HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
s chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer
Hal Roach Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter, ...
, who also produced the
Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...
films, ''Our Gang'' shorts were produced from 1922 to 1944, spanning the
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
and early
sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...
periods of
American cinema The cinema of the United States, primarily associated with major film studios collectively referred to as Hollywood, has significantly influenced the global film industry since the early 20th century. Classical Hollywood cinema, a filmmakin ...
. ''Our Gang'' is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively natural way; Roach and original director Robert F. McGowan worked to film the unaffected, raw nuances apparent in regular children, rather than have them imitate adult acting styles. The series also broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals during the
Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...
era of
racial segregation in the United States Facilities and services such as housing, healthcare, education, employment, and transportation have been systematically separated in the United States based on racial categorizations. Notably, racial segregation in the United States was the leg ...
. Maltin, Leonard (1994). ''The Little Rascals: Remastered and Uncut'', vol. 22, introduction. Videorecording. New York: Cabin Fever Entertainment/ Hallmark Entertainment. The franchise began in 1922 as a silent short subject series produced by the Roach studio and released by
Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's silent film, silent era. Known for its trailblazing newsreel and wide array of short film, s ...
. Roach changed distributors from Pathé to
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
(MGM) in 1927, and the series entered its most popular period after converting to
sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...
in 1929. Production continued at Roach until 1938, when the ''Our Gang'' production unit was sold to MGM, where production continued until 1944. Across 220 short films and a feature-film spin-off, '' General Spanky'', the ''Our Gang'' series featured more than 41
child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...
s as regular members of its cast. Because MGM retained the rights to the ''Our Gang'' trademark after buying the series, the Roach-produced ''Our Gang'' sound films were re-released to theaters and syndicated for television under the title ''The Little Rascals''. The Roach-produced ''Little Rascals'' shorts that remain under copyright (1930–1938) are currently owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (through Halcyon Studios), which manages the copyrights as well as theatrical and home video and streaming releases; the entries produced between 1922 and 1930 are in the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
in the United States.
Paramount Global Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...
(through
King World Productions King World Productions, Inc. (also known as King World Entertainment, King World Enterprises, or simply King World) was a production company and syndicator of television programming in the United States founded by Charles King (1912–72) that ...
) owns the television distribution rights to the 1929–1938 Roach-era shorts for broadcast and cable. Meanwhile, MGM's ''Our Gang'' series (1938–1944) is currently owned by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
through Turner Entertainment Co.. New productions based on the shorts have been made over the years, including the 1994 feature film ''
The Little Rascals ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
'', released by
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
.


Series overview

Unlike many motion pictures featuring children and based in
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
, producer/creator Hal Roach rooted ''Our Gang'' in real life: most of the children were poor, and the gang was often at odds with snobbish "rich kids", officious adults, parents, and other such adversaries.


Directorial approach

Senior director Robert F. McGowan helmed most of the ''Our Gang'' shorts until 1933, assisted by his nephew Anthony Mack. McGowan worked to develop a style that allowed the children to be as natural as possible, downplaying the importance of the filmmaking equipment. Scripts were written for the shorts by the Hal Roach comedy writing staff, which included at various times
Leo McCarey Thomas Leo McCarey (October 3, 1898 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was involved in nearly 200 films, including the critically acclaimed '' Duck Soup'', '' Make Way for Tomorrow'', '' The Awf ...
,
Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...
,
Walter Lantz Walter Benjamin Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker. Biography Early years and start in animat ...
, and
Frank Tashlin Frank Tashlin (born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972), also known as Tish Tash and Frank Tash, was an American animator and filmmaker. He was best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' ...
, among others. The children, some too young to read, rarely saw the scripts; instead, McGowan would explain the scene to be filmed to each child immediately before it was shot, directing the children using a
megaphone A megaphone, speaking trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped horn (acoustic), acoustic horn used to amplifier, amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. ...
and encouraging
improvisation Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...
. When sound came in at the end of the 1920s, McGowan modified his approach slightly, but scripts were not adhered to until McGowan left the series. Later ''Our Gang'' directors, such as
Gus Meins Gus Meins (March 6, 1893 – August 1, 1940), born Gustave Peter Ludwig Luley, was an American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Career Meins started out in the ‘teens as a cartoonist for the ''Los Angeles Evening Herald'' ...
and Gordon Douglas, streamlined the approach to McGowan's methods to meet the demands of the increasingly sophisticated movie industry of the mid-to-late 1930s. Douglas, in particular, had to streamline his films, as he directed ''Our Gang'' after Roach halved the running times of the shorts from two reels (20 minutes) to one reel (10 minutes).


Finding and replacing the cast

As children aged out of their roles, they were replaced by new children, usually from the Los Angeles area. Eventually ''Our Gang'' talent scouting employed large-scale national contests in which thousands of children tried out for an open role. For example, Norman Chaney ("Chubby"), Matthew Beard ("Stymie"), and Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas all won contests to become members of the cast: Chaney replaced Joe Cobb, Beard replaced Allen Hoskins ("Farina"), and Thomas replaced Beard. Even when there was no talent search, the studio was bombarded by requests from parents who were sure their children were perfect for the series. Among them were the future child stars
Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...
and
Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...
, neither of whom made it past the audition.


African-American and other minority cast members

The ''Our Gang'' series, produced during the
Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...
era, is one of the first in cinema history in which
African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...
and
White Americans White Americans (sometimes also called Caucasian Americans) are Americans who identify as white people. In a more official sense, the United States Census Bureau, which collects demographic data on Americans, defines "white" as " person hav ...
were portrayed as equals. The five black child actors who held main roles in the series were Ernie Morrison,
Eugene Jackson Eugene W. Jackson II (December 25, 1916 – October 26, 2001) was an American child actor who was a regular of the ''Our Gang'' short series during the silent Pathé era. Career When he joined the gang, Jackson replaced the series' first ...
, Allen Hoskins, Matthew Beard and Billie Thomas. Ernie Morrison was the first black actor signed to a long-term contract in Hollywood history and the first major black star in Hollywood history. The African-American characters have often been criticized as racial stereotypes. The Black children spoke (or were indicated as speaking via text titles in the case of the silent entries) in a stereotypical " Negro dialect", and several controversial gags revolved directly around their skin color: Matthew Beard's Stymie character sweating jet-black ink, Billie Thomas's Buckwheat character being given fake "white
measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...
" instead of dark ones and supposedly turned into a monkey, and so forth. One early ''Our Gang'' short, '' Lodge Night'' (1924), revolves around the kids forming a parody club based on the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
(though the Black children are still allowed to join). In their adult years, actors Morrison, Beard, and Thomas defended the series, arguing that the white characters in the series were similarly stereotyped: the "freckle-faced kid", the "fat kid", the "neighborhood bully", the "pretty blond girl", and the "mischievous toddler". In an interview on
Tom Snyder Thomas James Snyder (May 12, 1936 – July 29, 2007) was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows '' Tomorrow'', on NBC in the 1970s and 1980s, and '' The Late Late Show'' ...
's ''
The Tomorrow Show ''The Tomorrow Show'' (also known as ''Tomorrow with Tom Snyder'' or ''Tomorrow'' and, after 1980, ''Tomorrow Coast to Coast'') is an American late-night television talk show hosted by Tom Snyder that aired on NBC in first-run form from October ...
'' in 1974, Matthew Beard said of his time in the series that "I feel it was great. Some of the lines I had to say I didn't like, but I never look at it like that. I just try to look at it as mostly a fun thing. We were just a group of kids who were having fun." In a separate interview, Ernie Morrison stated, "When it came to race, Hal Roach was color-blind." ''Our Gang's'' integrated cast caused it to be disliked by certain theater owners in the southern United States. Early in the existence of ''Our Gang'', these theater owners complained to Pathé that Morrison and Hoskins had too much screen time and their prominence in the shorts would offend white audiences. A later ''Our Gang'' spin-off film, '' Curley'' (1947), was banned by the
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
censor board for showing black and white children in school together, a characteristic common to even the earlier shorts. Other minorities, including
Asian American Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). Although this term had historically been used fo ...
s Sing Joy, Allen Tong (also known as Alan Dong), and Edward Soo Hoo, as well as
Italian-American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
actor Mickey Gubitosi (later known as Robert Blake), were depicted in the series with varying levels of stereotyping.


History


1922–1925: early years

According to Roach, the idea for ''Our Gang'' came to him in 1921, when he was auditioning a child actress to appear in a film. The girl was, in his opinion, overly made up and overly rehearsed, and Roach waited for the audition to be over. After the girl and her mother left the office, Roach looked out of his window to a lumberyard across the street, where he saw some children having an argument. The children had all taken sticks from the lumberyard to play with, but the smallest child had the biggest stick, and the others were trying to force him to give it to the biggest child. After realizing that he had been watching the children bicker for 15 minutes, Roach thought a short film series about children just being themselves might be a success. ''Our Gang'' also had its roots in an aborted Roach short-subject series revolving around the adventures of a black boy called "Sunshine Sammy", played by Ernie Morrison. Theater owners then were wary of booking shorts focused on a black boy, and the series ended after just one entry, ''The Pickaninny'' (1921), was produced. Morrison's "Sunshine Sammy" instead became one of the foci of the new ''Our Gang'' series. Under the supervision of
Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...
, work began on the first two-reel shorts in the new "kids-and-pets" series, to be called ''Hal Roach's Rascals'', later that year. Director Fred C. Newmeyer helmed the first pilot film, entitled ''
Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
'', but Roach scrapped Newmeyer's work and had former fireman Robert F. McGowan reshoot the short. Roach tested it at several theaters around Hollywood. The attendees were very receptive, and the press clamored for "lots more of those 'Our Gang' comedies." The colloquial usage of the term ''Our Gang'' led to its becoming the series' second (yet more popular) official title, with the title cards reading "''Our Gang'' Comedies: Hal Roach presents ''His Rascals'' in..." The series was officially called both ''Our Gang'' and ''Hal Roach's Rascals'' until 1932, when ''Our Gang'' became the sole title of the series. The first cast of ''Our Gang'' was recruited primarily of children recommended to Roach by studio employees, with the exception of Ernie Morrison, who was already under contract to Roach. The other ''Our Gang'' recruits included Roach photographer Gene Kornman's daughter Mary Kornman, their friends' son Mickey Daniels, and family friends Allen Hoskins, Jack Davis, Jackie Condon, and Joe Cobb. Most early shorts were filmed outdoors and on location and featured a menagerie of animal characters, such as Dinah the Mule. Roach's distributor
Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...
released ''One Terrible Day'', the fourth short produced for the series, as the first ''Our Gang'' short on September 10, 1922; the pilot ''Our Gang'' was not released until November 5. The ''Our Gang'' series was a success from the start, with the children's naturalism, the funny animal actors, and McGowan's direction making a successful combination. The shorts did well at the box office, and by the end of the decade the ''Our Gang'' children were pictured on numerous product endorsements. The biggest ''Our Gang'' stars then were Ernie Morrison as Sunshine Sammy, Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, and Allen Hoskins as little Farina, who eventually became the most popular member of the 1920s gang and the most popular black child star of the 1920s. A reviewer wrote of the Farina character — depicted as female though played by a male child — in ''
Photoplay ''Photoplay'' was one of the first American film fan magazines, its title another word for screenplay. It was founded in Chicago in 1911. Under early editors Julian Johnson and James R. Quirk, in style and reach it became a pacesetter for fan m ...
'': "The honors go to a very young lady of color, billed as 'Little Farina.' Scarcely two years old, she goes through each set like a wee, sombre shadow." Daniels and Kornman were very popular and were often paired in ''Our Gang'' and a later teen version of the series called '' The Boy Friends'', which Roach produced from 1930 to 1932. Other early ''Our Gang'' children were
Eugene Jackson Eugene W. Jackson II (December 25, 1916 – October 26, 2001) was an American child actor who was a regular of the ''Our Gang'' short series during the silent Pathé era. Career When he joined the gang, Jackson replaced the series' first ...
as Pineapple, Scooter Lowry, Andy Samuel,
Johnny Downs John Morey Downs (October 10, 1913 – June 6, 1994) was an American actor, singer and dancer. He began his career as a child actor, most notably as Johnny in the ''Our Gang'' short comedy film series from 1923 to 1926. He remained active ...
, Winston and Weston Doty, and Jay R. Smith.


1926–1929: new faces and new distributors

After Ernie, Mickey and Mary left the series in the mid-1920s, the ''Our Gang'' series entered a transitional period. The stress of directing child actors forced Robert McGowan to take doctor-mandated sabbaticals for exhaustion, leaving his nephew Robert A. McGowan (credited as Anthony Mack) to direct many shorts in this period. The Mack-directed shorts are considered among the lesser entries in the series. New faces included
Bobby Hutchins Robert E. Hutchins (March 29, 1925 – May 17, 1945) was an American child actor who was a regular in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1927 to 1933. A native of Tacoma, Washington, he was given the nickname of Wheezer after running ar ...
as Wheezer, Harry Spear, Jean Darling and Mary Ann Jackson, while stalwart Farina served as the series' anchor. Also at this time, the ''Our Gang'' cast acquired an American Pit Bull Terrier with a ring around one eye, originally named Pansy but soon known as
Pete the Pup Pete the Pup (September 9, 1929 – January 28, 1946), also called the Mississippi Man Mauler, was an American dog actor known to portray "Pete, the dog with the ring around his eye" in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' comedies series (later known as '' ...
, the most famous ''Our Gang'' pet. In 1927, Roach ended his distribution arrangement with the Pathé company. He signed on to release future products through the newly formed
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
, which released its first ''Our Gang'' comedy in September 1927. The move to MGM offered Roach larger budgets and the chance to have his films packaged with MGM features to the
Loews Theatres Loews may refer to: * Loews Cineplex Entertainment, formerly Loews Incorporated, a defunct North American cinema chain which formerly owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer **''United States v. Loew's Inc.'', a United States Supreme Court case involving Loews ...
chain. Some shorts around this time, particularly '' Spook Spoofing'' (1928, one of only two three-reelers in the ''Our Gang'' canon), contained extended scenes of the gang tormenting and teasing Farina, scenes which helped spur the claims of racism, which many other shorts did not warrant. These shorts marked the departure of Jackie Condon, who had been with the group from the beginning of the series.


1928–1931: entering the sound era

Starting in 1928, ''Our Gang'' comedies were distributed with phonographic discs that contained synchronized music-and-sound-effect tracks for the shorts. In spring 1929, the Roach sound stages were converted for sound recording, and ''Our Gang'' made its " all-talking" debut in April 1929 with the 25-minute film ''
Small Talk Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed. In essence, it is polite and standard conversation about unimportant things. The phenomenon ...
''. It took a year for McGowan and the gang to fully adjust to talking pictures, during which time they lost Joe Cobb, Jean Darling and Harry Spear and added Norman Chaney, Dorothy DeBorba, Matthew "Stymie" Beard,
Donald Haines Donald Haines (May 9, 1919 – February 20, 1943) was an American child actor who had recurring appearances in the '' Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1930 to 1933. He appeared in '' Our Gang'' during the early sound days along with ...
and
Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor and director. He began his career performing in film as a child, and successfully transitioned to adult roles and directing in both film and television. At age nine, h ...
. Cooper proved to be the personality the series had been missing since Mickey Daniels left and was featured prominently in three 1930/1931 ''Our Gang'' films: '' Teacher's Pet'', '' School's Out'', and '' Love Business''. These three shorts explored Jackie Cooper's crush on the new schoolteacher Miss Crabtree, played by
June Marlowe June Marlowe (born Gisela Valaria Goetten, November 6, 1903 – March 10, 1984) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. She was best known for her role as "Miss Crabtree" in the ''Our Gang'' short subj ...
. Cooper soon won the lead role in
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...
's feature film '' Skippy'', and Roach sold his contract to MGM in 1931. Other ''Our Gang'' members appearing in the early sound shorts included Buddy McDonald, Clifton Young, and
Shirley Jean Rickert Shirley Jean Rickert (March 25, 1926 – February 6, 2009) was an American child actress who was briefly the "blonde girl" for the ''Our Gang'' series in 1931, during the Hal Roach early talkie period. Career At 18 months of age, Rickert ...
. Many also appeared in a group
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
in the all-star comedy short '' The Stolen Jools'' (1931). Beginning with the short '' When the Wind Blows'', in 1930 background music scores were added to the soundtracks of most of the ''Our Gang'' films. Initially, the music consisted of orchestral versions of then-popular tunes.
Marvin Hatley Thomas Marvin Hatley (April 3, 1905 – August 26, 1986), professionally known simply as Marvin Hatley, was an American film composer and musical director, best known for his work for the Hal Roach studio from 1929 until 1940. Hatley wrote man ...
had served as the music director of Hal Roach Studios since 1929, and
RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
employee Leroy Shield joined the company as a part-time musical director in mid-1930. Hatley and Shield's
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
-influenced scores, first featured in ''Our Gang'' with 1930s '' Pups is Pups'', became recognizable trademarks of ''Our Gang'', ''
Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...
'', and the other Roach series and films. Another 1930 short, '' Teacher's Pet'', marked the first use of the ''Our Gang''
theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...
, "Good Old Days". Originally composed by Shield for use in Laurel & Hardy's first feature, '' Pardon Us'', "Good Old Days," featuring a notable
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...
solo, served as the series' theme until 1938. Shield and Hatley's scores supported ''Our Gang's'' on-screen action regularly through 1934, after which series entries with background scores became less frequent. In 1930, Roach began production on '' The Boy Friends'', a short-subject series which was essentially a teenaged version of ''Our Gang''. Featuring ''Our Gang'' alumni Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman among its cast, ''The Boy Friends'' was produced for two years, with fifteen installments in total.


1931–1933: transition

Jackie Cooper left ''Our Gang'' in early 1931 just before another wave of cast changes: Farina Hoskins, Chubby Chaney, and Mary Ann Jackson all departed a few months afterward. ''Our Gang'' entered another transitional period, similar to that of the mid-1920s. Matthew Beard, Wheezer Hutchins, and Dorothy DeBorba carried the series during this period, aided by
Sherwood Bailey Sherwood Bailey (August 6, 1923 – August 6, 1987) was an American child actor and civil engineer. His parents were nonprofessionals. He is most noted for appearing as Spud, the red-headed, freckle-faced bad boy and enemy of the gang in the ''O ...
and Kendall McComas, who would play Breezy Brisbane. Unlike the mid-1920s period, McGowan sustained the quality of the series with the help of the several regular cast members and the Roach writing staff. Many of these shorts include early appearances of Jerry Tucker and Wally Albright, who later became series regulars. New Roach discovery
George McFarland George Robert Philips McFarland (October 2, 1928 – June 30, 1993) was an American actor most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. The ''Our Gang'' short ...
joined the gang as Spanky late in 1931 at the age of three and remained an ''Our Gang'' actor for eleven years, except for a brief break in summer 1938. At first appearing as the tag-along toddler of the group, and later finding an accomplice in
Scotty Beckett Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the ''Our Gang'' shorts and later costarred on '' Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''. Early life and career Born in Oakland, Califo ...
in 1934, Spanky quickly became ''Our Gang''s biggest child star. He won parts in a number of outside features, appeared in many of the now-numerous ''Our Gang'' product endorsements and spin-off merchandise items, and popularized the expressions "Okey-dokey!" and "Okey-doke!" Dickie Moore, a veteran child actor, joined in the middle of 1932 and remained with the series for one year. Other members in these years included Mary Ann Jackson's brother Dickie Jackson, John "Uh-huh" Collum, and
Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods in ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...
. Upon Dickie Moore's departure in mid 1933, long-term ''Our Gang'' members such as Wheezer (who had been with ''Our Gang'' since the late Pathé silents period) and Dorothy left the series as well.


1933–1936: new directions

Robert McGowan, burned out from the stress of working with the child actors, had as early as 1931 tried to resign as producer/director of ''Our Gang''. Lacking a replacement, Hal Roach persuaded him to stay on for another year. At the start of the 1933–34 season, the ''Our Gang'' series format was significantly altered to accommodate McGowan and persuade him to stay another year. The first two entries of the season in fall 1933, '' Bedtime Worries'' and '' Wild Poses'' (which featured a cameo by Laurel and Hardy), focused on Spanky and his hapless parents, portrayed by
Gay Seabrook Gay Seabrook (born Gladys Johnson; April 1, 1901 – April 18, 1970) was an American film, Broadway and radio actress. Early years Seabrook was the daughter of Rufus Johnson, a newspaper circulation manager. She married screenwriter Edward Ev ...
and
Emerson Treacy Emerson Treacy (September 17, 1900 – January 10, 1967) was an American film, Broadway, and radio actor. Early years Treacy graduated from St. Joseph College in Philadelphia. When his father died in an automobile accident, Treacy became ...
, in a family-oriented
situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
format similar to the style later popular on
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
. A smaller cast of ''Our Gang'' kids—Matthew Beard, Tommy Bond, Jerry Tucker, and Georgie Billings—were featured in supporting roles with reduced screen time. An unsatisfied McGowan abruptly left after ''Wild Poses''. Coupled with a brief suspension in McFarland's work permit,. See the article on '' Hi-Neighbor!'' (1934) for more details. ''Our Gang'' went into a four-month hiatus, during which the series was revised to a format similar to its original style and German-born
Gus Meins Gus Meins (March 6, 1893 – August 1, 1940), born Gustave Peter Ludwig Luley, was an American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Career Meins started out in the ‘teens as a cartoonist for the ''Los Angeles Evening Herald'' ...
was hired as the new series director.Ward, Richard Lewis (2005). ''A History of Hal Roach Studios''. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. Pg. 85–86. . '' Hi-Neighbor!'', released in March 1934, ended the hiatus and was the first series entry directed by Meins, a veteran of the once-competing ''
Buster Brown Buster Brown is a comic strip character created in 1902 by Richard F. Outcault that was adopted as the mascot of the Brown Shoe Company in 1904. The characters of Buster Brown, Mary Jane, and his dog Tige became well known to the American publ ...
'' short subject series. Gordon Douglas served as Meins's assistant director, and Fred Newmeyer alternated directorial duties with Meins for a handful of shorts. Meins's ''Our Gang'' shorts were less improvisational than McGowan's and featured a heavier reliance on dialogue. McGowan returned two years later to direct his ''Our Gang'' swan song, '' Divot Diggers'', released in 1936. Retaining McFarland, Matthew Beard, Tommy Bond, and Jerry Tucker, the revised series added
Scotty Beckett Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the ''Our Gang'' shorts and later costarred on '' Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''. Early life and career Born in Oakland, Califo ...
, Wally Albright, and Billie Thomas, who soon began playing the character of Stymie's sister "Buckwheat", though Thomas was a male. Semi-regular actors, such as Jackie Lynn Taylor, Marianne Edwards, and Leonard Kibrick as the neighborhood bully, joined the series at this time. Tommy Bond and Wally Albright left in the middle of 1934; Jackie Lynn Taylor and Marianne Edwards would depart by 1935. Early in 1935, new cast members Carl Switzer and his brother Harold joined ''Our Gang'' after impressing Roach with an impromptu musical performance at the studio commissary. While Harold would eventually be relegated to the role of a background player, Carl, nicknamed "Alfalfa", eventually replaced Scotty Beckett as Spanky's sidekick. Matthew Beard as Stymie left the cast soon after, and the Buckwheat character morphed subtly into a male. That same year,
Darla Hood Darla Jean Hood (November 8, 1931 – June 13, 1979) was an American child actress, best known as the female lead in the ''Our Gang'' series from 1935 to 1941. As an adult, she performed as a singer in nightclubs and on television. ''Our ...
, Patsy May, and Eugene Lee as Porky joined the gang. Scotty Beckett departed for a career in features (he returned in 1939 for two shorts, '' Cousin Wilbur'' and '' Dog Daze'').


The final Roach years

''Our Gang'' was very successful during the 1920s and the early 1930s. However, by 1934, many movie theater owners were increasingly dropping two-reel (20-minute) comedies like ''Our Gang'' and the ''Laurel & Hardy'' series from their bills and running
double feature The double feature is a Film, motion picture industry phenomenon in which theaters would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which the presentation of one feature film would be followed by various short subjec ...
programs instead. The ''Laurel & Hardy'' series went from film shorts to features exclusively in mid 1935. By 1936, Hal Roach began debating plans to discontinue ''Our Gang'' until
Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...
, head of Roach's distributor MGM, persuaded Roach to keep the popular series in production. Roach agreed, producing shorter, one-reel ''Our Gang'' comedies (ten minutes in length instead of twenty). The first one-reel ''Our Gang'' short, '' Bored of Education'' (1936), marked the ''Our Gang'' directorial debut of former assistant director Gordon Douglas and won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (One Reel) in 1937. As part of the arrangement with MGM to continue ''Our Gang'', Roach received the clearance to produce an ''Our Gang'' feature film, '' General Spanky'', hoping that he might move the series to features as was done with Laurel & Hardy. Directed by Gordon Douglas and Fred Newmeyer, ''General Spanky'' featured characters Spanky, Buckwheat, and Alfalfa in a sentimental, Shirley Temple-esque story set during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. The film focused more on the adult leads (
Phillips Holmes Phillips Raymond Holmes (July 22, 1907 – August 12, 1942) was an American actor. For his contributions to the film industry, he was posthumously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Early life, education and career Born in ...
and
Rosina Lawrence Rosina May Lawrence (December 30, 1912 – June 23, 1997) was a British-Canadian actress and singer. She had a short but memorable career in the 1920s and 1930s in Hollywood before she married in 1939 and retired from entertainment. She is best ...
) than the children and was a box office disappointment. No further ''Our Gang'' features were made. After years of gradual cast changes, the troupe standardized in 1936 with the move to one-reel shorts. Most casual fans of ''Our Gang'' are particularly familiar with the 1936–1939 incarnation of the cast: Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat, and Porky, with recurring characters such as neighborhood bullies Butch and Woim and the bookworm Waldo.
Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods in ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...
, an off-and-on member of the gang since 1932, returned to the series as Butch beginning with the 1937 short '' Glove Taps''. Sidney Kibrick, the younger brother of Leonard Kibrick, played Butch's crony, Woim. ''Glove Taps'' also featured the first appearance of Darwood Kaye as the bespectacled, foppish Waldo. In later shorts, both Butch and Waldo were portrayed as Alfalfa's rivals in his pursuit of Darla's affections. Other popular elements in these mid-to-late-1930s shorts include the "He-Man Woman Haters Club" from '' Hearts Are Thumps'' and '' Mail and Female'' (both 1937), the Laurel and Hardy-ish interaction between Alfalfa and Spanky, and the comic tag-along team of Porky and Buckwheat. Roach produced the final two-reel ''Our Gang'' short, a high-budget musical special entitled ''
Our Gang Follies of 1938 ''Our Gang Follies of 1938'' (later reissued as simply ''Follies of 1938'') is a 1937 American musical short subject, the 161st short subject entry in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') series. Directed by Gordon Douglas as a sequel t ...
'', in 1937 as a
parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
of MGM's ''
Broadway Melody of 1938 ''Broadway Melody of 1938'' is a 1937 American musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical traditi ...
''. In ''Follies of 1938'', Alfalfa, who aspires to be an
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
singer, falls asleep and dreams that his old pal Spanky has become the rich owner of a swanky Broadway nightclub where Darla and Buckwheat perform, making "hundreds and thousands of dollars". As the profit margins continued to decline owing to double features, Roach could no longer afford to continue producing ''Our Gang''. The lack of consistent success with Roach's concurrent program of feature output and an ultimately unsuccessful partnership with
Vittorio Mussolini Vittorio Mussolini (27 September 1916 – 12 June 1997) was an Italian film critic and producer. He was also the second child of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. However, he was the first officially acknowledged son of Mussolini, with his se ...
- son of Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
- led to disagreements with the management at MGM and its parent company, Loews Inc., which elected to end MGM's partnership with Roach. However, MGM did not want ''Our Gang'' discontinued and agreed to take over production. On May 31, 1938, Roach sold MGM the ''Our Gang'' unit, including the rights to the name and the contracts for the actors and writers, for $25,000 (equal to $ today).Ward, Richard Lewis (2005). ''A History of Hal Roach Studios''. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. pp. 116, 225. . After delivering the Laurel and Hardy feature ''
Block-Heads ''Block-Heads'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Laurel and Hardy, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It was produced by Hal Roach Studios for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, a reworking of elements from the Lau ...
'', Roach started a new distribution deal with
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
and left the short-subjects business. The final Roach-produced short in the ''Our Gang'' series, '' Hide and Shriek'', was his final short-subject production.


The MGM era

'' The Little Ranger'' was the first ''Our Gang'' short to be produced in-house at MGM. Gordon Douglas was loaned out from Hal Roach Studios to direct ''The Little Ranger'' and another early MGM short, ''Aladdin's Lantern'', while MGM hired newcomer
George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and '' Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive back ...
as the permanent series director. ''Our Gang'' would be used by MGM as a training ground for future feature directors: Sidney, Edward Cahn and
Cy Endfield Cyril Raker Endfield (November 10, 1914 – April 16, 1995) was an American film director, who at times also worked as a writer, theatre director, and inventor. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he worked in the New York theatre in the late 1930s ...
all worked on ''Our Gang'' before moving on to features. Another director, Herbert Glazer, remained a second-unit director outside of his work on the series. Nearly all of the 52 MGM-produced ''Our Gangs'' were written by former Roach director Hal Law and former junior director Robert A. McGowan (also known as Anthony Mack, nephew of former senior ''Our Gang'' director Robert F. McGowan). Robert A. McGowan was credited for these shorts as "Robert McGowan"; as a result, moviegoers have been confused for decades about whether this Robert McGowan and the senior director of the same name at Roach were two separate people. The last few of the Roach comedies featured Alfalfa Switzer as the lead character; Spanky McFarland had departed from the series just before its sale to MGM. Casting his replacement was delayed until after the move to MGM, at which point MGM rehired McFarland. In 1939, Mickey Gubitosi (later known by the stage name of Robert Blake) replaced Eugene "Porky" Lee, who had matured too quickly. Tommy Bond, Darwood Kaye, and Alfalfa Switzer all left the series in 1940, and Billy "Froggy" Laughlin (with his
Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Janet Burston were added to the cast. By the end of 1941, Darla Hood had departed from the series, and Spanky McFarland followed her within a year. Billie Thomas as Buckwheat remained in the cast until the end of the series as the sole holdover from the Roach era. Overall, the ''Our Gang'' films produced by MGM were not as well-received as the Roach-produced shorts had been, largely due to MGM's inexperience with the brand of
slapstick comedy Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
that ''Our Gang'' was famous for, and to MGM's insistence on keeping Alfalfa, Spanky, and Buckwheat in the series as they became teens. The MGM entries are considered by many film historians, and the ''Our Gang'' children themselves, to be lesser films than the Roach entries. The children's performances were criticized as stilted and stiff, their dialogue being recited instead of spoken naturally. Adult situations often drove the action, with each film often incorporating a moral, a civics lesson, or a patriotic theme. The series was given a permanent setting in the fictitious town of Greenpoint, and the mayhem caused by the ''Our Gang'' kids was toned down significantly. Exhibitors noticed the drop in quality, and often complained that the series was slipping. When six of the 13 shorts released between 1942 and 1943 sustained losses rather than turning profits, MGM discontinued ''Our Gang''. The final short was '' Dancing Romeo'', which was released on April 29, 1944 (as an MGM Miniature, not an Our Gang comedy). Since 1937, ''Our Gang'' had been featured as a licensed
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
in the UK
comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...
''
The Dandy ''The Dandy'' was a Scottish children's comic magazine published by the Dundee based publisher DC Thomson. The first issue was printed in December 1937, making it the world's third-longest running comic, after '' Il Giornalino'' (cover dated 1 Oc ...
'', drawn by Dudley D. Watkins. Starting in 1942, MGM licensed ''Our Gang'' to
Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
for the publication of ''Our Gang Comics'', featuring the gang,
Barney Bear ''Barney Bear'' is an American series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by MGM Cartoons. The title character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a sluggish, sleepy bear who often is in pursuit of nothing except for peace and qui ...
, and
Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...
. The strips in ''The Dandy'' ended three years after the demise of the ''Our Gang'' shorts, in 1947. ''Our Gang Comics'' outlasted the series by five years, changing its name to ''Tom and Jerry Comics'' in 1949. In 2006,
Fantagraphics Books Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the Erotic comics, erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed sev ...
began issuing a series of volumes reprinting the ''Our Gang'' stories, mostly written and drawn by '' Pogo'' creator
Walt Kelly Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney S ...
.


Later years and ''The Little Rascals'' revival


''The Little Rascals'' television package

When Roach sold ''Our Gang'' to MGM, he retained the option to buy the rights to the ''Our Gang'' trademark, provided he produced no more children's comedies in the ''Our Gang'' vein. In the late 1940s, he created a new film property in the ''Our Gang'' mold and forfeited his right to buy back the name ''Our Gang'' to obtain permission to produce two
Cinecolor Cinecolor was an early subtractive color-model two-color motion picture process that was based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor system of the late 1920s and the 1930s. It was developed by William T. Crispinel an ...
featurettes, '' Curley'' and '' Who Killed Doc Robbin''. Neither film was critically or financially successful, and Roach turned to re-releasing the original ''Our Gang'' comedies. In 1949, MGM sold Roach the back catalog of 1927–1938 ''Our Gang'' silent and talking shorts, while retaining the rights to the ''Our Gang'' name, the 52 ''Our Gang'' films it produced, and the feature ''General Spanky''. Under the terms of the sale, Roach was required to remove the MGM lion studio logo and all instances of the names or logos "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer", "Loew's Incorporated", and ''Our Gang'' from the reissued film prints. Using a modified version of the series' original name, Roach repackaged 79 of the 80 sound ''Our Gang'' shorts as ''The Little Rascals''.
Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...
and its successor, Allied Artists, reissued the films to theaters beginning in 1950. Allied Artists' television department, Interstate Television, syndicated the films to TV in 1954. Under its new name, ''The Little Rascals'' enjoyed renewed popularity on television, and new ''Little Rascals'' comic books, toys, and other licensed merchandise were produced. As was the custom at the time with theatrical film productions rebroadcast on television, none of the child actors or other cast were paid residuals for the revival, despite the profits derived from the revival. MGM prepared to distribute its own ''Our Gang'' shorts to television in 1957, and offers for the shorts to stations began to be made in 1958. The two separate packages of ''Our Gang'' films competed with each other in syndication for three decades. Some stations bought both packages and played them alongside each other under the ''Little Rascals'' show banner. The television rights to the silent
Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...
''Our Gang'' comedies were sold to National Telepix and other distributors, who distributed the films under titles such as ''The Mischief Makers'' and ''Those Lovable Scallawags with Their Gangs''.


King World's acquisition and edits

In 1963, Hal Roach Studios, by then run by Roach's son Hal Jr, filed for bankruptcy. A struggling novice syndication agent named Charles King purchased the television rights to ''The Little Rascals'' in the bankruptcy proceedings and returned the shorts to television. The success of ''The Little Rascals'' paved the way for King's new company,
King World Productions King World Productions, Inc. (also known as King World Entertainment, King World Enterprises, or simply King World) was a production company and syndicator of television programming in the United States founded by Charles King (1912–72) that ...
, to grow into one of the largest television syndicators in the world. Currently,
Paramount Global Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...
, King World's latest successor, handles distribution rights. During the 1950s and 1960s, the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
, An American
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
organization working on behalf of African-Americans, protested against the dated racial humor and the negative stereotyping of the black characters in the ''Our Gang'' films shown in the ''Little Rascals'' TV package. After an NAACP campaign to have the syndication package taken off the air altogether began gaining traction and success with some local television stations, King World negotiated with the NAACP to have them supervise re-edits of the shorts in the ''Little Rascals'' package in 1971. King World and the NAACP made significant edits to the ''Little Rascals'' TV prints, removing content deemed racist, stereotypical, and/or in general bad taste. Many series entries were trimmed by two to four minutes, while others such as '' Spanky'', '' Bargain Day'', '' The Pinch Singer'' and '' Mush and Milk'' were cut to nearly half of their original length. At the same time, eight ''Little Rascals'' shorts were pulled from the King World television package altogether. '' Lazy Days'', '' Moan and Groan, Inc.'', the Stepin Fetchit-guest-starred '' A Tough Winter'', '' Little Daddy'', '' A Lad an' a Lamp'', '' The Kid From Borneo'', and '' Little Sinner'' were deleted from the syndication package because of racial material and stereotyping (mostly concerning African-Americans, though ''Moan and Groan, Inc.'' was also deleted because of
Max Davidson Max Davidson (May 23, 1875 – September 4, 1950) was a German-American film actor known for his comedic Jewish persona during the silent film era. With a career spanning over thirty years, Davidson appeared in over 180 films. Career Born i ...
's stereotypical
Jewish-American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are Americans, American citizens who are Jews, Jewish, whether by Jewish culture, culture, ethnicity, or Judaism, religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of Am ...
character). ''Big Ears (film), Big Ears'' was deleted for dealing with divorce and its depiction of children carelessly ingesting an assortment of drugs out of a medicine cabinet. The early talkie ''Railroadin''' was never part of the television package because its soundtrack (recorded on Vitaphone phonographic records) was considered lost, although the soundtrack was found in the MGM vault in the late 1970s and restored to the film. Turner Entertainment Co. acquired the pre-May 1986 MGM library in 1986, and the 1938–1944 MGM-produced ''Our Gang'' shorts were shown on Turner's TBS (American TV channel), TBS and TNT (American TV network), TNT cable networks for many years as early-morning programming filler, with a regular slot on Sundays at 6 am ET on TNT. In the early 2000s, the 71 films in the King World package were re-edited, reinstating many, though not all, of the edits made in 1971 and the original ''Our Gang'' title cards. These new television prints made their debut on AMC (TV channel), AMC in 2001 and ran until 2003.


New ''Little Rascals'' productions

Many producers, including ''Our Gang'' alumnus
Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor and director. He began his career performing in film as a child, and successfully transitioned to adult roles and directing in both film and television. At age nine, h ...
, made pilots for new ''Little Rascals'' television series, but none ever went into production. In 1977, Norman Lear tried to revive the Rascals franchise, taping three pilot episodes of ''The Little Rascals''. The pilots were not bought, but were notable for including Gary Coleman. 1979 brought ''The Little Rascals Christmas Special'', an animated Christmas, holiday special produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, written by Romeo Muller and featuring the voice work of Darla Hood (who died suddenly before the special aired) and Matthew "Stymie" Beard. From 1982 to 1984, Hanna-Barbera Productions produced a Saturday morning cartoon The Little Rascals (animated TV series), version of ''The Little Rascals'', which aired on ABC during ''The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show'' (later ''The Monchichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show'').McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.), pgs 485, 638. New York: Penguin Books. It starred the voices of Patty Maloney as Darla; Peter Cullen as Petey and Officer Ed; Scott Menville as Spanky; Julie McWhirter, Julie McWhirter Dees as Alfalfa, Porky and The Woim; Shavar Ross as Buckwheat, and B. J. Ward (actress), B.J. Ward as Butch and Waldo. In 1994, Amblin Entertainment and
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
released ''
The Little Rascals ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
'', a feature film based loosely on the series and featuring interpretations of classic ''Our Gang'' shorts, including ''Hearts are Thumps'', ''Rushin' Ballet'', and ''Hi'-Neighbor!'' The film, directed by Penelope Spheeris, starred Travis Tedford as Spanky, Bug Hall as Alfalfa, and Ross Bagley as Buckwheat; with cameos by the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Olsen twins, Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Brooks, Reba McEntire, Daryl Hannah, Donald Trump and Raven-Symoné. ''The Little Rascals'' was a moderate success for Universal, bringing in $51,764,950 at the box office. In 2014,
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
released a direct-to-video film, ''The Little Rascals Save the Day''. This was a second film loosely based on the series and featuring interpretations of classic ''Our Gang'' shorts, including ''Helping Grandma'', ''Mike Fright'', and ''Birthday Blues''. The film was directed by Alex Zamm, and starred Jet Jurgensmeyer as Spanky, Drew Justice as Alfalfa, Eden Wood as Darla, and Doris Roberts as the kids' adopted Grandma.


Legacy and influence

The characters in this series are well-known cultural icons, and identified solely by their first names. The characters of Alfalfa, Spanky, Buckwheat, Porky, Darla, Froggy, Butch, Woim, and Waldo were especially well known. Like many child actors, the ''Our Gang'' children were typecasting (acting), typecast and had trouble outgrowing their ''Our Gang'' images. Several Our Gang alumni, among them Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer,
Scotty Beckett Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the ''Our Gang'' shorts and later costarred on '' Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''. Early life and career Born in Oakland, Califo ...
, Norman "Chubby" Chaney, Billy Laughlin, Billy "Froggy" Laughlin,
Donald Haines Donald Haines (May 9, 1919 – February 20, 1943) was an American child actor who had recurring appearances in the '' Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1930 to 1933. He appeared in '' Our Gang'' during the early sound days along with ...
, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins,
Darla Hood Darla Jean Hood (November 8, 1931 – June 13, 1979) was an American child actress, best known as the female lead in the ''Our Gang'' series from 1935 to 1941. As an adult, she performed as a singer in nightclubs and on television. ''Our ...
, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, and George "Spanky" McFarland, died before age 65, in some cases well earlier. This led to rumors of an ''Our Gang/Little Rascals'' "curse", rumors further popularized by a 2002 ''E! True Hollywood Story'' documentary entitled "The Curse of the Little Rascals". The Snopes.com website debunks the rumor of an ''Our Gang'' curse, stating that there was no pattern of unusual deaths when taking all of the major ''Our Gang'' stars into account, despite the deaths of a select few. The children's work in the series was largely unrewarded in later years, although Spanky McFarland was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame posthumously in 1994. Neither he nor any other ''Our Gang'' children received any residual (entertainment industry), residuals or royalties from reruns of the shorts or licensed products with their likenesses. The only remittances were their weekly salaries during their time in the gang, ranging from $40 a week for newcomers to $200 or more weekly for stars like Farina, Spanky, and Alfalfa. Only a handful of ''Our Gang'' alumni had sustained acting careers outside the series. Ernie Morrison appeared in around a dozen films as a member the ''East Side Kids'' in the early 1940s.
Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor and director. He began his career performing in film as a child, and successfully transitioned to adult roles and directing in both film and television. At age nine, h ...
had a long and successful career in feature films and television as an adolescent and adult actor, and later as a producer and director while pursuing a parallel career as a U.S. Navy officer. Cooper is especially known today for portraying Perry White in the 1978–1987 ''Superman film series, Superman'' movies, and for directing episodes of TV series such as ''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'' and ''Superboy (TV series), Superboy''. Dickie Moore, who had been a child actor before joining ''Our Gang'', continued to perform child and teenage roles, appearing in over 100 films and television episodes, including co-starring with
Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...
in ''Miss Annie Rooney'' (1942) and as "The Kid" in the film noir classic ''Out of the Past'' (1947).
Scotty Beckett Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the ''Our Gang'' shorts and later costarred on '' Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''. Early life and career Born in Oakland, Califo ...
had dozens of film and television roles until the mid-1950s, including playing the young Al Jolson in ''The Jolson Story'' (1946).
Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods in ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...
had a number of later film roles, including playing Jimmy Olsen in two 1940s ''Superman (serial), Superman'' serials. Mickey Gubitosi later became Robert Blake and found great success in the 1960s and 1970s as an actor, particularly known for ''In Cold Blood (film), In Cold Blood'' (1967) and the television series ''Baretta'' (1975–78), which netted him an Emmy Award. Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman became two of the leads of '' The Boy Friends'', an early sound (1930-32) Hal Roach short-subjects series pitched as a college-age version of ''Our Gang''; both eventually left acting for other careers. Stymie Beard continued working as an actor in both Hollywood films and independent "race films" for African-American audiences until falling into heroin addiction in the 1940s as a young adult. He made a comeback in the 1970s as a middle-aged adult character actor on TV shows such as ''Good Times'' (1974-79) and films such as ''Truck Turner'' (1974) and ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978) following several years in rehab. Spanky McFarland had a notable run of supporting parts in outside Hollywood studio features while still in ''Our Gang'', including supporting parts in ''Kentucky Kernels'' (1934) and ''The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936 film), The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' (1936). However, McFarland left acting as a teenager following World War II. Several of the other former cast members had supporting or bit roles in later film or television productions, including Farina Hoskins (''You Said a Mouthful'', 1931), Alfalfa Switzer (''It's a Wonderful Life'', 1946), and Darla Hood (''The Bat (1959 film), The Bat,'' 1959), but each eventually moved away from acting as a primary career. Several, including Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas and Eugene "Porky" Lee, did not choose to pursue adult roles. The 1930 ''Our Gang'' short '' Pups is Pups'' was an inductee of the 2004 National Film Registry list. E. L. Doctorow's 1975 novel ''Ragtime (novel), Ragtime'' ends with the character of Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe, having a vision of the kind of film he wants to make: "A bunch of children who were pals, white black, fat thin, rich poor, all kinds, mischievous little urchins who would have funny adventures in their own neighborhood, a society of ragamuffins, like all of us, a gang, getting into trouble and getting out again." The implication is that Tateh will go on to produce the ''Our Gang'' series.


Imitators, followers, and frauds

Due to the popularity of ''Our Gang'', many similar kid
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
series were created by competing studios. Among the most notable are ''The Kiddie Troupers'', featuring future comedian Eddie Bracken; ''Baby Burlesks'', featuring
Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...
; the ''
Buster Brown Buster Brown is a comic strip character created in 1902 by Richard F. Outcault that was adopted as the mascot of the Brown Shoe Company in 1904. The characters of Buster Brown, Mary Jane, and his dog Tige became well known to the American publ ...
'' comedies (from which ''Our Gang'' received
Pete the Pup Pete the Pup (September 9, 1929 – January 28, 1946), also called the Mississippi Man Mauler, was an American dog actor known to portray "Pete, the dog with the ring around his eye" in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' comedies series (later known as '' ...
and director
Gus Meins Gus Meins (March 6, 1893 – August 1, 1940), born Gustave Peter Ludwig Luley, was an American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Career Meins started out in the ‘teens as a cartoonist for the ''Los Angeles Evening Herald'' ...
); and ''Our Gang's'' main competitor, the ''Toonerville Trolley''-based ''Mickey McGuire (film series), Mickey McGuire'' series starring
Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...
. Less notable imitations series include ''The McDougall Alley Gang'' (Bray Productions, 1927–1928), ''The Us Bunch'' and ''Our Kids''. There is evidence that ''Our Gang''-style productions were filmed in small towns and cities around the country using local children actors in the 1920s and 1930s. These productions did not appear to be affiliated with Hal Roach, but often used storylines from the shorts of the period, and sometimes went so far as to identify themselves as being ''Our Gang'' productions. In later years, many adults falsely claimed to have been members of ''Our Gang''. A long list of people, including persons famous in other capacities such as Nanette Fabray, Eddie Bracken, and gossip columnist Joyce Haber claimed to be or have been publicly called former ''Our Gang'' children. Bracken's official biography was once altered to state that he appeared in ''Our Gang'' instead of ''The Kiddie Troupers'', although he himself had no knowledge of the change. Among notable ''Our Gang'' imposters is Jack Bothwell, who claimed to have portrayed a character named "Freckles", going so far as to appear on the game show ''To Tell the Truth'' in the fall of 1957, perpetuating this fraud. In 2008, a Darla Hood impostor, Mollie Barron, died claiming to have appeared as Darla in ''Our Gang''. Another is Bill English, a grocery store employee who appeared on the October 5, 1990, episode of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC investigative television newsmagazine ''20/20 (US television series), 20/20'' claiming to have been Buckwheat. Following the broadcast, Spanky McFarland informed the media of the truth, and in December, William Thomas, Jr. (son of Billie Thomas, the person who played Buckwheat) filed a lawsuit against ABC for negligence.


Persons and entities named after ''Our Gang''

A number of groups, companies, and entities have been inspired by or named after ''Our Gang''. The folk-rock group Spanky and Our Gang was named for the troupe because lead singer Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane's last name was similar to that of George "Spanky" McFarland. The band had no connection with the actual ''Our Gang'' series. Numerous unauthorized ''Little Rascals'' and ''Our Gang'' restaurants and day care, day care centers also exist throughout the United States.


Filmography


Home media


1951–1992: 16 mm and VHS releases

In the 1950s, home movie distributor Official Films released many of the Hal Roach talkies on 16 mm film. These were released as ''Famous Kid Comedies'', as Official could not use ''Our Gang''. The company's licensing only lasted for a short period. For years afterward, Blackhawk Films released 79 of the 80 Roach talkies on 8mm and 16 mm film. The sound discs for ''Railroadin' '' had been lost since the 1940s, and a silent print was available for home movie release until 1982, when the film's sound discs were located in the MGM vault and the short was restored with sound. Like the television prints, Blackhawk's ''Little Rascals'' reissues featured custom title cards in place of the original ''Our Gang'' logos, per MGM's 1949 arrangement with Hal Roach not to distribute the series under its original title. The films were otherwise offered unedited. In 1983, with the VHS home video market growing, Blackhawk began distributing ''Little Rascals'' VHS tapes through catalog orders, with three shorts per tape. Blackhawk Films was acquired in 1983 by National Telefilm Associates, later renamed Republic Pictures. Republic would release ''Little Rascals'' VHS volumes for retail purchase in non-comprehensive collections through the rest of the 1980s and early 1990s. By then, all but 11 of the Roach-era sound films were available on home video.


1993–2011: Cabin Fever/Hallmark VHS and DVD releases

In 1993, Republic Pictures Home Video sold the home video rights for the 80 sound Roach shorts and some available silent shorts to Cabin Fever Entertainment. Cabin Fever acquired the rights to use the original ''Our Gang'' title cards and MGM logos, and for the first time in over 50 years, the Roach sound ''Our Gang'' comedies could be commercially exhibited in their original formats. The first twelve volumes of Cabin Fever's ''The Little Rascals'' VHS set were released on July 6, 1994, followed by nine more on July 11, 1995, coinciding with the theatrical and home video releases of Universal's 1994 feature. Each tape contained four shorts, as well as newly produced introductions by film historian Leonard Maltin. With these releases, Cabin Fever made all 80 Roach sound shorts, and four silents, available for purchase unedited with digitally restored picture and sound. On August 26, 1997, a limited-edition volume, ''For Pete's Sake'', was released in honor of the Rascals' 75th anniversary with an introduction from original cast member Tommy "Butch" Bond and "Petey", the dog from the 1994 feature. The video contained three previously released shorts and the previously unreleased silent short ''Dog Heaven''; the VHS tape was also available in a gift set with a Pete plush doll. Cabin Fever began pressing DVD versions of their first 12 ''Little Rascals'' VHS volumes, with the contents of two VHS volumes included on each DVD, but went out of business in 1998 before their release. The ''Little Rascals'' home video rights were then sold to Hallmark Entertainment in 1999, who released the DVDs without an official launch while cleaning out their warehouse in early 2000. Hallmark colorized a few ''Our Gang'' shorts and released them across 8 VHS tapes. Later that year, the first 10 Cabin Fever volumes were re-released on VHS with new packaging, and the first two volumes were released on DVD as ''The Little Rascals: Volumes 1–2''. Two further Hallmark DVD collections featured ten shorts apiece and were released in 2003 and 2005, respectively. From 2006 to 2009, Legend Films produced colorized versions of twenty-four ''Our Gang'' comedies (23 Roach entries, and the public domain MGM entry ''Waldo's Last Stand''), which were released across five ''Little Rascals'' DVDs. In 2011, Legend Films released black and white versions of ''Little Rascals'' DVDs. RHI Entertainment and Genius Products released an eight-disc DVD set, ''The Little Rascals – the Complete Collection,'' on October 28, 2008. This set includes all 80 Hal Roach-produced ''Our Gang'' sound short films. Most of the collection uses the 1994 restorations, while 16 shorts are presented with older Blackhawk Films transfers, as their remastered copies were lost or misplaced during preparations. On June 14, 2011, Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendi Entertainment re-released seven of the eight DVD's from RHI/Genius Products' ''The Little Rascals – The Complete Collection'' as individual releases. This includes the 80 shorts – replacing the Blackhawk transfers on the previous set with their respective 1994 restorations – but excludes the disc featuring the extras.


1980s–2016: MGM/Warner Bros. releases

During the 1980s and 1990s, MGM released several non-comprehensive VHS tapes of its shorts, and a VHS of the feature ''General Spanky''. After video rights for the classic MGM library reverted to their new owner,
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
(through Turner Entertainment Co.), in the late 1990s, four of the MGM ''Our Gang'' shorts appeared as bonus features on Warner Bros.-issued classic film DVD releases. In 2009, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video released all 52 MGM ''Our Gang'' shorts in a compilation titled ''The Our Gang Collection: 1938–1942'' (though it contains the 1943–44 shorts as well) for manufacture-on-demand (MOD) DVD and digital download. The set is available by mail order and digital download as part of the Warner Archive Collection, and is available for purchase via the iTunes Store. A MOD release of ''General Spanky'' on DVD was also released by Warner Archive in 2016. There are many unofficial ''Our Gang'' and ''Little Rascals'' home video collections available from several other distributors, comprising shorts (both silent and sound) that have fallen into the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
.


2021–2022: ClassicFlix restorations and releases

ClassicFlix, a company specializing in releasing classic films and TV series on home media, licensed the home video rights to Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' sound shorts from their current owners, Sonar Entertainment. An Indiegogo fundraiser campaign was launched to finance extensive restorations of the shorts from original 35mm nitrate film sources. When the campaign did not meet its fundraising goal, other sources of financing were sought for the restorations. The first ClassicFlix release, ''The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 1,'' was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 1, 2021, featuring the first eleven "talking" short subjects in the series from 1929 and 1930. Five further volumes followed through June 2022, comprising the rest of the Hal Roach era shorts through 1938 in newly restored versions. In 2025, ClassicFlix released ''The Little Rascals: The Restored Silents - Volume One,'' which features eight restorations of early silent ''Our Gang'' shorts with new music scores, including the longest reconstructed version to date of the original short, ''
Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
''.


Status of ownership

Currently, the rights to the ''Our Gang''/''Little Rascals'' shorts are divided. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (formerly known as Sonar Entertainment, RHI Entertainment, Cabin Fever Entertainment and Hallmark Entertainment) (through Halcyon Studios) owns the copyrights of and holds the theatrical rights to the 1930-1938 Roach-produced ''Our Gang'' shorts. Halcyon acquired these after absorbing Hal Roach Studios in 1988, and both Roach's estate and Cabin Fever Entertainment in the late 1990s. The Crackle (service), Crackle streaming service, a Chicken Soup for the Soul subsidiary, offered the SD Cabin Fever restorations of the sound era (1929-1938) ''Little Rascals'' shorts on its service until its closure in 2024 as Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment entered Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Crackle also provided those shorts to YouTube for streaming with advertisements, where they remain as of 2025. In 2021, ClassicFlix acquired the rights to the entire Hal Roach-era ''Our Gang'' catalog (silent and sound) for home video and streaming release, and completed extensive 2K restorations of all 89 of the sound era (1929-1938) short subjects, by re-scanning from 35mm archival sources, and completing further restoration, image stabilization, and overall digital picture cleanup. In 2023, they began restorations of the silent-era (1922-1929) ''Our Gang'' catalog, with any available elements (some from this era are considered lost films).
Paramount Global Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...
subsidiary CBS Media Ventures (through King World) owns the rights to the ''Little Rascals'' trademark and has all other media rights to the 1929–1938 Roach shorts, which constitute ''The Little Rascals'' broadcast and cable television package, with certain territory exclusions controlled by Cinematographische Commerz-Anstalt. CBS offers original black-and-white and film colorization, colorized prints for syndication. The King World/CBS ''Little Rascals'' package was featured as exclusive programming (in the United States) for AMC (TV channel), AMC from August 2001 to December 2003, with child actor Frankie Muniz hosting. As part of a month-long tribute to Hal Roach Studios, Turner Classic Movies televised a 24-hour marathon of Roach ''Our Gang'' shorts – both sound films and silents – on January 4–5, 2011. Some of the silent ''Our Gangs'' (such as ''Mary, Queen of Tots'' and ''Thundering Fleas'') resurfaced on TCM at this time with new music scores in stereo sound. , the sound ''Little Rascals'' shorts in the CBS package air on the MeTV network's spinoff channel MeTV+ as part of its ''Comedy Classics'' block alongside ''Laurel and Hardy'' and ''The Three Stooges''. The MGM-produced ''Our Gang'' shorts and the rights to the ''Our Gang'' trademark, as well as the 1936 spin-off film '' General Spanky'', are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through Turner Entertainment Co. The assets were acquired by Turner Entertainment Co. in 1986 when its founder, Ted Turner, purchased the pre-May 1986 MGM library; Turner merged with the former WarnerMedia, Time Warner in 1996. The television rights for the MGM ''Our Gang'' shorts belong to Warner Bros. Television Studios#Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Warner Bros. Television Distribution, and the video rights to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video. The MGM ''Our Gang'' shorts today appear periodically on Turner Classic Movies. Until its closure in 2018, the MGM ''Our Gang'' shorts were available for streaming via the subscription-based Warner Archive Collection, Warner Archive Instant streaming video service. Any short released in 1929 or before is public domain, owing to the copyright law of the United States.


Cast and personnel

The following is a listing of the primary child actors in the ''Our Gang'' comedies. They are grouped by the era during which they joined the series. Those not given nicknames, such as Jackie Cooper and Darla Hood, were usually addressed in the films by their own names. As of 2025, Sidney Kibrick is the last surviving actor of any of the three eras of Our Gang.


Roach silent period

* Ernie Morrison as "Sunshine Sammy" (1922—1924) * Peggy Cartwright (1922) * Mickey Daniels (1922–1926) * Jackie Condon (1922–1929) * Allen Hoskins as "Farina" (1922–1931) * Jack Davis (1922–1923) * Mary Kornman (1923–1926) * Peggy Ahern (1923–1927) * Joe Cobb (1923–1929) * Andy Samuel (1923–1924) *
Eugene Jackson Eugene W. Jackson II (December 25, 1916 – October 26, 2001) was an American child actor who was a regular of the ''Our Gang'' short series during the silent Pathé era. Career When he joined the gang, Jackson replaced the series' first ...
as "Pineapple" (1924–1925) *
Johnny Downs John Morey Downs (October 10, 1913 – June 6, 1994) was an American actor, singer and dancer. He began his career as a child actor, most notably as Johnny in the ''Our Gang'' short comedy film series from 1923 to 1926. He remained active ...
(1925–1927) * Jay R. Smith (1925–1929) * Clifton Young, Bobby Young as "Bonedust" (1925–1931) * Scooter Lowry as "Skooter" (1926–1927) * Jean Darling (1927–1929) *
Bobby Hutchins Robert E. Hutchins (March 29, 1925 – May 17, 1945) was an American child actor who was a regular in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1927 to 1933. A native of Tacoma, Washington, he was given the nickname of Wheezer after running ar ...
as "Wheezer" (1927–1933) * Harry Spear (1927–1929) * Mary Ann Jackson (1928–1931) *
Pete the Pup Pete the Pup (September 9, 1929 – January 28, 1946), also called the Mississippi Man Mauler, was an American dog actor known to portray "Pete, the dog with the ring around his eye" in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' comedies series (later known as '' ...
(1929–1938)


Roach sound period

*
Shirley Jean Rickert Shirley Jean Rickert (March 25, 1926 – February 6, 2009) was an American child actress who was briefly the "blonde girl" for the ''Our Gang'' series in 1931, during the Hal Roach early talkie period. Career At 18 months of age, Rickert ...
(1931) *
Sherwood Bailey Sherwood Bailey (August 6, 1923 – August 6, 1987) was an American child actor and civil engineer. His parents were nonprofessionals. He is most noted for appearing as Spud, the red-headed, freckle-faced bad boy and enemy of the gang in the ''O ...
as Spud (1931-1932). * Norman Chaney as "Chubby" (1929–1931) *
Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor and director. He began his career performing in film as a child, and successfully transitioned to adult roles and directing in both film and television. At age nine, h ...
(1929–1931) *
Donald Haines Donald Haines (May 9, 1919 – February 20, 1943) was an American child actor who had recurring appearances in the '' Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1930 to 1933. He appeared in '' Our Gang'' during the early sound days along with ...
(1929–1933) * Dorothy DeBorba as "Echo" (1930–1933) * Matthew Beard as "Stymie" (1930–1935) * Jerry Tucker (1931–1938) * Kendall McComas as "Breezy" Brisbane (1932) * Dickie Moore (1932–1933) * George McFarland as "Spanky" (1932–1942) *
Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods in ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...
(1932–1934 as Tommy, 1937–1940 as "Butch") * Sidney Kibrick (1933–1939) as "Woim" * Jackie Lynn Taylor as Jane (1934) *
Scotty Beckett Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the ''Our Gang'' shorts and later costarred on '' Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''. Early life and career Born in Oakland, Califo ...
(1934–1935) * Billie Thomas as "Buckwheat" (1934–1944) * Carl Switzer as "Alfalfa" (1935–1940) *
Darla Hood Darla Jean Hood (November 8, 1931 – June 13, 1979) was an American child actress, best known as the female lead in the ''Our Gang'' series from 1935 to 1941. As an adult, she performed as a singer in nightclubs and on television. ''Our ...
(1935–1941) * Eugene Gordon Lee as "Porky" (1935–1939) * Darwood Kaye as "Waldo" (1937–1940)


MGM period

* Robert Blake (actor), Mickey Gubitosi (Robert Blake) (1939–1944) * Janet Burston (1940–1944) * Billy Laughlin as "Froggy" (1940–1944)


Notable films

The following is a listing of selected ''Our Gang'' comedies, considered by Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann (in their book ''The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang'') to be among the best and most important in the series. * 1923: ''The Champeen'', ''Derby Day (1923 film), Derby Day'' * 1924: ''High Society (1924 film), High Society'' * 1925: ''Your Own Back Yard'', ''One Wild Ride'' * 1929: ''
Small Talk Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed. In essence, it is polite and standard conversation about unimportant things. The phenomenon ...
'', ''Cat, Dog & Co.'' * 1930: ''The First Seven Years'', ''Pups Is Pups'', '' Teacher's Pet'', '' School's Out'' * 1931: '' Love Business'', '' Little Daddy'', ''Fly My Kite'', ''Dogs Is Dogs'' * 1932: ''Readin' and Writin''', ''The Pooch'', ''Free Wheeling'', ''Birthday Blues'' * 1933: ''Fish Hooky'', ''Forgotten Babies'', '' The Kid From Borneo'', '' Mush and Milk'', '' Bedtime Worries'' * 1934: ''Hi'-Neighbor!'', ''For Pete's Sake!'', ''Mama's Little Pirate'' * 1935: ''Anniversary Trouble'', ''Shrimps for a Day'', ''Beginner's Luck (1935 film), Beginner's Luck'', ''Our Gang Follies of 1936'' * 1936: '' Divot Diggers'', ''Second Childhood (film), Second Childhood'' * 1937: '' Glove Taps'', '' Hearts Are Thumps'', ''Rushin' Ballet'', ''Night 'n' Gales'', '' Mail and Female'', ''Framing Youth'' * 1938: ''Three Men in a Tub'', '' Hide and Shriek'' * 1939: ''Alfalfa's Aunt'', '' Cousin Wilbur'' * 1940: ''Goin' Fishin''', ''Kiddie Kure'' * 1942: ''Going to Press''


References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Tommy Bond, Bond, Tommy, w. Genini, Ron (1994). ''Darn Right It's Butch: Memories of Our Gang/The Little Rascals''. Delaware: Morgan Printing. . * Jackie Cooper, Cooper, Jackie (1982). ''Please Don't Shoot My Dog: The Autobiography of Jackie Cooper''. New York: Penguin Putnam. . *Julia Lee (writer), Lee, Julia (2015). ''Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals.'' Minneapolis: University of Minneapolis Press. . * *


External links


The Heustess Family Website
features ''Our Gang'
imagesmusicbitesfilms
and links.
Steve Ramsey's ''Our Gang'' Online
Archived from th
original

''Our Gang'' Online
in the Digital time capsule, Wayback Machine. *
King World Productions King World Productions, Inc. (also known as King World Entertainment, King World Enterprises, or simply King World) was a production company and syndicator of television programming in the United States founded by Charles King (1912–72) that ...

''Little Rascals'' licensing site


o
The Lucky Corner
''Our Gang'' website
Jean Darling's website
Darling was part of ''Our Gang'' from 1926 to 1929.
Shirley Jean Rickert's website
Rickert was part of ''Our Gang'' from 1930 to 1931. * {{Authority control Our Gang, Film series introduced in 1922 American black-and-white films Hal Roach Studios short film series American comedy short films Slapstick comedy Films adapted into comics Dell Comics titles Humor comics African-American-related controversies in film Race-related controversies in film Films about children Censored films Hal Roach Studios actors Curses