a mob. Another good line is Froggy's "Illegal? It's worse than that; it's against the law!" Then he gets the kid version of beng taken for a ride, and then the standard gag of his clothes shrinking when they get wet. Of note is that Big Shot is literally a man of many hats. He puts on different hats depending on the occupation which he is performing at the time. These include janitor, copy boy, and assistant newsboy. One wonders if he might have been intended to be Buckwheat's replacement, but we don't even know the actor's name (this is not Big Shot Jones played by Cordell Hickman). When the printing press breaks, the gangs straps the plate onto Fatty's butt and he produces many good copies by sitting down on the stack. I wish they could have given him a real name. Sally seems a bit out of place, being too mature. It might have been more natural to have Janet there so long as the part wasn't too big. The trap is clever, with a wieght closing the loop in the rope around Frank's wrist and holding it in place. It is a bit contrived that he cut a hole just large enough for his hand instead of cutting out an entire side of the safe. Also he should have been suspicious about the gang's going out of their way to announce that they'll be away fishing; of course they were hiding in the hay in the barn. Still, this is one of the few bright spots of Our Gang in the 1940s.

The Love Bug (1925) - The boys' efforts at making girlfriends don't always go well. Farina is chased away by his girlfriend's father, and Joe's attempt at a kiss gets him one from a dog., They get consoled by a kindly Grandma type. Soon they overhear the girls talking about them, but there is some confusion when Mickey thinks Mary is talking about his freckles instead of a grapefruit. Joe hear's that he's too fat and Farina's hair resembles a feather duster. The boys run into Gene (Pineapple) who conveniently works in a beauty salon. He informs then that for five dollars they can improve their appearances. He gets them in when the owner fires all the beauticians and leaves, perhaps for lunch. Of course things don't work out right. Mickey uses the wrong stuff on his face, Joe gets locked in a steam cabinet, and Farina gets his pigtails in a machine that makes them stand out straight. Jackie and Sing Joy don't have girlfriends, so they cause a lot of mayhem, most of it by Jackie fiddling with air, water, and steam hoses until he gets them working. Eventually the owner returns, and gets the police to chase the gang, minus Gene, out. The cop is going to send them to jail, but Grandma distracts him long enough for the gang to escape. The film ends with the cop chasing all of them.

Overall this is a fun romp. It has a different setting for the gang to trash. Apparently Gene is not Farina's older brother in this becuase Gene has to explain to the gang, including Farina, what his job is. The familiar gag of Joe's clothes shrinking in the steam is used. Jackie grabs a handful of what he thinks is ice cream, but when he pushes an object to the side he finds out that it's really Janice Cold Cream. William Gilepsie puts in a fine performance as the high-strung salon owner, including firing all the workers when a customer is disastified with the service. The Grandma is reminiscent of Margaret Mann's character, although here it is a substantially smaller part. And like many of the films in this era there are a lot of good title cards.

[ymymeatemup]

GOIN' FISHIN' (1940)

Things I like:
The Premise. Surely one of the simplest ideas ever put forth for this series, as the kids quite innocently ruin the morning of several commuters and at least one employee of the local public transit system. The idea works because it reflects reality so well, and also because the folks at MGM delivered the goods in a succinct, economical fashion.
Paul Hurst. One of the best character actors to turn up in this series, his ability to convey his not-so-hidden exasperation is quite enjoyable to watch.

Things I don't like:
The Acting. This was, after all, an MGM episode, so the kids are typically over-the-top with the delivery of their dialogue. The adults, on the other hand, do just fine.
Not Much Else. The comedy in this short feels very much like MGM's style, so it's difficult to rank this one with the best of the Roach episodes. It's not particularly charming, for instance. But it does nevertheless succeed at what it sets out to do, while simultaneously avoiding the moralizing and production numbers of its early '40s companions.

Grade: B

[ymymeatemup]

GOING TO PRESS (1942)

Things I like:
The Whole Set-Up. Who else but Spanky would be the editor of the Gang's newspaper? Who else but Mickey would be the scrappy reporter going out to dig up a story? Who else but Froggy would be the Bob Hope-style comedy relief? Everybody has an important role in this short, but the icing on the cake is Darryl Hickman as the boss of the Gas House Gang. This series had more than its share of bullies over the years, but "Frank" is a rare case of a ruthless mob boss masquerading as a regular guy. Honorable mention should also go to the familiar faces playing his gang of thugs. Of course, the entire premise of this short seems to have been lifted out of some crime feature of the era, but the whole thing works really well. This is nothing like the Our Gang of the Hal Roach era, as the style is brash and cocky like any number of other '40s productions. But it's also nothing like the other MGM episodes, which is a shame. If MGM had given the Gang this type of material more often, then it would be harder to complain about its departure from the Roach studio.
Taking Froggy For A Ride. Possibly the funniest sequence to ever feature Froggy.

Things I don't like:
Not Much. My biggest gripe is that some of the gags fall flat, especially at the end of the film with the goat eating everything. I also get a bit weary with the kids' tendency to misspell everything. Yeah, we get it. They're kids. They don't know how to spell. And now that they're running a newspaper, we're reminded of this every other second.

Grade: B+

[RJH]

Good Bad Boys (1943) - Alfalfa comes upon the kid who would be called Slicker later stealing an orange, and when Slicker's about to be caught, he shoves the oranae in Alfalfa's hand. Alfalfa isn't bright enough not to hold the oranage, and the grocer thinks Alfalfa is culprit. I can't add much to the detailed description above, but another flaw is the grocer is dumber than dirt, thinking that a real thief would just stand there waiting to be caught. That grocer deserved to be admonished by the judge for leaping to conclusions as well as Alfalfa's failure of a father.

This is a real stinker, and no pun is intended with the bit about the skunk. This short is not funny and not entertaining. The other film with Spanky teaching someone a lesson, Don't Lie, is marginally better because the monkey in that provides some (very) mild entertainment, but in Good Bad Boys there is nothing I find amusing. Sorry, there was nothing Hugh Beaumont could do to save this.

[ymymeatemup]

THE LOVE BUG (1925)

Things I like:
Joe & Peggy. This short includes a fairly pleasant opening sequence involving the various boys of the Gang trying to acquire girlfriends. The highlight of this part features Joe unwittingly kissing Peggy's puppy.
The "Frickle" Women. Among the funnier moments in this short is the one in which the boys overhear the girls talking about them, with some clever intertitles by Beanie Walker.
Various Beauty Parlor Gags. The way Farina looks as he's getting his hair done. The fact that Mickey initially applies a lotion to his face that's meant for bunions. Jackie finding out that he's not actually eating ice cream. The way Farina looks AFTER he's had his hair done. We get just enough highlights in this second half to make it worthwhile.

Things I don't like:
Various Other Beauty Parlor Gags. In a sequence that's all gags, there's bound to be some that are one-dimensional, especially since we're dealing with things like air hoses. However, what might be the least appealing part of this (for me, anyway) is the grotesque way Mickey looks after painting his face white, and the grotesque way Joe looks in his shrunken clothes.
The Disjointedness Of It. If it wasn't for the brief scene of the boys overhearing the girls' conversation, the first and last parts of this film would have no connection whatsoever. It appears that the beauty parlor idea was added to footage that was left over from "Ask Grandma," and as usual when this type of thing was done, the results don't flow very well.

Grade: C

[ymymeatemup]

GOOD BAD BOYS (1940)

Things I like:
The General Idea Of It. As long as the moralistic ending is ignored, the idea of a group of boys turning to a life of crime and then being fooled into thinking they're robbing a house seems pretty solid to me. And, of course, the fact that they run from the cops when another crime is taking place is a natural (albeit oft-used) plot device for this series. The execution of this idea is a bit strained, but nevertheless succeeds at times, such as when Alfalfa and Mickey are panicking after hearing Buckwheat's signal. It's difficult to figure out exactly what the lesson was that Spanky was trying to teach his pals here, but maybe it was simply that they weren't cut out for this type of profession. In any event, I find the bulk of this short to be flawed, but reasonably enjoyable. But then they had to go and get all serious with it.....

Things I don't like:
The Judge. "Now don't you boys feel ashamed? And you parents - for shaaaaaaammmmmmme! And you, the theater audience - yes, I'm looking at you now - I have no idea what kind of terrible things go on in your lives, but I'm really on a roll right now - so SHAME ON YOU, TOO!!!" Sheesh - World War II hadn't even started yet, and already MGM's shovelling the worst kind of condescending morality onto its paying customers. Shame on them.
Mickey. Am I going blind? Mickey keeps kissing and kissing, and yet I can't see the pair of exposed buttocks in front of his face.
Buckwheat. The acting by everybody is typically overblown in this short, but Buckwheat is easily the most painful to watch, as he throws all subtlety out the window while perpetuating the stereotype of the black character being the most panicky one in the bunch.
The Final Gag. While there is no shortage of weak gags in this episode, there's nothing more dissatisfying than finishing the whole film with the biggest dud of them all.

Grade: C-

[RJH]

Hearts are Thumps (1937) - While all the other kids are exchanging valentines on Valentine's Day, Spanky, Alfalfa, and Buckwheat form the He-Man Woman-Haters Club. A few seconds after swearingn an oath of loyalty, Alfalfa is smitten by Darla and abandsons the club to have lunch with her. Spanky won't stand for this, and conspires to sabotage the lunch date. While Alfalfa is pushing Darla on a swing, Spanky and Buckwheat enter a school supply room and replace the cheese and whipped cream on a sandwich and cream puff with a slice of bar soap and some liquid soap. Buckwheat gets to eat the real cheese and cream while Darla demands Alfalfa eat the entire sandwich and cream puff, or she'll find someone else. Alfalfa struggles through the lunch much to Spanky's and Buckwheat's amusement, and then Darla asks Alfalfa to sing while she plays the piano. He tries to decline, but can't say no to Darla, and when he does sing, soap bubbles come out of his mouth and float all over the room. Finished, and apparently not feeling too well, Alfalfa runs out of the classroom.

This is a classic episode, featuring the formation of the gang's most famous club. The action moves steadily with nothing wasted. There are a lot of great facial expressions, particularly Alfalfa's when he's eating the sandwich and cream puff. His singing is not really annoying, either. For me the biggest drawback is that Porky had only a bit part in the classroom with a couple soap bubbles floating his way, apparently because he was sick during most of the filming. We do get a good Spanky-Buckwheat interaction to make up for it. A side note is that how a kid bringing a pocketknife to school didn't raise eyebrows in this time period, as Spanky uses his to cut off s alice of the soap.

Love My Dog (1927) - A stray and apparently lame dog comes up to Farina begging for a turkey leg, and soon has a new friend. Joe suggest they enter the dog in the gang's dog show, where several dogs are dressed up as part different animals. Then the news comes that the dogcatchers are coming to take away all the dogs that haven't been vaccinated against a hydrophobia epidemic. The gang disguises their dogs as various animals while Farina and Joe discover their stray, now named Oleander, had a thorn in his paw (or fist, according to Farina) and remove it. The dogcatchers round up a lot of dogs which Oleander manages to set loose, and then the catch all of the gang's disguised dogs. The gang uses whipped cream from a pie to make Oleander look mad, and he scares one dogcatcher away allowing the gang to rescue their dogs. However, Oleander is caught when he keeps sticking his tail through holes in a box Farina and Joe are sitting on. There is a big struggle, and Oleander breaks loose to run into a tall office building to rescue Mildred from a ledge where she crawled out of a window after a cat. There is another struggle between a dogcatcher and Oleander, and when the dog is finally put in the net Farina latches on to the dogcatcher's leg and is dragged down some flights of stairs until another dogcatcher pulls Farina off. The gang is given one hour to come up with five dollars for the vaccination.

Looking for work, Farina is hit by a rich kids' boxing glove that flies off. The rich kid then offers Farina two bits for every time he lets him hit him on the nose. Farina agrees to the terms. After a few hits, Joe, and then the rest of the gang, come to Farina's aid, and take turns getting socked in the face until they have enough money. They ride the wobbly wagon to the dog pound and appear to arrive a minute late. They ask to open the gas chamber, and find that Oleander is alive because he had the brains to stick his tail in the opening where the gas was piped through with his tail.

This film runs through a wide range of emotions. Starting with Farina and Oleander both starving, and then to a typical Our Gang simulation of a more grown-up event, their dog show. Jackie and Jay are the "Hed Judje" and "2nd Hed Judje," and Jackie declares a tiny dog a case of "Runt-o Pup-p, as is said in Latin." Then come the amusing attempts at disguing the dogs, the best of which is probably Scooter's Swiss Goat. The dogcatchers giving the kids only one hour to come up with money for vaccinations ranks them as among the worst villians in the series; clearly none of these dogcatchers ever had a pet at amy time in their lives.

Farina gives the best performance of any of the kids crying in the entire series when he witnesses Oleander getting caught in the building after proving his heroism, which unfortunately he doesn't seem to get credit for. And what I like best about this film is the way the gang unhesitatingly comes to Farina's defense when they see him getting beat up. There were too many films around this time period where this was far from the case. Here their willingness to take all those blows to the face shows them at their best.

There are two things I think this film would have been better without. One is a ventroliquist pretending to make Oleander talk to Farina, and that bit is pretty pointless. The other is a sequence of title cards asking the audience if they want Olenader to live, and to clap loudly. That just seems useless. Other title cards are better, like Farina opining Oleander is an Airedale becuase he's been living on air. One odd thing I noticed is that in some of the title cards Farina says "I" instead of the usual dialect "Ah." Another thing I noticed for the first time today is that Oleander's penchant for sticking his tail through holes relates how he got captured to how he eventually saves his life.

[ymymeatemup]

HEARTS ARE THUMPS (1937)

Things I like:
Alfalfa. Usually with funny kids, such as Spanky in his early years, the humor is something of which the child actor is presumably unaware - a case of parroting the director or reacting to offscreen cues that don't necessarily have anything to do with the narrative or the gag. Because of this, I wouldn't consider the majority of funny kids to be film comedians. However, in this film, I find it difficult to imagine that Alfalfa wasn't aware that he was making all of those terrific facial expressions for the sake of comedy. He definitely seems to be the rare child actor that clearly deserves the title of 'comedian.' And kudos to whoever came up with the thumping heart gag.
Darla. She walks into the scene and flirts with Alfalfa in such a way that SHOULD convince any little boy to stop hating little girls at once, and then proceeds to play him like a violin for the rest of their recess - and also manages to remain a sweet and charming little kid throughout. I have no idea how she could have understood how to proceed with this performance, let alone pull it off - but there it is. Best Darla episode ever.
Waldo & Henrietta. Just a brief gag, but combining Waldo's reserved egghead demeanor with Henrietta's awkward, gushing hero-worship is quite humorous, especially since they're virtual lookalikes.
The Music. Most of the Leroy Shield tunes in this film create a soft, fuzzy kind of nostalgia for one's schooldays - which, in this film, is still of the one-room variety which was part of my parents' childhood rather than my own. But when it needs to be, such as when "It Is To Laugh" comes on the soundtrack, the music punctuates the humor very nicely. Either way, it's a welcome inclusion during an era when music wasn't relied on so much in this series.

Things I don't like:
Virtually Nothing. The only gripe I can come up with is the existence of an Alfalfa song to finish off the picture. By this time, the novelty of Alfalfa as a bad singer had worn off, so various gimmicks were added to keep it interesting - and in this film, it's soap bubbles coming out of his mouth. As it stands, the scene is entertaining enough, but still seems anticlimactic when following all of the great stuff that happened earlier in the film.

Grade: A

[ymymeatemup]

LOVE MY DOG (1927)

Things I like:
The Disguises. Easily the best thing about the first half of the film is the Gang's failed attempt to escape the dog catchers by disguising their pooches as other types of animals. And even though he doesn't usually stand out much in these later silents, I'd have to give first prize to Jackie Condon and his 'cow.'
The General Idea. Once the dogcatchers come into the picture, everything moves along pretty well in this short. It's easy to sympathize with Farina and the other boys, and the dogcatchers make for pretty good bad guys. The race to the pound with the five dollars is sufficiently exciting and some funny stuff happens along the way, so the film ends up being quite satisfying.

Things I don't like:
Pointless Heroism. I can appreciate a heroic dog as much as the next guy, and find Oleander's saving of Mildred from the ledge of a highrise building to be fairly enjoyable - but I'm always left feeling very frustrated that Oleander is the only character in the film who ever knows about it.
Pointless Audience Participation. Obviously, the handclapping is derived from the stage version of "Peter Pan," but in this film I think Beanie Walker simply shoehorned it into the narrative. If the dog saves himself by plugging the hole with his tail, then no amount of clapping was ever going to save him in the first place.
The Melodrama. I'm a bit torn when it comes to Farina's big scene. On the one hand, this type of acting from such a young kid is an impressive rarity, and was probably influenced by Jackie Coogan's big emotional outburst in "The Kid." On the other hand, it's still melodramatic to the point of overkill, and I find myself appreciating it ONLY because it's a kid doing the performing.

Grade: B-

[RJH]

Helping Grandma (1931) - A chain store is going to build in the area, and they might buy "Grandma" Mack's grocery store, where Farina, Chubby, and Jack help out, though not always in the most advantageous way. The chain store people may make a decent offer, but the rat Mr. Pennypacker is trying to swindle Grandma and make her sell the place for far less than it's worth. Grandma goes out, leaving the older kids in charge. They understand that Grandma doesn't want to sell to Pennypacker, but when the chain store men come, the kids try to persuade the men that the store isn't worth buying. The men leave a good offer, $3500, in an envelope, but Pennypacker snatches it away and prepares a paper for Grandman to sign for only $1500. The reasoning is that the chain store people will build a few blocks away and drive Grandma out of business. The older kids leave for deliveries, leaving Mary Ann in charge. She then gets a call about kittens and puts Wheezer in charge, so he and the little kids Stymie, Dorothy, and Shirley have the run of the place. Stymie is supposed to get ten cents worth of something, but doesn't know what it is, and tastes all sorts of things in the effort to find out. The chain store men call, and when Wheezer answers with "t'ain't enough, call back later," the chain store guys raise the price up to $5000. When Grandma does return, Pennypacker tells her the chain store people aren't buying her store, and gives her his cheap contract to sign. He also impersonates her on the phone when the chain store guys call with the high offer and say they'll be there in ten minutes. The little kids cause several delays as the chain store men race back, confused by the phone conversations. Grandma does sign just before they arrive, but it turns out she signed a blank paper under the actual contract. When told that they had called her, Grandma realize's she's been duped, and knocks down Pennypacker. When he starts to get up, Wheezer finishes the job with a well-deserved hammer blow.

The theme is a bit corny but there are a lot of good performances by all involved so it works well. There are many amusing moments, including Farina dressing a chicken, Chubby pulling a worm from an apple, the small kids in Stymie's search for ten cents' worth of "it," and a relay of instructions starting with Grandma telling Farina and Jack and ending with Mary Ann telling Wheezer that if anyone calls, tell them to call back later. Grandma and Jack have a nice scens where she reminds him of the sneaky things he did when he complains that Robert (Bonedust) is swindling them. Grandma's cash register has compartments filled with buttons used to pay for the penny candy. One thing that's a bit off is how readily Grandma accepts Pennypacker's word near the end, surely she realizes he's not a very reputable character. That doesn't detract much from the overall enjoyability of this film.

[ymymeatemup]

HELPING GRANDMA (1931)

Things I like:
The General Store. Possibly more than in any other episode, the setting for this one is the real star of the short. I actually get slightly distracted from the story while studying the various items on the shelves.  What's kind of weird, though, is the Wonder Bread on the counter.  I've always associated that product with more recent times.  The store also provides us with the film's cinematographic highlight - that is, the shot of the little kids peering through the glass.
The Music. Like most of the shorts from this era, this one is filled with Leroy Shield music, though the editing makes it overly choppy.
Most Everything Else. The players are all sufficiently enjoyable, from Grandma to the chain-store guys to Oscar Apfel right on down to our favorite kids of 1930.  Most notable for me would be Wheezer's reaction to Shirley's 'googly-eyes,' Chubby's misguided perception of his own weight, and Bonedust's total fear of children who are much smaller than he is.  The subject matter of this short is a bit offbeat, as I imagine most children viewing it would be just as bewildered as the Our Gang kids over the idea of 'chain stores.'

Things I don't like:
Not Much. My only real gripe with this film is that there just aren't any major stand-out scenes. I enjoy watching the whole thing, but little of it seems worthy of a highlight reel. The fact that this episode was released in the second talkie season, when most every other episode was terrific, perhaps brings my expectations up a little too high for this one. If it had been released during the previous season, perhaps I'd be more impressed with it.

Grade: B

[RJH]

Helping Hands (1941) - Spanky gets a letter from his big brother who is away in the army and tells Spanky it's up to him to take care of things back home. The gang then forms an army of all the kids in town, possibly inspired by Darla's singing. They do some good deeds, cleaning up the neighborhood, contributing extrra metal and rubber to Uncle Sam, and buying defense stamps. They meet a real officer and some local official, and have a parade.

One of the worst MGM efforts, though slightly better than the absolute worst where the gang puts on a show in support of the troops. It is not funny or entertaining, and just plain irritating to listen to that Italian kid speak. My favorite part was Spanky getting shot in the butt by the cork gun. The music part, the bugling (or bugaling) is left to Buckwheat and the kid named Big Shot in Going to Press. I guess Froggy picking out two stamps in the middle the sheet is among the funny bits. The infantry reserves consits of toddlers (not quite infants) in diapers with "The end" spelled out on some of them. I did notice that the kids suddenly became good spellers when making the signs for their parade. Just too dull to say more.

Mary, Queen of Tots (1925) - Mary is the lonely rich girl with parents who have no time for her and a mean no-nonsense governess who doesn't believe in dolls. Mary's only friend is the family's gardener, a kind-hearted soul who buys her four dolls that bear a remarkable resemblance to the four main Our Gang boys. Excited, she props the dolls up in chairs and reads them into a story in which she is the princess. She falls asleep on the floor, and the dolls and some stuffed animals apparently come to life. The boys climb on the furniture, examine drawer contents, and run around until they hear the governess coming. They resume the positions Mary left them in, but the governess is revolted at the presence of the dolls. The meanie scoops them up and throws them in the trash outside. When Mary wakes up, she is despondent over their disappearance, Frantic, she runs through the house and then outside, where she finds the boys at the end of the block, who were in the area because of a laundry delivery. She concludes that her dollies have come to life, hugs and kisses them except Farina who runs away when it's his turn, and asks them why they ran away. They think shes crazy, but accept her invitation into her house.

Mary offers to make something to eat, and the boys romp through the house treating a trolley as a scooter. Farina finds a magic top hat that keeps opening and closing until he stuffs it with crumpled paper. Joe slips many times on a throw rug, and soon the other boys share the experience. Jackie finds a liquor cabinet and winds up spraying himself and Farina with seltzer. Mickey and Joe turn on a radio, and they all get scared by the voice that tells them to take off their hats. The gardener returns, in shock to see the boys, and Mary explains that the dolls came to life. Then the governess returns, and goes out to get a policeman to chase the boys away, who claim they've been invited to dinner. Meanwhile, the gardener finds the dolls in the garbage can, and goes back inside, and gets the explanation that the boys pose as models for the dolls for a dollar a week. Wtih the geoverness about to return, they scheme and the boys hide while leaving the dolls in their place at the dining room table. Mary helps convince the cop that the governess is crazy, and the cop takes her away, leaving Mary and boys to enjoy the food she prepared.

This is among the most unique shorts and in a good way. The scene that stands out the most is the boys in Mary's dream on the set with the oversize furntiure. There is plenty of trick photography and interesting camera angles. Joe's sawdust starts to come out and Jackie sews him up. Richard Daniels is excellent as the gardener with his interactions with Mary and this is among his finest roles. At the beginning he helps Mary make mud pies that she wants to feed her governess. When the governess comes, he distracts her long enough for Mary to make her escape, and then comes up with the plot that lets Mary keep her new friends and the dolls and gets the governess taken away. When Mary finds the real boys, Farina has a good reaction, running away before getting embraced like the other three. This film doesn't fit in with others in that Mary is a stranger to the boys at the outset, but that isn't imprortant. The story and Mary's charm make this one of the best-remembered silents.

[ymymeatemup]

HELPING HANDS (1941)

Things I like:
The Stamp Gag. Froggy's stamp selection is the one solitary gag in this short that actually works, no doubt because it seems typical of what a real kid would do. It's a bit similar to the situation in "Goin' Fishin'," where the kids are innocently unaware of how much they're inconveniencing the adults.
Literally Nothing Else. Try as I might, I just can't find anything else of value in this short. I suppose if it had been something other than an Our Gang comedy, like an old-timey educational film, I might be vaguely interested in it as a sort of time capsule - but I can't forget that it IS an Our Gang film, and one of the prime examples of what went wrong with this series.

Things I don't like:
The Serious Stuff. The last part of the film has very little of what can be described as 'comedy,' opting instead to provide families with some useful information on how to contribute such materials as aluminum and rubber to the war effort. And actually, the beginning of the film, in which Spanky reads a letter from his brother in the Army, gives away the fact that we're in for a civics lesson. Luckily, in between these two segments, MGM wisely gives us an extended comedy sequence involving the Gang putting together their own army...
The Funny Stuff. Oh, that's right, I said 'MGM,' didn't I? Okay, maybe they should have just stuck with the educational material. It's downright wondrous to see how lame every single gag is during the 'army sequence.' I can't decide what's dumber - Nick not remembering the word 'stop,' or his 'soldiers' robotically walking into Mickey's group. Or perhaps it's the boys repeatedly saluting Major Sanford. Even Spanky's response of "Yeah, but that's too much" is about as lazy a bit of dialogue writing as we're ever liable to come across. Luckily, on either side of this sequence, MGM wisely avoids trying to be funny by giving us some tips on how to be good citizens in time of war.

Grade: D-