Line #2 Film/TheLittleRascals


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/little_rascals_movie_poster.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:Boys will be boys, girls will be girls, and sometimes kids can really be rascals. (Poster for the 1994 film.)]]
3
4	Hal Roach created this series of short comedy films in the 1920s. During the silent years (1922–29), Roach tried such series names as ''Hal Roach's Rascals'', but since the first short was titled ''Our Gang'', moviegoers began to call them the "''Our Gang'' Comedies", and that name soon became official. The series moved to sound just prior to the onset of TheGreatDepression. In 1938 Roach sold the series to its distributor Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer, a move which is generally regarded by fans as the start of the series' SeasonalRot period. The child cast changed almost annually until the series ended in 1944.
5
6	It is said that Roach [[InspirationForTheWork got the idea]] for the comedies that revealed the world as seen from a child's point of view after hearing through his office window some children in a lot next door arguing over some discarded scraps of wood they were trying to split up for salvage.
7
8	MGM sold the films back to Roach in 1949 but retained the rights to the ''Our Gang'' name. Thus, 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 TitleConfusion over the years.
9
10	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. Cast members who went on to adult acting careers (some shorter than others) include Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, Scotty Beckett, Matthew Beard, Dickie Moore, Carl Switzer, Tommy Bond, Creator/RobertBlake, Creator/JackieCooper, and Creator/DorothyDandridge.
11
12	Part of the reason why the series is remembered even to this day is that it showed black and white (in both senses of the term) children playing together as equals, which was more or less unheard of for films of its day. Hal Roach was actually planning to make a whole series out of Ernie Morrison, one of the first black child stars in Hollywood, but when distributors said it wouldn’t fly, he put Morrison in the ''Our Gang'' films alongside Allen Hoskins as Farina and the white child actors for the rest of the group. From then on, every iteration of the series had at least one black child, who in the shorts got to play with their white counterparts, eat in the same places as them, and even go to school with them! This is not to say that racial humor wasn’t ever used (see below), but the casting was radical enough that Southern theaters often complained or outright refused to show the series.
13
14	!!Derivative works:
15	* The earliest issues of ''ComicBook/TheDandy'' in the late 1930s featured a ComicBookAdaptation of ''Our Gang'', drawn by legendary comics artist Dudley Watkins.
16	* ''General Spanky'', actually an ''Our Gang'' feature film from 1936. After it fared poorly at the box office Hal Roach went back to using the characters in shorts exclusively.
17	* Creator/DellComics published a 12-issue ''Little Rascals'' comic book series from 1957 to 1962. It featured Spanky and Alfalfa, along with some original characters. The cover of the first issue featured an unnamed girl who was probably intended to be Darla Hood but bore a greater resemblance to Dorothy [=DeBorba=].
18	* A series of clay-animated ''Little Rascals Color Specials'', produced for television in the 1960s, presumably by Bura and Hardwick, the British studio responsible for ''WesternAnimation/CamberwickGreen''.
19	* A 1979 animated ChristmasSpecial on Creator/{{NBC}}, whose voice cast included Matthew "Stymie" Beard and Darla Hood, as well as a series of [[PublicServiceAnnouncement public service announcements]].
20	* A 1994 feature film, directed by Creator/PenelopeSpheeris and released by Creator/{{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.
21	* A direct-to-video sequel, ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2490004/ The Little Rascals Save the Day]]'', directed by Alex Zamm, released in April 2014.
22
23	For the SaturdayMorningCartoon produced by Creator/HannaBarbera in 1982, see [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleRascals this page]].
24	----
25	!!Little Rascals films with their own pages:
26
27	* ''Film/BoredOfEducation''
28	* ''Film/PupsIsPups''
29	* ''Film/DogsIsDogs''
30
31	----
32	!!Other films contain examples of:
33	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Buckwheat and Porky begin laughing at Alfalfa's predicament at the end of ''Two Too Young''. Spanky, initially shocked, can't help but join them.
34	* AdultsAreUseless: Part of the series' charm was that the kids would regularly (and unintentionally) teach the adults a lesson.
35	* AesopAmnesia: Alfalfa has a cocky side to him that always lands him into trouble. Despite the number of times he has had his ego knocked down, Alfalfa can't help but return to his old traits.
36	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Every now and then, Darla will prefer Butch over Alfalfa.
37	* AllJustADream: ''Seein' Things'', ''Cat & Dog & Co'' , ''Mama's Little Pirate'' , ''Our Gang Follies of 1938'', and ''The Little Ranger''.
38	* AnAesop: The later MGM entries regularly end with an adult lecturing the kids on good behavior.
39	* AndTheRest: Because so many characters appeared in the series, modern day promotional material will often list a few of the Rascals' names, followed by "and the rest." Example, from an old Creator/{{AMC}} promo:
40	** "Join Spanky, Alfalfa, and the rest of ''Our Gang''..."
41	* AnimalReactionShot: Pete's speciality.
42	* AnimalsHateHim: In "Dogs is Dogs," Wheezer and Dorothy's spoiled, whiny stepbrother is pushed into a well by his own dog.
43	** To be fair, it's difficult to tell whether the dog is being mean or is just incredibly stupid.
44	* AnimalTalk: In ''Fire Fighters'', the first few minutes depict several neighborhood animals acting like humans.
45	** ''Dog Heaven'' has Pete interacting with other neighborhood dogs.
46	** ''Tale of a Dog'' ends with the kids' new dog randomly talking (in an African-American dialect).
47	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Several. Notable ones include Spanky (in his early years), Wheezer (again, in his early years), and Junior.
48	* TheArtifact: Darla didn't really seem to serve much of a purpose when Carl Switzer (Alfalfa) was dropped from the series. Her role in the series was largely someone for Alfalfa to pursue.
49	* AsianSpeekeeEngrish: Harry Lowe, Jr. in ''Washee Ironee'' ("washee clothesee, washee clothesee").
50	* AttractiveBentGender: When Alfalfa and Spanky dress up as ballet dancers, the other boys mistake them for girls and flirt with them.
51	* BaldOfAuthority: Stymie, on occasion.
52	* BeastInTheBuilding: In the 1928 short ''Barnum & Ringing, Inc.'', the kids hold a circus in a ritzy hotel with all the live animals they could get their hands on, which soon escape and run amok.
53	* BigDamnHeroes: The kids fall under this trope in a handful of shorts, notably when they rescue their adopted grandma in ''Fly My Kite''.
54	* BigDamnMovie: The box office bomb ''General Spanky''.
55	* BigEater: Chubby Chaney and Porky Lee.
56	* BigFriendlyDog: Pete the Pup.
57	* BiggerOnTheInside: The boat in ''Captain Spanky's Show Boat'', and pretty much every barn or cellar appearing in the MGM era.
58	* BitchInSheepsClothing: Mr. Crutch in ''Shrimps For a Day''.
59	** Percy in ''Sprucin' Up''.
60	* BlackFace: Appears in ''Uncle Tom's Uncle'', ''Spanky'', ''Anniversary Trouble'', ''The Pinch Singer'', and ''Ye Olde Minstrels''.
61	* BlackLikeMe: Spanky disguises himself as Buckwheat (even going so far as to cover his skin black) in ''Anniversary Trouble''.
62	* BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce: Several examples, usually involving a character secretly spiking the food of another for revenge. Jay does this to Wheezer in "Rainy Days." The same gag is repeated with Dickie and Spanky in "Birthday Blues" and Wheezer does this to his spoiled stepbrother Sherwood in "Dogs is Dogs."
63	* BlindWithoutEm: Froggy in ''Baby Blues''.
64	* {{Bowdlerized}}: A lot of the TV reruns of the shorts have had scissors taken to them to remove scenes which have negative racial overtones.
65	* TheBoxingEpisode: ''The Champeen!'', ''Boxing Gloves'', and ''Glove Taps''.
66	* BrattyHalfPint
67	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Alfalfa at the end of ''Came the Brawn''.
68	** The entire cast at the end of ''Saturday's Lesson''.
69	* BreakOutCharacter: The series had several: Spanky, Alfalfa, Stymie, Farina, and Froggy, among others.
70	* TheBully: Butch, but in the shorts ''For Pete's Sake!'' and ''The Lucky Corner'', the bully was played by Leonard Kibrick.
71	* BumblingDad: Mr Hood, Darla's father, in particular.
72	* TheBusCameBack: Sort of. Mickey Daniels returns to town in ''Fish Hooky'' as a truant officer.
73	* ButtMonkey: Farina, Bonedust, Alfalfa and Wheezer.
74	* CallBack: Several of the sound shorts borrow story lines and gags from the silent era.
75	* TheCameo:
76	** The Silent-era Rascals appeared in such Hal Roach films as ''The Fraidy Cat'' (Charley Chase, 1924), ''Rupert of Hee Haw'', ''Short Kilts'' (both Stan Laurel, 1924), ''Battling Orioles'' (Glenn Tryon, 1924), and ''45 Minutes from Hollywood'' (Glenn Tryon, 1926).
77	** In 1931, the cast appeared in the all-star short ''The Stolen Jools''.
78	** Stymie Beard briefly shows up in Charley Chase's 1934 short ''Four Parts''.
79	** Alfalfa Switzer briefly appears in Charley Chase's ''Southern Exposure'' (1935) and ''Life Hesitates at 40'' (1936).
80	** Creator/LaurelAndHardy briefly appear in "Wild Poses" (1933)
81	** Tommy Bond briefly appears in the Creator/LaurelAndHardy film ''Block-Heads'' (1938).
82	* CatchPhrase: "O-tay!" (Porky), "Uh-huh" (Uh-huh), "Like my Aunt/Uncle always says..." (Froggy).
83	* CerebusSyndrome: The series took a noticeable turn towards drama during the 1930-1932 era and the MGM era.
84	* TheChase: Several of the silent films, and even a few of the talkies, feature scenes in which the kids are chased around town by an angry adult (usually a police officer).
85	* ChasedOffIntoTheSunset: Happens at the end of a number of episodes, mostly from the silent era.
86	* ChristmasEpisode: ''Good Cheer'', where Mickey Daniels and Johnny Downs bring gifts to the poor kids.
87	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome:Every single characters except for Buckwheat, Froggy, Mickey and Janet.
88	* CityOfAdventure: Greenpoint, the hometown of the Little Rascals, first mentioned by name in ''Duel Personalities''. It seems to be a fairly large city but with lots of suburban areas and wilderness that the kids explore.
89	* CloudCuckoolander: Stymie in his early days.
90	* CompilationMovie: The 1981 television special ''Rascal Dazzle'', broadcast in syndication, collected clips from the various shorts with narration by Creator/JerryLewis.
91	* CoolCars: Several. Most notably the taxi cab in ''Tire Trouble'' and ''Free Wheeling''.
92	* CoolTeacher: Miss Crabtree with her fashionable looks, roadster and generally liberal approach to teaching.
93	* {{Costumer}}: ''General Spanky''.
94	* CousinOliver: Due to the series' [[RevolvingDoorBand revolving door cast]], younger kids were added to the series every few years to (eventually) replace the older kids. However, new additions to the cast have generally gotten far more positive feedback from fans than the [[TropeNamers trope namer]].
95	* CoveredInMud: Paul Toien in ''Olympic Games''.
96	* CowboyEpisode: ''War Feathers''.
97	* CrackDefeat:
98	** Jerry loses the downhill race to the Rascals in ''Hi'-Neighbor!'', despite having a better-looking car.
99	** Waldo loses to Alfalfa in ''Three Men in a Tub'', despite having a better boat (to be fair, he mainly lost due to a hole in the floor of the boat).
100	** Butch loses to Alfalfa in both ''Came the Brawn'' and ''Football Romeo'', despite being, well, Butch.
101	** The older boys lose the 'horse race' in ''Derby Day''. Farina. despite only having a tricycle, still manages to win (even on foot).
102	* CreatorCameo: Series' early director Robert F. [=McGowan=] can be spotted briefly as a man trying to get out of the way of the Rascals' antics in both ''A Pleasant Journey'' and ''Back Stage''.
103	* CrossOver
104	** Joe, Jackie, Ernie and Mickey from Our Gang appear in the Glenn Tryon Series short The Battling Orioles. Joe, Jackie, Ernie, Mickey, Farina, Jay, Johnny and Skooter appear in the short 45 Minutes From Hollywood.
105	** Mickey, Ernie, Andy and Joe from Our Gang appear in the Charley Chase short The Fraidy Cat. Stymie from the Our Gang shorts appears in the short Four Parts. Mickey, Jackie, Joe, Mary, and Dicky appear in the short Jubilo Jr. Charley Chase appears in the Our Gang shorts Thundering Fleas and The Glorious Fourth.
106	** Joe, Jackie and Mickey from Our Gang appear in the Harold Lloyd short Girl Shy while Harold Lloyd appears in the Our Gang short Dogs Of War!
107	** Ernie, Jackie, Mary, Mickey and Joe from Our Gang appear in the Stan Laurel short Rupert Of Hee Haw while Stan Laurel appears in the Our Gang shorts Seeing The World and Wild Poses.
108	** Pete, Wheezer, Farina, Stymie, Chubby, Mary Ann, Shirley Jean and Dorothy from Our Gang appear in the Oliver and Hardy short The Stolen Jools. Hardy appeared in the Our Gang short Seeing The World. Oliver appeared in the Our Gang shorts Thundering Fleas, Baby Brother, Barnum & Ringling, Inc., and Wild Poses.
109	** Spanky appears in the films One Track Minds, Kentucky Kernels and Here Comes the Band
110	** Alfalfa appears in the film Barnyard Follies.
111	** Spanky and Alfalfa appear in the film Johnny Doughboy.
112	** Later in the 70s Stymie appears in the Maude episodes Consenting Adults and Rumpus in the Rumpus Room.
113
114	* CrosscastRole: 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 ViewerGenderConfusion over the years.
115	* DarkHorseVictory: Waldo wins Darla (rather than main competitors Alfalfa and Butch) in ''Came the Brawn'', ''Party Fever'', and ''Duel Personalities''.
116	* DeadpanSnarker: Spanky.
117	* DeathGlare: Spanky in his earlier episodes. Usually directed at Scotty.
118	* DemotedToExtra: Typically happened whenever a once popular cast member started to outgrow their roles.
119	** Wheezer's role was reduced when Spanky [=McFarland=] and Dickie Moore were added to the cast. He is practically unnoticeable in his last episode.
120	** Stymie has very little to do in his last few appearances, only getting one line in his last two episodes.
121	** Buckwheat in the MGM shorts.
122	* DashinglyDapperDerby: Stymie's hat (given to him by [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]]).
123	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: ''The Big Show'':
124	-->'''Booker T.:''' "Let's give them a free show for nothing."
125	* DisguisedInDrag: Alfalfa and Spanky in ballerina drags in ''Rushin' Ballet''.
126	** Alfalfa as Darla's cousin Emilia in ''Mail and Female''.
127	** Froggy in ''Surprised Parties''.
128	** Buckwheat in ''Pay As You Exit''.
129	** Spanky in ''Aladdin's Lantern''.
130	* DIYDisaster: The household appliances are all mixed-up in ''A Tough Winter''.
131	* DoItYourselfPlumbingProject: Stepin' Fetchit plays with the plumbing in ''A Tough Winter'', and ultimately mixes everything up.
132	* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Several examples. They usually involve stern or bumbling fathers, but even Miss Crabtree loses her temper with the kids on one occasion (for giving her ridiculous answers in class) and threatens them with a good "trouncing" in "School's Out".
133	* DrivenToSuicide: In ''Dog Heaven'', Pete the Pup, of all characters, tries to hang himself after owner Joe Cobb pays more attention to a pretty girl than to him.
134	* DroppedAfterThePilot: Anna Mae Bilson and John Hatton.
135	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Early episodes mostly focus on Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison. This is somewhat fitting, since Hal Roach had planned to star Morrison in his own series.
136	** Some of the earliest entries focus attention on farm [[AnimalTalk animals acting like humans]], à la Hal Roach's ''Dippy Doo Dads'' series.
137	** The earliest talkies from 1929 - early 1930 move at a noticeably slower pace, and generally lack background music, solid dialogue delivery, and other aspects that became associated with the series.
138	* EgocentricTeamNaming: The sign outside of the kids' voice studio in ''Framing Youth'' regularly has the billing ("Spanky - Manager, Alfalfa - Crooner").
139	* ExpressiveEars: Petey was sometimes capable of raising his ears for an expression.
140	* EverybodyLaughsEnding: Happens occasionally, mostly in the MGM era.
141	* FakingTheDead: Harry Spear in ''Spook-Spoofing''.
142	* FatComicRelief: Joe Cobb, Chubby Chaney, Porky Lee.
143	* {{Expy}}: Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas reminded producer Hal Roach so much of the series' former star Allen "Farina" Hoskins that his character was modeled after Farina's. Right down to the pigtails, ViewerGenderConfusion, and being named after a breakfast cereal.
144	* FiveTemperamentEnsemble: Spanky (Melancholic), Alfalfa (Choleric), Darla (Sanguine), Buckwheat and Porky (both Phlegmatic).
145	* {{Flanderization}}: The entire cast became goody two-shoes when MGM took control of the series. This was a far cry from the characters' lovable, mischief-making personas that made the series so popular.
146	* FoodFight: The ending of "Shivering Shakespeare" degenerates into a big PieInTheFace fight.
147	* FramedFaceOpening: The 1936-1938 shorts features photos the main cast on the opening title cards.
148	** The earlier silents did something similar, using cartoon likenesses as opposed to photos.
149	* FreeRangeChildren: Througout the series the Our Gang kids are seen running wild all over town without supervision.
150	* GenderScoff: The boys in ''The Buccaneers'', ''Hearts Are Thumps'', and ''Mail and Female'', among other episodes.
151	** Rich man Dick in ''Shrimps For a Day''.
152	** Mickey and Sally in ''The New Pupil''.
153	* HeelFaceTurn: Rivals Mickey and Jack become pals at the end of ''The Champeen!''
154	* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: Stymie's frequently-mentioned jailbird father.
155	** Spanky's Uncle George in ''The Kid From Borneo''.
156	** Froggy's many relatives that have [[MixedMetaphor strange sayings]].
157	* HeManWomanHater: TropeNamer, though '''NOT''' an actual example of the trope.
158	** GirlsHaveCooties: They actually fit under this trope.
159	* GoneSwimmingClothesStolen: In the film "School's Out", some of the kids stole Jack's clothing while swimming in a lake as they're afraid he's going to marry their teacher Miss Crabtree (though he's actually her brother). He resorted by using leaves and branches.
160	* HeroicBSOD: Jackie at the end of ''Teacher's Pet''.
161	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Buckwheat and Porky, Spanky and Alfalfa, Butch and Woim.
162	* HeyLetsPutOnAShow: Several examples. Sometimes goes awry, as when Spanky and the guys tried to stand in for the 'Flory Dory' girls.
163	* HollywoodToneDeaf: Alfalfa, to the point that it became a BerserkButton during public appearances, when fans asked him to sing off key.
164	* IdenticalStranger: ''Alfalfa's Double''.
165	* IdiotHair: Alfalfa's trademark, a part down the middle and a big old cowlick sticking up in the back.
166	* IGotBigger: Porky, hired to play Spanky's little brother, eventually grew taller than Spanky.
167	** Dorothy was let go after just a couple of years because of a growth spurt.
168	* IntergenerationalFriendship: The kids had a few elderly friends in the series, notably Grandma (Margaret Mann) and Cap (Gus Leonard). In the earlier silent films, the role of the much older friend/mentor was normally given to either Richard Daniels or Florence Lee.
169	* ItsLikeIAlwaysSay: Froggy regularly makes references to his relatives' strange sayings (example: "Like my Uncle Walt always says...")
170	* JerkAss: Several. Notable ones include:
171	** Jerry Tucker in ''Hi'-Neighbor!''.
172	** Butch and Woim.
173	** Leonard Kibrick and his dad in ''For Pete's Sake!'' and ''The Lucky Corner''.
174	** Spike (Dickie Jones) and the military academy captain in ''The Pigskin Palooka''.
175	** The stepmother in ''Dogs is Dogs''.
176	** Dan, the son-in-law, in ''Fly My Kite''.
177	** Every kid given the nickname "Toughey."
178	* {{Jerk with a heart of Gold}}: All the kids who don't have a {{Jerkass}} entry are this.
179	* LaughingGas: In "[[https://ourgang.fandom.com/wiki/Wedding_Worries Wedding Worries]]", Darla (in her final short) and the boys take a tank of laughing gas out of her father's dentist office and use it to disrupt his wedding by causing wild laughter in the ceremony room.
180	* LongRunner: Over twenty years (9/10/22-4/29/44).
181	* LongRunnerCastTurnover: Allen Hoskins (Farina) and George [=McFarland=] (Spanky) had two of the longest runs in the series. But both were eventually retired due to the series' [[RevolvingDoorBand revolving door cast]].
182	* LovelyAssistant: Jean Darling to Johnny Downs in ''Chicken Feed''.
183	* MenaceDecay: Partially averted, even then the earliest stories have some kind of "shouldn't they be at school" undertone.
184	* MissingMom: In ''Wedding Worries'', Darla's father remarries.
185	** Also the missing mother in ''Little Mother''.
186	* MotivationOnAStick: In one short, ''Free Wheeling'', 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.
187	* TheMovie: ''General Spanky'' with the original cast in 1936. Later, ''The Little Rascals'' (1994), and ''The Little Rascals Save the Day'' (2014).
188	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Jackie, at the end of ''Teacher's Pet''.
189	* MythologyGag: Several of the talkie shorts borrow gags from the silents.
190	* NegativeContinuity: As was common for short comedy series, ''Our Gang'' almost never contained any continuity. For instance, in one film the kids might be seen living with parents, but may suddenly be living in an orphanage in the next outing.
191	* NiceGuy: Dickie Moore.
192	* NoNameGiven: Most of the kids are only known by their nicknames, though in the 1994 movie, the trophy and prize money are announced to be given to Alfalfa Switzer and Spanky [=McFarland=], effectively showing their last names; however, the rest of the gang is still known only by their nicknames.
193	* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Unlike series creator Hal Roach, MGM was noticeably reluctant to let the cast members go once they outgrew their roles. Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, and Buckwheat were all on the onset of puberty (and wearing costumes that no longer fit them) when they were finally dropped from the series.
194	* NumberedSequels: Parodied; Alfalfa's boat is called Darla the Fourth in ''Three Men in a Tub'' and his balloon in ''Party Fever'' is Darla 2nd.
195	* OfficialCouple: Darla and Alfalfa, Mickey and Mary.
196	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Several of the characters.
197	* OrphanageOfFear: "Boys to Board", "Bring Home the Turkey", "Mush and Milk" and "Shrimps for a Day." "Shrimps for a Day" has the kids at the Happy Home Orphanage, "Where Kindness Rules". The master of the orphanage is an ogre who yells at and intimidates the children.
198	* PantyShot: A few in some early 1940s ''Our Gang'' shorts that involved music and dancing. Even Darla had a few panty shots in a few of the shorts.
199	* PassingTheTorch: Occurred regularly, due to the series' [[RevolvingDoorBand revolving coor cast]].
200	* PetTheDog: In "Small Talk", when Farina gets passed for adoption while his other friends get adopted into a new home, he goes off alone and breaks down in tears, with Petey showing up to comfort him. By chance, the house the other kids are adopted into has a black maid, who takes pity on Farina and adopts him on the spot.
201	* PieInTheFace: ''Playin' Hookey'' and ''Shivering Shakespeare''.
202	* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: ''A Tough Winter'' was intended to be the pilot for a proposed Stepin' Fetchit series. Fetchit turned down the offer for a series, not wanting to go from being a feature film player to a short subject one.
203	* PovertyFood: In the short "Mush and Milk" the gang are all living in a boarding school run by an old man who serves mush & (spoiled) milk every day because he doesn't have any money. He's waiting for his pension to come in. Once his pension comes in he treats the kids to a high class meal...which turns out to be porridge.
204	* PrecociousCrush: Jackie Cooper for Miss Crabtree.
205	* PrinceAndPauper: ''Alfalfa's Double''
206	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: George "Spanky" [=McFarland=] had his name in the opening titles for three of the films, making him the only cast member to receive such an honor. His name also showed up on many of the 1930s' lobby posters.
207	* {{Punchline}}: Many of the Roach era films would end on some sort of a visual gag.
208	** Several of the MGM era films would end with a lame joke from Froggy, usually followed by an EverybodyLaughsEnding.
209	* RecurringExtra: Various background kids throughout the run of the series.
210	* RegalRinglets: Dorothy.
211	* RevolvingDoorBand: Used to keep the group young.
212	* ReTool: Occurred several times, usually when several crucial cast members left at the same time.
213	** Perhaps the most notable example is when MGM bought the rights to the series in 1938, and gradually turned the comedy series about a gang of kids getting in trouble into a series of wholesome morality plays about a gang of kids acting like mini adults.
214	* ReunionShow: Silent cast members Jackie Condon, Mickey Daniels, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, Joe Cobb, and Johnny Downs were reunited on the television show ''You Asked For It''.
215	* {{Revival}}: ''The Little Rascals'' (failed TV pilot) (1977), ''The Little Rascals' Christmas Special'' (1979), ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLittleRascals The Little Rascals Animated Series]]'' (1982-1984), ''The Little Rascals'' (1994), ''The Little Rascals Save the Day'' (2014).
216	* RubeGoldbergDevice: Farina and Stymie have a few in their home in ''Little Daddy''.
217	* RunningGag: Something going wrong whenever Alfalfa sings.
218	** Farina's (and later Buckwheat's) hair raising whenever he gets scared.
219	** Stymie's unseen father getting arrested.
220	** Wheezer [[BronxCheer blowing a raspberry]].
221	** Froggy's earliest episodes would throw in jokes about his voice.
222	** Froggy frequently [[ItsLikeIAlwaysSay retelling old sayings from his relatives]].
223	* [[SavingTheOrphanage Saving the Drugstore]]: The main plot for both ''Our Gang'' (the series' first film) and ''Helping Grandma''.
224	* SchmuckBait: In "Going To Press" the gang executes a sting operation against the boss of the Gas House Gang by using "The Greenpoint Flash" with little subtlety: "P.S. Don't forget that the office will be closed today on account of going fishing and that the Gas House evidence is in the safe." Amazingly, Frank falls for it.
225	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Alfalfa and Spanky.
226	* SeparateSceneStorytelling: ''Jubilo Jr.'' features Jubilo (Will Rogers) telling a three hobos about his childhood. separate
227	** ''Time Out For Lessons'' features Alfalfa's dad telling his son to imagine what college life will be like for him.
228	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Waldo in ''Three Men in a Tub''.
229	* ShooOutTheNewGuy: Several, including Happy, who was brought in to replace Spanky following his departure in 1942. Happy was dropped after only a few episodes.
230	* ShoutOut: In "Small Talk", when Farina is adopted, he says "Mammy!" in a pose and tone thats clearly referencing Al Jolson's ministrel scene from ''Film/TheJazzSinger''.
231	* ShouldntWeBeInSchoolRightNow: Typical with most series focusing on kids, several episodes show the kids out of school. On rare occasions, this is justified:
232	** ''July Days'', ''Boys Will Be Joys'', and ''Wiggle Your Ears'' reference Summer vacation.
233	** ''Ask Grandma'' mentions a two week vacation (according to the silent film title card, the kids could bear the shock if the vacation lasted two years).
234	** Several episodes take place on a Saturday.
235	* SignatureHeadgear: Spanky's striped beanie, Scotty's sideways baseball cap.
236	* SmugSnake: Jerry Tucker in ''Hi'-Neighbor!''
237	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Darla from the later, better-known shorts. In the earlier films, this role was filled by Mary Kornman, Jean Darling, Mary Ann Jackson, and Dorothy [=DeBorba=], among others. After Darla's departure, the role was given to Janet Burston.
238	* {{Schoolmarm}}: Miss Crabtree
239	* SpecialGuest: Will Rogers in ''Jubilo Jr,'' Creator/LaurelAndHardy in ''Wild Poses.''
240	* SpeechImpediment: Buckwheat and Porky (actors William Thomas and Eugene Lee really did have speech impediments). Both eventually grew out of it.
241	* SpinOff: Hal Roach's ''The Boy Friends'' series of the early 1930's is considered by some to be a spin-off, especially since it makes a semi-reference to the Little Rascals in the 1932 entry ''Too Many Women''. Furthermore, former Rascals Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman were among the series' stars.
242	* SpiritualSuccessor: Hal Roach produced two Our Gang-like films (''Curley'' and ''Who Killed Doc Robbin'') during the late 1940's.
243	* SquirrelsInMyPants: In ''Framing Youth'', Alfalfa gets a frog stuck in his tuxedo while he is performing at a talent show.
244	* StageMom: Spanky has one in ''Beginner's Luck''.
245	* StockYuck: Chubby's Limberger cheese makes all but him hold their nose and cower.
246	* StarCrossedLovers: Mickey and Mary, Alfalfa and Darla.
247	* SuperstitionEpisode: Farina carries around a 'mumbo gumbo charm' in ''Spook-Spoofing''.
248	* SyndicationTitle: ''The Little Rascals''.
249	%%** Also ''Mischief Makers'' and ''Those Lovable Scallawags With Their Gangs'' for the silent films.
250	* TagalongKid: Every generation of the series had one. Spanky, Stymie, Buckwheat, Porky, Scotty, Jackie Condon, and Farina were all in this position in their early years.
251	* TeamPet: Pete (usually called Petey by the kids), a friendly american pit bull terrier with a ring around his eye who tags along with the kids wherever they go.
252	* TelevisionGeography: The Rascals supposedly live in California, though a New York-like city appears in several entries.
253	* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: Porky in ''Three Smart Boys''.
254	* ThoseTwoGuys: Spanky and Scotty, Buckwheat and Porky, Stymie and Wheezer.
255	* TitleDrop: In the later MGM shorts, the Rascals are sometimes officially called "Our Gang."
256	* {{Tomboy}}: Mary Ann is the closest thing to this in the series. Dorothy also has her moments.
257	* TheTonsillitisEpisode: Darla has a tonsillectomy in "Men in Fright", and Mickey has one in "No Noise".
258	* TokenMinority: UrExample. Every iteration of the gang had at least one black child actor, which is surprising for the pre civil rights era of Hollywood.
259	* TookALevelInBadass: Alfalfa in ''Football Romeo''.
260	* TookALevelInDumbass: Several of the kids seemed to get dumber as they got older. A notable example is both Spanky's and Alfalfa's stupidity in ''Canned Fishing''.
261	* TotemPoleTrench: Used several times:
262	** Spanky and Alfalfa tried it in both ''Teacher's Beau'' (to scare their teacher's fiancé into leaving town) and ''Two Too Young'' (posing as a G-Man in order to convince Buckwheat and Porky to give up their firecrackers).
263	** Stymie and Dickie tried this in ''Fish Hooky'' to get past truant officer Mickey Daniels.
264	** Johnny Downs and younger Mickey Daniels did this when posing as Santa Claus in ''Good Cheer''.
265	** Farina and Pleurisy tried it in ''Election Day'' in order to get past the other kids.
266	* TheUnintelligible: Porky starts his run on the series as a pre-verbal toddler, but once he begins to talk, his lines are only semi-intelligible at best. The "O-Tay" line that is often attributed to Buckwheat was actually Porky's.
267	* VerbalTicName: Uh-huh is named that because it's the only thing he (usually) says.
268	* TheVoiceless: Buckwheat and Porky in their earliest appearances.
269	* WackySoundEffect: The moaning noises coming from the cake filled with household items (thanks to Spanky) in "Birthday Blues".
270	* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: The Little Rascals' hometown of [[http://ourgang.wikia.com/wiki/Greenpoint Greenpoint]]. It is implied to be somewhere in Southern California, possibly a suburb of Hollywood as some of the shorts have the Rascals' home addresses as being in Long Beach or Los Angeles. But some of the shorts show Greenpoint resembling parts of New York City.
271	* WhiteLikeMe: A kind of horrifying gag in ''Baby Brother''. Joe wants a little brother. So Farina, the one black kid in the gang, takes his baby brother, paints his face white, and gives him to Joe.
272	* WomenAreWiser: The adult women in this series (usually mothers or teachers) tend to be kinder and more grounded than the men, who are often bumbling or pompous at best and downright abusive at worst.
273	* WouldHurtAChild: The step-mother in ''Dogs is Dogs''.
274	* YouMeddlingKids: The gang occasionally battled evil grown-ups. They are arguably the UrExample.
275	* [[YourOtherLeft Your Other Right Hand]]: Unintentionally happens in ''Hide and Shriek'' when Alfalfa has Porky and Buckwheat raise their right hand to take an oath. Three-year-old Eugene Lee mistakenly raises his left hand, but switches when he notices William Thomas has raised his right.
276
277	!!Tropes specific to the 1994 movie:
278	* ActorAllusion: Buckwheat's mother. "''[[Creator/WhoopiGoldberg ...Whoop-ee.]]''"
279	* AdaptationalVillainy: In the original shorts, the BigBadEnsemble never did anything antagonistic towards Alfalfa and the gang, aside from typical bullying. In the movie however, they both try to outright '' '''murder''' '' Spanky and Alfalfa during the race at the climax through different means; Waldo with tire spikes, and Butch and Woim with a smoke bomb.
280	* AllNaturalFireExtinguisher: The He-Man Woman Haters Clubhouse catches fire after Spanky sabotages Alfalfa's date with Darla. Petey, a dog, [[UrineTrouble attempts to put out the fire by peeing on it.]]
281	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Buckwheat and Porky, who isn't taken seriously for most of the rest of the movie, are praised for collecting roughly five hundred dollars in bogus talent show admissions charges, enough money to pay for lumber to rebuild the clubhouse.
282	* AllThereInTheManual: Miss Crabtree is Spanky and co.'s teacher, but since none of this film takes place at their school, there's nothing in the film to indicate that she's their teacher. In the context of this film, she might have just been a woman Spanky knew from the neighborhood.
283	* AvoidTheDreadedGRating: If the "Finders keepers losers suck!"/"Ah, bite me!" exchange didn't push the movie to a PG-rating, the scene where Alfalfa loses his underwear in a pool definitely did.
284	* BigBadEnsemble: Butch, Woim, and Waldo.
285	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Alfalfa spends the majority of the movie as a bit of a wimp, preferring trying to talk his way out of fights and/or simply running away. But then, after all the trouble he was put through during the movie, including the harrowing go-cart race and winning back Darla's heart, Butch and Woim make the mistake of trying to confront him one last time:
286	--> '''Alfalfa''': Now usually, I'm a [[ActualPacifist lover, not a fighter,]] but in this case, I'm willing to make an ''exception!'' [[spoiler:''Punches Butch into a pig pen, and intimidates Woim into jumping in after Butch.'']]
287	* ButHeSoundsHandsome: When Alfalfa is in disguise at the ballet recital, talking to Darla.
288	* ButtMonkey: Alfalfa. From his picnic with Darla to the end of the movie bad things constantly seem to happen to him.
289	* CashLure: The old "buck and a duck" trick.
290	* CatchPhrase: "O-tay!", "Uh-huh".
291	* ChekhovsSkill: 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. [[spoiler: It backfires when Porky blows his nose on the note and Buckwheat tells Darla what it said from memory.]]
292	* ColonelBogeyMarch: Courtesy of a marching band at the fair; this establishes the mood for the club's money-earning mission.
293	* CoveredInMud: [[spoiler: At the end, Butch and Woim end up in a pig pen. Alfalfa punched Butch into it, and then Woim jumped in himself to ''avoid'' being punched.]]
294	* DeadpanSnarker: Stymie, though mostly with eye rolling and vocal intonation. Also, Waldo.
295	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: During Alfalfa and Darla's first meeting with Waldo:
296	-->'''Darla:''' I'll be appearing in the talent show coming up.\
297	'''Alfalfa:''' Yeah! The two of us will both be singing a duet. Together.\
298	'''Waldo:''' [[LampshadeHanging How redundant.]]
299	* DisguisedInDrag: Alfalfa and Spanky in ballerina drag. Bullies Butch and Woim [[AttractiveBentGender find them quite attractive]].
300	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: When Alfalfa gets "excited", his IdiotHair spikes up.
301	* DontAsk: Alfalfa. He runs up to Porky wearing nothing but socks and underwear, prompting Porky to ask if he had a rough day.
302	* EvilLaugh: Spanky makes an evil chuckle while twiddling his fingers after giving Alfalfa a wedgie while he was singing to Darla.
303	* ExactWords:
304	** The kids try to get people to pay to see a "four-foot man eating chicken". As in one of them dressed as a man eating a bucket of chicken.
305	** After [[spoiler: Waldo's cheating in the race,]] Darla says, "pull over. I am not finishing this race with you." [[spoiler: She never said that ''she'' wasn't finishing the race.]]
306	* FourEyesZeroSoul: Waldo is a major jerk and wears glasses.
307	* FriendVersusLover: Spanky spends the first minutes of the film trying to separate Alfalfa from Darla, and the rest of the film trying to get Alfalfa to give up on her.
308	* FullNameUltimatum: Spanky calls Alfalfa by his full name when sentencing him for burning down the clubhouse. Spanky gets a "Spanky [=McFarland=]!" from Ms. Crabtree in turn when she sees him getting people to pay for admission to see the talent show when it was supposed to be free.
309	* GenderScoff: The tent/sleepover scene, after Alfalfa and Darla break up.
310	* HilariousOuttakes: Indeed, they are!
311	** FullyAutomaticClipShow: "Brittany, stop looking at the camera!" (Brittany was the actress who portrayed Darla)
312	* ICanExplain: See DontAsk.
313	* InsultBackfire:
314	-->'''Spanky:''' All the money in the world is no substitute for hard work and ingenuity.\
315	'''Waldo:''' You lead a rich fantasy life.\
316	'''Spanky:''' Thank you.\
317	'''Waldo:''' Moron.
318	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Spanky's remark that the go-kart which Butch and Woim stole from the rascals "looks like The Blur with a new paint job."
319	* LintValue: 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?"
320	* TheMovie: A number of classic Little rascals shorts adapted and woven together until the plot of a single film, it largely reflects an effort to maintain the classic feel, but has a few contemporary touches.
321	* MythologyGag: The movie borrows gags and situations from the original shorts:
322	** ''Three Smart Guys'' (1943): Porky and Buckwheat unknowingly reeling each other in while fishing.
323	** ''Anniversary Trouble'' (1935): The gang and the "hi/high-sign".
324	** ''Hearts are Thumps'' (1937): The gang spiking Alfalfa & Darla's lunch.
325	** ''Hook and Ladder'' (1932): The gang as firefighters.
326	** ''Teacher's Beau'' (1935): Spanky and Stymie imitating adults by [[TotemPoleTrench sitting on each other's shoulders in order to appear taller]]
327	** ''Mail and Female'' (1937): Porky and Buckwheat as messengers for Alfalfa's love letter
328	** ''Rushin' Ballet'' (1937): Alfalfa and Spanky in drag at a ballet recital
329	** ''Hearts are Thumps'' (1937): Alfalfa's "bubble song" (during the talent show)
330	** ''Hi'-Neighbor!'' (1934): building the go-kart (a fire engine in the original)
331	** ''Auto Antics'' (1939): the go-kart race
332	** ''Hi'-Neighbor!'' (1934) and ''Divot Diggers'' (1936): knocking over pedestrians in the go-kart
333	* NotNowKiddo: A deleted scene reveals that Porky and Buckwheat try to approach Spanky about their idea to charge admission to the talent show right away, but Spanky brushes them off.
334	* NumberedSequels: Parodied; The go-kart that Alfalfa ends up driving is called "The Blur 2: The Sequel."
335	* OldFashionedRowboatDate: Alfalfa and Darla have one.
336	* ReCut: The film on DVD and VHS was actually trimmed down for time and content from the original theatrical release (Universal had done this to other films, including ''Film/GhostDad'' and ''Film/ProblemChild 2''). The extended edit broadcast on TV is actually the original theatrical cut with the scenes that were taken out for the home video release, although that version also edits a few scenes out for content or language (the girls referencing that boys like "fighting and farting" as an example of grossness is one bit trimmed from TV airings).
337	* TheRival: Waldo for Alfalfa, both of them wooing Darla.
338	* RoadSignReversal: While on his way to the race with Buckwheat, Porky pushes one of the signs marking the racetrack, which were built with a circular tire as a backdrop, so that its arrow points straight ahead instead of pointing to the right like it's supposed to. Three go-karts (Alfalfa/Spanky, Waldo/Darla, and Butch/Woim) go in that direction before the guy assigned to track racers' progress at that turn realizes what had happened and quickly turns it back to right as the other go-karts were coming to send them on the correct route, though he can't do anything about the first three.
339	* SadTimesMontage: Occurs after Alfalfa tells off Spanky for ruining his chances of making up with Darla at the talent show.
340	* SamusIsAGirl: Spanky is shocked to discover that his favorite racing driver A.J. Ferguson is a woman when the trophy is presented.
341	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Waldo did this a lot, as did [[spoiler: Uh-huh]], as revealed at the end of the movie, though [[spoiler: Uh-huh]] is actually a case of BrilliantButLazy, as he explains that while he may have an extensive vocabulary, he just chooses not to use it.
342	* SettingUpdate: A subtle variant. Waldo has a boom box, and the original "Our Gang" shorts predate the songs used in the talent show.
343	* ShoutOut: The climactic derby race is similar to ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces''.
344	* SmugSnake: Waldo.
345	* SomethingElseAlsoRises: Darla flattens Alfalfa's hair point and then gives him a kiss, causing his hair to spring right back up again.
346	* SpikedWheels: It happens during the go-kart race scene. The resident SpoiledBrat [[MoralEventHorizon uses his money-fueled rocket car to take out Alfalfa's new MacGyvered car]]. Darla, then seeing Waldo for the jerk that he truly is, promptly throws him out of his own cart.
347	* StealthInsult: Waldo calls his dad on his mobile phone to tell him he's en route to the race, to which said father (played by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump, of course) tells him, "Waldo, you're the best son money can buy." Waldo, however, takes this to be a [[InsultBackfire sincere compliment]] and [[ComicallyMissingThePoint thanks his dad]].
348	* StrongFamilyResemblance: Alfalfa and Spanky's dads look like adult versions of their kids.
349	* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: Inverted. Butch says "Finders keepers" but replaces "weepers" with "suck".
350	* TemptingFate: While running around town in his underwear, Alfalfa says, "Things couldn't possibly get any worse!". Then he runs straight into Butch and Woim, prompting a LampshadeHanging:
351	-->'''Alfalfa''': And then the clouds opened up and God said "I Hate You Alfalfa!"
352	* TitleDrop: The film's title is hollered out by one of the pedestrians whom Alfalfa and Spanky run over during the climatic go-kart race.
353	-->'''Old Pedestrian''': YOU LITTLE RASCALS!
354	* TookALevelInBadass: Alfalfa, when he pushes 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 to avoid getting hit.
355	* TwoScenesOneDialogue:
356	** The boys and girls complain simultaneously about their troubles with the opposite sex, with the camera constantly switching between the boys' tent and the girls' SlumberParty. At one point, the scene switches between Spanky and Darla while he's talking, so that Spanky appears to speak the below line through Darla!
357	---> '''Spanky and Darla''': Why do they have to be so different?
358	** It even contains a [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] / [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth wall break]], with Buckwheat responding with "No we don't!" to a line he couldn't possibly have heard.
359	* UnnecessaryTimePrecision: Resident bullies Butch and Woim chase Alfalfa until they corner him. To stall for time, Alfalfa answers their rhetorical question --of how long has it been since they beat him up-- with a ramble in which he calculates whether it's a leap year and how many days certain months have, only to say that it was yesterday.
360	-->'''Butch:''' When's the last time we beat you up?\
361	'''Alfalfa:''' Well, let's see... today's the 10th... 30 days hath September, April, June, and November... it's not a leap year... yesterday.
362	* VerbalTicName: Uh-huh so called that because it's the only thing he (usually) says.
363	* WhamLine:
364	--> [[spoiler: '''Uh-huh:''' Uh-uh.]]
365	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Apart from being ditched by Darla following the revelation of his cheating in the race, it's not shown whether or not Waldo received any more punishment. The last time we see him, he's in his limo telling Alfalfa and Spanky "You'll be hearing from my lawyers'' before driving off, so it's not clear whether he was making idle threats, or if [[spoiler:he was talking to Darla, whom until that moment Alfalfa and Spanky had mistaken for Waldo and was thanking for what turned out to be her help in fending Butch and Woim off for first place due to the matching full-body racing outfits both of them are wearing with tinted visors to obscure the face]].
366	* YouAnsweredYourOwnQuestion: This might be justified, because Buckwheat is 5 years old.
367	--> '''Buckwheat:''' Quick! What's the number for 911?
368	* YourOtherLeft: "All raise your right hand! Your ''other'' right hand..."
369
370	!!Tropes specific to the 2014 movie:
371	* MythologyGag: As with the previous movie, this also borrows gags and situations from the original shorts:
372	** ''Anniversary Trouble'' (1935): The gang and the "hi/high-sign".
373	** ''Teacher's Pet'' (1930): Mistakenly getting kicked out of school just before a classroom party.
374	** ''Helping Grandma'' (1931): Helping save Grandma's business.
375	** ''Birthday Blues'' (1932): Preparing a cake with disastrous results.
376	** ''Divot Diggers'' (1936): Working as caddies at a country club.
377	** ''Forgotten Babies'' (1933): "REMARKABLE!"
378	** ''Free Wheeling'' (1932): The homemade taxi cab.
379	** ''Our Gang Follies of 1936'' (1935): A hole in a fence used as a secret entrance.
380	** ''Came the Brawn'' (1938): Alfalfa facing the Masked Marvel in the wrestling ring.
381	** ''Mike Fright'' (1934): The International Silver String Submarine Band. A deleted scene reuses the gag in which two of the kids eat lemons, interrupting a performer's trumpet solo.
382	** A deleted scene references 1933's ''The Kid From Borneo'' ("Yum, yum! Eat 'em up!").
383	* RemakeCameo: Bug Hall, who played Alfalfa in the 1994 film, appears as the ice cream man in the beginning.

Context Film / TheLittleRascals