too many connections

[mtw12055]

Here's a link to some of the orginal Gang's thoughts on the film. articles.latimes.com/1994-08-06/entertainment/ca-24243_1_director-penelope-spheeris

While I definately find the original series far more enjoyable than the movie, had it not been for the movie I probably would have never become a fan of the series (or any form of classic cinema, for that matter). The only thing about this movie that really drives me nuts is the fact that I can't bring up "The Little Rascals" to anybody I know without getting "Dear Darla" and "I Got Two Pickles" references. It's too bad that more people don't know about the original series. Oh, well. We can't have everything.

[littlerascal4891]

Feb 14, 2011 21:39:53 GMT -5 mtw12055 said:

Here's a link to some of the orginal Gang's thoughts on the film. articles.latimes.com/1994-08-06/entertainment/ca-24243_1_director-penelope-spheeris

While I definately find the original series far more enjoyable than the movie, had it not been for the movie I probably would have never become a fan of the series (or any form of classic cinema, for that matter). The only thing about this movie that really drives me nuts is the fact that I can't bring up "The Little Rascals" to anybody I know without getting "Dear Darla" and "I Got Two Pickles" references. It's too bad that more people don't know about the original series. Oh, well. We can't have everything.

I can relate to the "Dear Darla" and "I got two pickles" thing. I don't mind that people quote the movie, I just wish people realized where the movie originated; my guess is that very few people under the age of 30 or so are familiar with the original gang at all. I mean, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Spanky, etc. were household names for a while (and I guess they still are, sort of) but how many people can say they know anything about Scotty or Wheezer or Dorothy. To be honest, I wouldn't even know who Jackie Cooper is if it wasn't for Our Gang, and he went on to have one of the most successful acting careers among the Gang.

I suppose it really isn't a big deal. I don't really think about it that often. It just bugs me a little when I type "little rascals" into Google images or something and it just gives me pictures from the 1994 version. But to be fair, this movie was/is fairly popular among kids born in the mid to late 80s and early 90s. I'm sure some of them think of it similarly to how fans of the original films felt... it's nostalgia for them. And it did introduce the Rascals to new fans, even if they weren't the original Rascals. It still inspired some people to research the older films, which is pretty cool.

[mtw12055]

Feb 14, 2011 23:03:31 GMT -5 littlerascal4891 said:

Feb 14, 2011 21:39:53 GMT -5 mtw12055 said:

Here's a link to some of the orginal Gang's thoughts on the film. articles.latimes.com/1994-08-06/entertainment/ca-24243_1_director-penelope-spheeris

While I definately find the original series far more enjoyable than the movie, had it not been for the movie I probably would have never become a fan of the series (or any form of classic cinema, for that matter). The only thing about this movie that really drives me nuts is the fact that I can't bring up "The Little Rascals" to anybody I know without getting "Dear Darla" and "I Got Two Pickles" references. It's too bad that more people don't know about the original series. Oh, well. We can't have everything.

I can relate to the "Dear Darla" and "I got two pickles" thing. I don't mind that people quote the movie, I just wish people realized where the movie originated; my guess is that very few people under the age of 30 or so are familiar with the original gang at all. I mean, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Spanky, etc. were household names for a while (and I guess they still are, sort of) but how many people can say they know anything about Scotty or Wheezer or Dorothy. To be honest, I wouldn't even know who Jackie Cooper is if it wasn't for Our Gang, and he went on to have one of the most successful acting careers among the Gang.

I suppose it really isn't a big deal. I don't really think about it that often. It just bugs me a little when I type "little rascals" into Google images or something and it just gives me pictures from the 1994 version. But to be fair, this movie was/is fairly popular among kids born in the mid to late 80s and early 90s. I'm sure some of them think of it similarly to how fans of the original films felt... it's nostalgia for them. And it did introduce the Rascals to new fans, even if they weren't the original Rascals. It still inspired some people to research the older films, which is pretty cool.

My point exactly. Like I said, I can rarely bring up the name "Little Rascals" (meaning the original series) without getting references to the movie. And because there is technically more than one "Little Rascals", occassionally some fans of the movie tend to get confused when references to the original series are made. But it obvious that the main reason why so many people don't know about "Our Gang" is due to the lack of exposure these days. I mean, when was the last time "Our Gang" was part of daily (or even weekly) TV?

However, I do remember hearing at least one fan of the movie say that he or she would prefer not to see the originals because he or she didn't want to lose their appreciation for the move. I can totally understand this.

As for the remake being nostalgic, I can definately relate to that. In fact, I actually grew up with the movie, so I still have a special place for it. And in my opinion, director Penelope Spheeris did an excellent job at capturing one of the most important aspects to the original series' success: the idea of kids being kids.

[littlerascal4891]

I agree, the "kids being kids" thing was certainly still there. I liked how there were few adults/parents in the movie and the kids were very independent, just like the original Gang. They could still get away with portraying that in the early to mid 90s. I'm sure there are very few kids nowadays who would go out and build their own clubhouse or go kart.

And while I realize some of the movies flaws now that I'm older, I can't help but have a soft spot for it. I thought it was one of the coolest movies when I was little, and to be fair, it is a pretty memorable film. With the exception of a few of the casting roles, I think the directors/producers did the best they could to make "Little Rascals" work in the modern world. I know some people didn't like how the kids dressed like it was the 30s, but I actually thought this worked (although the suspenders on Alfalfa seemed a bit outdated).