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5th Feb: Echo Chamber Season 1 blooper reel on Youtube here
Hal Roach created this series of short comedy films in the 1920s. During the silent years (1922-28), Roach tried such titles as Hal Roach's Rascals and The Terrible Ten, but since the first short was titled Our Gang, moviegoers started calling them "Our Gang Comedies". The child cast changed almost annually until the series ended in 1944.In 1949 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which had purchased the series from Roach in 1938, sold the films back to him but retained the rights to the Our Gang name. When Roach packaged the films for television syndication in the mid-'50s, the series was retitled The Little Rascals (leading to a certain amount of Title Confusion over the years).A revolving cast of child stars came and went throughout the course of the series. Among the better-known personalities were George "Spanky" McFarland, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Eugene "Porky" Lee, Tommy "Butch" Bond, and Darla Hood.
Derivative works:
The earliest issues of The Dandy in the late 1930s featured a Comic Book Adaptation of Our Gang, drawn by legendary comics artist Dudley Watkins.
A series of clay-animated Little Rascals Color Specials, produced for television in the 1960s, presumably by Gumby creator Art Clokey.
A 1979 Christmas Special on NBC, whose voice cast included Matthew "Stymie" Beard and Darla Hood.
A 1994 feature film, directed by Penelope Spheeris and released by Universal Pictures. It won Young Artist awards for no fewer than six members of the cast. Ross Bagley, Juliette Brewer, Bug Hall, Brittany Ashton Holmes, Travis Tedford and Kevin Jamal Woods.
The Chick: Darla from the later, more well-known shorts. In the earlier films, this role was filled by Mary and then by Mary Ann.
Crosscast Role: The character of Buckwheat was originally Stymie's little sister, played by Matthew Beard's real-life sister Carlena. Even after male actor Billie Thomas inherited the role, Buckwheat continued to be portrayed as a girl for several shorts. This has led to no small amount of Viewer Gender Confusion over the years.
Motivation on a Stick: In one short, the boys have a "taxi" powered by a mule/donkey pushing from the back and a carrot on a stick in front of it that's used to make it push.
Shout Out: The 1960s singing group Spanky and Our Gang, which derived its name from lead singer Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane's facial resemblance to George "Spanky" McFarland (as well as their similar surnames).
Among the child actors who auditioned for roles in the series, but were rejected, were Mickey Rooney and Shirley Temple.
Hal Roach toyed with the idea of keeping the original kids and following them through their teen years, but ultimately decided that the series should focus on young children, and wound up replacing the cast every few years. However, a remnant of the idea did remain in that a teenaged Joe Cobb and Farina showed up once during the Spanky era to give the younger kids some well-intentioned, but comically-bad advice.
Complaining About Things You Haven't Paid For: The "Big Top Rascals" episode sees Butch complain about the makeshift circus and ask for a refund. When Spanky says, "But we let you in for free," Butch suggests that everyone's money be refunded.
Keep Circulating the Tapes: Consider yourself lucky if you owned a VCR in 1982 and had the foresight to record the ABC broadcasts, or you recorded the more recent showings on Cartoon Network UK & Ireland or those on Australia's Seven Network.
Motivation on a Stick: Their wooden car had Pete hitched in front, with a bone suspended above him.
Chekhov's Skill: Or lack there of. Buckwheat and Porky can't read and Alfalfa uses this to trick them into taking a love note to Darla, telling them it's a hate note. It backfires when Porky destroys the note and Buckwheat tells Darla what it said from memory.
Covered In Mud: At the end, Butch and Woim end up in a pig pen - Alfalfa punched one of them into it, and the other jumped in himself to avoid being punched.
Lint Value: The gang tries to buy materials from the lumber yard to rebuild the clubhouse. They ask the guy working there about how much they can get...for a little over three or four dollars (they took up a collection). The man holds up a single hinge and asks, "Paper or plastic?"
Mythology Gag: The movie borrows gags and situations from the original shorts:
Three Smart Guys (1943): Porky and Buckwheat unknowingly reeling each other in while fishing.
Anniversary Trouble (1935): The gang and the "hi/high-sign".
Hearts are Thumps (1937): The gang spiking Alfalfa & Darla's lunch.
Mail and Female (1937): Porky and Buckwheat as messengers for Alfalfa's love letter
Rushin' Ballet (1937): Alfalfa and Spanky in drag at a ballet recital
Hearts are Thumps (1937): Alfalfa's "bubble song" (during the talent show)
Hi'-Neighbor! (1934): building the go-kart (a fire engine in the original)
Auto Antics (1939): the go-kart race
Hi'-Neighbor! (1934) and Divot Diggers (1936): knocking over pedestrians in the go-kart
Road Sign Reversal: While on their way to the race, Porky pushed the race track arrow from right to straight ahead. Three go-karts (Alfalfa/Spanky, Waldo/Darla, and Butch/Woim) follow that direction. A guy assigned by the arrow quickly moved the check back to right as the other go-karts were coming.
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Waldo did this a lot, as did Uh-huh, as revealed at the end of the movie, though Uh-huh is actually a case of Brilliant, but Lazy, as he explains that while he may have an extensive vocabulary, he just chooses not to use it.
Something Else Also Rises: Darla flattens Alfalfa's hair point and then gives him a kiss, causing his hair to spring right back up again.
Took a Level in Badass: Alfalfa, when he punches Butch into the pig pen after the race, and threatens to do the same thing to Woim, who just jumps into the mud with Butch.
What Could Have Been: The surviving Our Gang cast making cameos or asked to be consultants in the making of the movie.
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