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Post by RJH on Sept 4, 2013 19:47:11 GMT -5
Baby Blues (1941) - [Corrected] One of the awful moralizing MGM films, which although the lesson is decent, is utterly lacking in entertainment value and humor. Mickey is whining and complaining loudly as his mother is due to give birth shortly, and then reads in an almanac that every fourth baby born is Chinese. Since he already has two sisters, he concludes the new baby will be Chinese. He runs to the gang to inform them of this news, and they decide to run to the hospital to get the doctor to call the whole thing off. When he isn't there, they go to the zoo in attempt to convince the stork to bring an American baby instead of a Chinese one. When that doesn't work out, Spanky tells them that he has a Chinese friend that they should visit and that he's a swell guy. When the gang goes to visit, the Chinese kid is being harrassed by bullies. The groups exchange words, and then in a display of wretched acting, Froggy hits one of the bullies with a punch that wouldn't knock over a drinking glass, and the bully goes down. Another light tap sends a second bully down, and the day is saved as the bullies run away, not even thinking of hitting back like what would happen in real life.
The gang then goes to the Chinese kid's house for a meal, and to their surprise, are served typical American fare. In a better mood, they go to Mickey's house, but when they get three, Mickey learns the terrible news that he now has twin baby girl sisters, and wants to run away again.
The Big Town (1925) - Another entertaining silent that could be improved a little in a few places. In a change of pace, this is set in New York State. The gang reads a letter to Mickey from the unseen "Skinny," who is in New York City. A farmer chases them out of his barn, drops a smoldering cigarette, and then sneaks a drink from his stash cleverly concealed in a fire extinguisher. The gang shortly returns to the barn to retrieve their dog, and seeing a small fire try to put it out. However, the liquor from the fire extinguisher greatly amplifies the flames, and the gang takes refuge in an open railway boxcar where Mary and Jackie had been playing house earlier. A train engine bumps the boxcar when hooking up to it, which causes the door to slide shut and lock the gang in.
The next day (perhaps 18 hours later; good thing no one had to go the bathroom in the 1920s), the door is opened and the gang finds themselves in New York City. They cross the Brooklyn bridge, and Mickey decides he can drive a bus. The gang goes for a ride narrowly missing many vehicles and pedestrians. Among the sites they get to see is the Statue of Liberty. This ride isn't as long as other wild rides and is soon stopped by cops who take the kids back to the railroad station for the trip home to Elmira.
On board is an entolomogist with his prized bug collection, so it is obvious that the bugs will get loose. Sure enough, his case falls to the floor while he is sleeping. Joe has waken up at 4 am due to hunger, and gets to gang to seek out the kitchen. However, Farina helps disperse the bugs, and soon everyone on board is scratching themselves.
A highlight is breakfast where Mickey, Joe, and Farina order items at random from the incomprehensible menu. Mickey finds nothing in his artichoke, Joe has a hard time getting a grip on his oysters, and Farina makes a mess attempting to eat spaghetti, getting a lot of it on himself. What is disappointing is that Mary and Jackie are barely seen in this sequence, and Pineapple is excluded entirely.
When they get back home, their mothers are there waiting to spank them. It is good to see the mothers treated as equals talking among themselves while waiting for the kids. The farmer gets a kick out of watching this, but Farina breaks away while his mother is spanking Pineapple. Farina finds a board with two nails in it and gives the farmer a good well-deserved swat.
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Post by ymymeatemup on Sept 5, 2013 0:56:13 GMT -5
BABY BLUES (1941)
Things I like: Every Fourth Child Born. I must say, I find Mickey's mistaken notion about having a Chinese sibling to be quite amusing, even if it is politically incorrect. It's not hard to imagine somebody his age interpreting the newspaper article that way, and even though he does his usual shouting of dialogue and badly of acting, there's something strangely likable about him in this short. Vintage 1941 PC. I know this wasn't intended by the filmmakers, but it's hilarious to see them trying to be progressive in their attitude towards Chinese people while littering the film with stereotypes and reminding us that the Japanese don't deserve the same consideration. Janet Burston. Looking for an Our Gang film in which Janet is actually kind of funny? Well, this is pretty much the only one. Enjoy. The Rest Of Mickey's Family. Aside from the fact that his parents are stereotypically Italian while his sisters are both firmly anything but, I find these people enjoyable.
Things I don't like: Edward Soo Hoo. Perhaps if the guys at MGM had walked a second block from the studio and hired the second Chinese kid they came across, they'd have ended up with somebody who delivers his dialogue with more emotional range than a stalk of celery. Bully And His Gang. Okay, so why is the scrawniest kid in the gang their leader? Is it because it just seemed logical since his name is 'Bully?' If his parents had named him something else, would Jimmy Gubitosi be their leader? Because, after all, he totally looks the part. Tough Guy Froggy. Oh, come now. 'Tis to laugh. The Naivete Factor. Spanky's practically at the age where he can make babies and even he thinks they come from storks? Jed Clampett needs to have a lonnnnng talk with that boy. Confucius. To add authenticity to the film, the Chinese characters routinely quote Confucius. Because that's what Chinese people do.
Grade: D
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Post by ymymeatemup on Sept 7, 2013 0:20:44 GMT -5
THE BIG TOWN (1925)
Things I like: New York. Inevitably, it's intriguing that the Gang finds themselves in New York in this short, and the portion in which they do their 'touring' is the highlight of the film. It's also nice that the fakery is less obvious than in the later "Seeing The World." The Opening Sequence. That is, the part of the film in which they're at the railroad yard, with Mary and Jackie playing at being a married couple, and Pat Kelly turning up to chase the kids away.
Things I don't like: The Train Sequence. It isn't so much that this portion is terrible (it's actually okay, but nothing special). It's the fact that less than half of the film presents the Gang in New York, and the latter part is dominated by footage in which they're not only NOT in New York, but confined to interior sets. Talk about anti-climactic! The bug sequence is interesting, if a bit gruesome, but not particularly funny. The breakfast sequence could just as easily have turned up in any other short, and feels too much like the boring second half of "Crazy House." The Lack Of Skinny. I mention this unseen character because it occurs to me that if the Gang had remained in the Big Apple a bit longer, perhaps they could have tracked down their friend and simply did their train activities in a more interesting setting. The food sequence, for instance, would have had more possibilities in a New York restaurant than onboard a train.
Grade: C
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Post by RJH on Sept 13, 2013 23:28:57 GMT -5
Bargain Day (1931) - There isn't too much to add to that detailed review above. One other thing I liked was a silent-movie-style intertitle card introducing Shirley as the lonely rich girl. She is happy to invite peddlers Wheezer and Stymie into the house. When Wheezer tries to sell her all sorts of things from his collection of odds and ends, she refuses to buy anything.
The ethnic humor about black characters gambling seems to be limited specifically to shooting dice, or craps. This also occurred in Lodge Night, Circus Fever, and Baby Brother.
When Stymie is chasing the monkey, he winds up in the bathtub and gets soaked when the monkey turns on the faucets. Apparently he preferred to change into one of Shirley's dresses instead of putting up with his own wet clothes.
Wheezer and Stymie had been pushing along a baby named Bologna in their cart. The infant sets off the burglar alarm, which is why the police come, much to Farina's dismay as he kept warning the gang that they would likely be pinched if they entered the house.
Boys to Board (1923) - In this enjoyable film, the gang (Mickey, Jack, Jackie, Andy Samuel) are residents of Mother Malone's Boarding School. Mother Malone is a harsh disciplinarian, and completely dominates Pop Malone, who read western pulp fiction hidden in a geography textbook while making a feeble attempt at teaching. Mickey hits Jackie with a spitball, and Jackie causes such a ruckus that Mother Malone places him on a stool in front of the class with a ridiculously large dunce cap.
Ernie comes by on the popular wobbly wagon to deliver a new student, Joe. When Ernie's dog and Joe's cat create a commotion, Ernie is sentenced to washing dishes despite his not being a resident of the home. As he leaves, Mickey slips him a note from "us desperite 4" asking to help them escape that night. That night, Jackie is lowered to the ground in a box on a bedsheet rope, and then Mickey, Jack, and Andy shimmy down the rope. Then Pop, who had read the note over Ernie's shoulder but kept mum, announces he wants to escape, too! Enough noise is made to wake up Mother, who enter's the boys' bedroom just in time to see Joe climbing out the window and down the bedsheet rope. She pulls the very long rope up, but Joe climbs down just fast enough to keep in place until he reaches the end of the rope with the box still attached, and he falls to the ground. He and Jackie get up and run to the wagon, where they all take off.
After a while the mule gets tired and stops. Farina, who had been riding with Ernie, wanders into the nearest house, which happens to be the home of a bootlegger. The bootlegger has furnished his house with booby traps, a stethoscope, and a periscope to protect the premises. Farina, the dog, and several of the boys fall through a trap door and slide into the basement. The bootlegger ties up some of the bigger kids, but then Pop Malone falls on him. Before a fight breaks out, a sheriff, apparently alerted by the noise, comes through a window to arrest the bootlegger, and gives Pop way too much credit. Nevertheless, emboldened the course of events, Pop returns home a changed man, and declares that he will be the boss and demands that there be good meals henceforward. The films end with a good meal, Ernie and Farina having been invited, the cook being allowed to eat at the same table. and Jackie winking at the camera.
This was the first of a number of films that would place the gang in an unpleasant home. This is set apart with the husband, played very well by Richard Daniels, running away with the gang.
The quality of my print is pretty bad, and the night scenes aren't clear at all, but I find the music very cheerful, especially during the escape scene.
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Post by ymymeatemup on Sept 14, 2013 1:10:44 GMT -5
BARGAIN DAY (1931)
Things I like: The Hats. The opening scene promises great things, and stands as one of Chubby's best moments in the series. It's easily the most comical part of the short. Stymie. Generally speaking, Stymie comes across quite well in this short. His reaction to the monkey's voice is priceless, not to mention the way he nonchalantly admits to the police detective that he's a peddler. The Toy Lion. One of the best props in series history. The Music. Leroy Shield's peppy little tunes keep a certain level of enjoyability even during the weak spots.
Things I don't like: Watt Street. It's bad enough that pun humor has gone out of style, but in this film, the same bad pun is driven straight into the ground. And the kids are still young enough that they're a bit limited in their acting abilities, which makes this type of scene rather strained. Nowhere. In other words, where this film goes. I have no idea what the filmmakers originally had in mind. They spent a lot of extra time filming, even though there's not much to the plot, which suggests that Jackie Cooper's departure midway through filming forced them to rethink the structure of the short. It winds up just being a lot of trouble over something that isn't very satisfying, and notably the weakest short during the otherwise very strong second talkie season.
Grade: C
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Post by ymymeatemup on Sept 15, 2013 1:07:02 GMT -5
BOYS TO BOARD (1923)
Things I like: Richard Daniels & Helen Gilmore. While not quite Gus Leonard and Louise Emmons from "Mush And Milk" (which was sort of a remake of this one), Daniels and Gilmore do a good job of playing the meek husband and terrifying wife in this short. The Dunce Cap. The way it's placed on Jackie's head and covers his face - I think this is the funniest gag in the film. The General Idea. I've always found it refreshing that this series was willing to change the Gang's situation from film to film. In this short, they're orphans - or something nearly so - and are taken out of their usual environment. While far from a standout episode, it's still consistent with the fairly high standards of the series' inaugural season, and the batch of kids at this time were arguably the most appealing they ever had.
Things I don't like: Day For Night. It's a common thing even these days to film nighttime scenes during the daytime, using filters and whatnot to get the desired effect. This would have been a bit more challenging with the technology of the '20s, but even with that in mind, the results here are pretty pathetic. Jackie's Parting Shot. It's amazing that we see such a contrived moment of preciousness in such an early Our Gang short. It would be nearly two decades before this type of thing would fit right into the style of this series.
Grade: B-
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Post by RJH on Sept 21, 2013 0:25:45 GMT -5
Bear Facts (1938) - Spanky and Alfalfa are playing checkers on Saturday morning, with Buckwheat and Porky watching since none of them have anything better to do. At the conclusion of one game, Spanky is down to a single king, but Alfalfa makes a very bad move, after apparently getting approval from the two spectators, and Spanky captures all of Alfalfa's remaining checkers with a rare septuple jump. Annoyed, Alfalfa tells Buckwheat and Porky to look around town for something exciting. They see Darla's father, with lots of circus equipment, moving in. They report, and the gang now aspires to run away with the circus, so they plan a visit.
Alfalfa insists on doing all the talking, greets Darla in an exaggerated manner, and tries to convince her he is a great animal trainer, offering Elmer the Monkey as an example. Darla replies that they don't have monkeys, so Alfalfa asks about bears. He then spins a preposterous tale of his African safari, including Spanky, Buckwheat, and Porky in the expedition. In his story Alfalfa tames three wild bears merely by staring them in the eye. The bears become docile, and accept his orders, meekly carrying the group's packs and bundles. In an unusual division of labor, Porky was carrying all five packs, while Buckwheat, in his typcal native garb, only had to carry his spear. When the story is over, the other three boys stare at Alfalfa with shocked expressions, with Buckwheat as usual with the best.
Darla's father applauds the story and offers Alfalfa a tryout. Alfalfa is hesitant, but can't admit he's scared to Darla. Her father then hatches a plot with Darla, and puts on a bear costume. Darla tells a now terrified Alfalfa to tame the bear. A good touch is that Alfalfa's hypnosis effort appears to work at first, and this gives Spanky, Buckwheat, and Porky a chacne to climb out the window. But before Alfalfa can make it, Mr. Hood grabs him, sort of dances with him, swings him around a few times , and finally throws him on the couch. Now Alfalfa joins his buddies by climbing out the window, and they run back to their clubhosue, cured of their circus fever to Darla's and her dad's amusement. Resuming another checker game, Alfalfa makes a move which lets Spanky win again, but this time with only a quintuple jump.
This short is quite a break in continuity, as Darla had been around for three years. It does come down to Alfalfa being taught a lesson, but he really deserved it and this was handled much better than any of MSM's efforts in teaching kids a lesson.
Boys Will Be Joys (1925) My print is of terrible quality, and there are some jumps where footage must be missing.
The gang has built an impressive amusement park in a lot, but the business that owns the lot sends surveyors in preparation for building a factory. Consequently the gang visits the chairman, Henry Mills in his office. Mills is a kid at heart, as shown by on his way to the office, he instructs his chauffeur to stop at a kids baseball game, where Mills gets in and hits a couple balls, the second breaking a window. At the office, Mickey explains the situation, and Mills decides to see what they've got. Once there, Mills offers assistance in making improvements, much to the annoyance of the rest of the board. Mills puts them to work operating all the rides, threatening to call off the board meeting if they don't. Eventaully Mills decides to retire and stay young, and leaves the company in the rest of the board's hands.
This is a feel-good story, but isn't exceptionally engaging. There is a disproportionate amount of the film devoted to the adults, and the gang, apart from Mickey directing the operation, doesn't do a whole lot. There are lots of random kids riding the rides and playing the carnival games. Farina does get to chase everyone off by carrying a wild animal which turns out to be a skunk, which leads one to wonder how he can stand up to the smell at close range so well. It doesn't make for much of an ending. The title is something of a misnomer; as opposed to "Boys to Board," Mary Kornman is in this short.
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Post by ymymeatemup on Sept 22, 2013 23:50:10 GMT -5
BEAR FACTS (1938)
Things I like: The Fifi Sequence. Possibly the highlight of an otherwise average outing. After being a bit over-the-top through most of the short, Alfalfa goes into his 'panic mode,' which provides the funniest bits in this film. The Three Bears. The way they respond to Alfalfa's orders tops off an otherwise amusing fantasy sequence. The Checkers Game. Not a bad way to get the film started, though my fondness for this part might be influenced by having owned the well-known poster based on this scene when I was a little kid. Darla. One short prior to her insufferable "Three Men In A Tub" performance, Darla is presented here in a genuinely likable way.
Things I don't like: Alfalfa As Leader. No, no, no. The established dynamic is that Spanky comes up with the ideas, which inevitably involve Alfalfa doing the dirty work, and Alfalfa naively goes along with it. What we're presented with in this film leaves Spanky doing nothing of any importance to the story.
Grade: C+
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Post by ymymeatemup on Sept 22, 2013 23:53:17 GMT -5
BOYS WILL BE JOYS (1925)
Things I like: Paul Weigel. I prefer some of the other old folks that populate this series, but Weigel is nevertheless appealing as the young-at-heart business mogul. The Roller Coaster Shot. That is, when the camera takes the ride with the boy going down the roller coaster. There's a lot of interesting shots in this film, but this one takes the cake.
Things I don't like: The Plausibility Factor. I'm willing to suspend disbelief most of the time with these kids - but honestly - has anybody ever found it plausible that they'd put together these carnival rides? The Ad Nauseum Factor. That is, the seemingly endless amount of time spent showing us each of the amusement park rides - being ridden by anonymous kids who normally didn't show up in other episodes. Nothing wrong with it in small doses, but at these lengths, it feels too much like padding. The Bubble. That is, the bubble that forms on the chauffeur's nose after he's hit by the doorknob. Some things are just more grotesque than funny.
Grade: C
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Post by ymymeatemup on Sept 24, 2013 20:20:52 GMT -5
BRING HOME THE TURKEY (1927)
Things I like: Pretty Much Nothing. Actually, I've only seen the last third or so of this short, and it was a long time ago, so I don't remember much about it. But I do remember that I wasn't terribly impressed with it.
Things I don't like: Tom Wilson. One thing I definitely couldn't get into was the character of Uncle Tom, played in blackface by a white man. It just adds an element of fakery to the proceedings, in addition to the general offensiveness of it.
Things that intrigue me (about the parts that I haven't seen): Louise Emmons. The old hag from "Mush And Milk" also appeared in this earlier (and very similar) episode. That alone is reason to track down a copy. Jean Darling. This was Jean's first Our Gang film, and it should be at least fleetingly interesting to see just how much of a role she played in it. Pleurisy. Farina, as usual, is joined by his little sister Jannie (as "Mango"), but he also has an additional sibling named "Pleurisy." I'm pretty sure this is a different kid than the one in "Election Day," but it would be interesting to see who it is.
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Post by antifrodis on Sept 25, 2013 1:58:20 GMT -5
"Spud" is forced to stay at home and "grease" sick brother Wheezer, but he would much rather go camping with the Gang. To this day, I don't quite understand the concept of "greasing" someone. Is rubbing some sort of lotion on somebody's neck supposed to stop them from coughing?
Here is a description I found online for how to use "Vick's Vapor Rub". Hopefully, this clarifies things for you a bit. "To use Vicks Vapor Rub on yourself, take off your top so your chest is exposed. Dip your hand into the Vapor Rub, and massage the rub onto your chest in circular motions. Breathe deeply, and you will feel your chest start to open and become less congested. Why does this happen? The vapors that come from the rub, such as the minty-smelling menthol and eucalyptus oil, both break down the mucus molecules that plug up your nasal and chest cavities. Moreover, eucalyptus oil has antibacterial properties that kill the cold virus. Camphor, in addition, calms respiratory inflammation"
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Post by ymymeatemup on Sept 28, 2013 23:43:39 GMT -5
BEAR SHOOTERS (1930)
Things I like: The Wagon. This has to be one of my very favorite Our Gang vehicles. It almost seems to defy gravity. And even though this isn't very PC of me, I've always been amused by Chubby's ability to nearly upend the wagon every time he moves from one end to the other. Wheezer. The way he taunts Spud by coughing at him does a lot to sum up the relationship between older and younger siblings, and of course, the phrase 'grease Wheezer' has a certain offbeat appeal to it. Farina's Hat. This provides the best 'quicky' gag of the short.
Things I don't like: Leon Janney. He almost manages to ruin this episode with his constant whining in the opening scene. Luckily, he tones it down for the rest of the short and we wind up with what I would describe as 'watchable mediocrity.' I'm so glad he never made a second appearance in this series. The Music. Actually, it's really not bad at all, but I'm always disappointed to hear the late-silent stock music in these early talkies. Leroy Shield was still a few months away from scoring the Roach films, so there's a certain charm that they hadn't acquired yet.
Grade: C
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Post by RJH on Sept 29, 2013 1:08:49 GMT -5
I didn't mention the opening title card for "Boys Will Be Joys" because in my print the faces are washed out almost the entire time the card is shown. I have to wait until literally the last decisecond before the faces are recognizable. Even then Farina looks awful with the "C" in "Rascals" over his mouth. I have no problem with Alfalfa being the leader in "Bear Facts;" rather I find it a refreshing change of pace, and makes up somewhat for earlier films which featured Spanky so prominently that the rest of the gang was little more than extras.
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Post by RJH on Sept 29, 2013 1:28:01 GMT -5
Bear Shooters (1930) - There isn't too much more to say on this. This is a typical story line featuring the gang's misadventures on a camping/hunting trip. One clever idea involves using a real goose as the horn for the wobbly wagon. The goose honks when prodded with a stick attached to a foot pedal. There is also the use of a bathtub as a rowboat by Farina. One wonders how the gang got that onto the wagon, and how Farina got it into the stream to go fishing.
The beginning is annoying with Spud's whining, and the ending is weak. There is no resolution: we never find out if the bootleggers are apprehended by the authorities and if Spud gets in trouble for disobeying his mother and taking Wheezer and Mary Ann camping.
I can't say anything about "Bring Home the Turkey." Apparently about six minutes of the film exist somewhere, and viewing that will have to go on a bucket list. What's odd is that Maltin and Bann act like the whole film is commonly available and give a reasonably detailed account of it. They may be going from cutting continuity, and in this case along with the other lost films it would be great if the complete cutting continuity were publicly available.
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Post by mtw12055 on Sept 29, 2013 11:34:36 GMT -5
"Spud" is forced to stay at home and "grease" sick brother Wheezer, but he would much rather go camping with the Gang. To this day, I don't quite understand the concept of "greasing" someone. Is rubbing some sort of lotion on somebody's neck supposed to stop them from coughing?
Here is a description I found online for how to use "Vick's Vapor Rub". Hopefully, this clarifies things for you a bit. "To use Vicks Vapor Rub on yourself, take off your top so your chest is exposed. Dip your hand into the Vapor Rub, and massage the rub onto your chest in circular motions. Breathe deeply, and you will feel your chest start to open and become less congested. Why does this happen? The vapors that come from the rub, such as the minty-smelling menthol and eucalyptus oil, both break down the mucus molecules that plug up your nasal and chest cavities. Moreover, eucalyptus oil has antibacterial properties that kill the cold virus. Camphor, in addition, calms respiratory inflammation" Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for posting that.
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