From 1982 to 1984, Hanna-Barbera Productions produced a Saturday morning cartoon 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). [67] 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. More Details Watch offline The MGM-produced Our Gang shorts, General Spanky, and the rights to the Our Gang name are owned by Warner Bros. THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'The Little Rascals,' 27 years later - Yahoo News A spin-off based on the live-action Our Gang comedy shorts, it was broadcast as part of The Pac-Man/Little Rascals . I honestly believed that the show had in some way "shaped me" and made me a better person. Her mother introduced her to singing and dancing at an early age. Turner Entertainment acquired these assets in 1986 when its founder, Ted Turner, purchased the pre-May 1986 MGM library; Turner merged with the former Time Warner in 1996. Our Gang entered another transitional period, similar to that of the mid-1920s. 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.[18]. The Roach-produced The Little Rascals shorts (1922-1938) are currently owned by Halcyon Studios who manages the copyrights as well as theatrical and home video releases, while CBS Media Ventures (via King World Entertainment) owns the television distribution rights to the Roach era shorts. Republic would release Little Rascals VHS volumes for retail purchase in non-comprehensive collections through the rest of the 1980s and early 1990s. The King World/CBS Little Rascals package was featured as exclusive programming (in the United States) for the American Movie Classics network from August 2001 to December 2003, with Frankie Muniz hosting. He was only 16, the youngest to die of any of the Our Gang actors. then-and-now look at the original Little Rascals. Halcyon acquired these after absorbing Hal Roach Studios in 1988, and both Roach's estate and Cabin Fever Entertainment in the late 1990s. The Little Rascals TV Series 1955 TV-G 30m IMDb RATING 8.1 /10 1.3K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 3,050 134 Play trailer 2:25 5 Videos 77 Photos Comedy Family Television syndication package of the classic 1929-1938 shorts from the "Our Gang Comedies" movie series. A cover of the song "Good Lovin '" was used in 1988 the film Salsa. [16] Other minorities, including Asian Americans Sing Joy, Allen Tong (also known as Alan Dong), and Edward Soo Hoo; and Italian American actor Mickey Gubitosi (later known as Robert Blake), were depicted in the series with varying levels of stereotyping. However, MGM did not want the series discontinued and agreed to take over production. 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. Television syndication package of the classic 1929-1938 shorts from the "Our Gang Comedies" movie series. And he realized after a while that hed been looking at them for a long, long time and that they had captured his attention. [3][4][5], 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. Many producers, including Our Gang alumnus Jackie Cooper, made pilots for new Little Rascals television series, but none ever went into production. Semi-regular actors, such as Jackie Lynn Taylor, Marianne Edwards, and Leonard Kibrick as the neighborhood bully, joined the series at this time. Even though it's been off the air for years, Our Gang or The Little Rascals holds a special place in many American's hearts. Cooper is known today for portraying Perry White in the 19781987 Superman movies, and for directing episodes of TV series such as M*A*S*H and Superboy. . Although its been called the first series to feature kids as the stars the original members were not household names. Some of the lines I had to say I didn't like, but I never look at it like that. [48] The Little Rascals was a moderate success for Universal, bringing in $51,764,950 at the box office.[49]. 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 $481,265 today). We didn't care that it showed an old fashioned simpler time we couldn't relate to. We had a lot of fun together. Blakes parents began a song-and-dance act in 1936 with his three siblings, billed as The Three Little Hillbillies. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1938, where the kids began working as movieextras. The Our Gang Collection. 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. Tommy Bond and Wally Albright left in the middle of 1934; Jackie Lynn Taylor and Marianne Edwards would depart by 1935. In 2006, Fantagraphics Books began issuing a series of volumes reprinting the Our Gang stories, mostly written and drawn by Pogo creator Walt Kelly. All About ThemIncluding Farina", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Our_Gang&oldid=1151917965, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 01:42. Mickey Daniels was one of the most Rascals to appear most frequently in Hal Roachs original Our Gang shorts, with between 70 and 80 appearances spanning 1932 to 1935. The MGM Our Gangs today appear periodically on the Turner Classic Movies cable network. One of the many child stars of the se. After video rights for the classic MGM library reverted to their new owners, Turner Entertainment/Warner Bros., in the late 1990s, four of the MGM Our Gang shorts appeared as bonus features on Warner Bros.-issued classic film DVD releases. 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. He died on August 20, 1970 in San Diego, California, USA. Darla Hood was born on November 8, 1931, in Leedey, Oklahoma. The Little Rascals (TV Series 1955) - IMDb [30] 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. In the series, Spanky was known as the president of the He-Man Women Haters Club. At 24, McFarland left showbiz and joined the United States Air Force. At the same time, eight Little Rascals shorts were pulled from the King World television package altogether. Roach produced the final two-reel Our Gang short, a high-budget musical special entitled Our Gang Follies of 1938, in 1937 as a parody of MGM's Broadway Melody of 1938. She notoriously dated Christian Brando, Marlons son, while she was with Blake. 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). As to where Hal Roach came up with the concept for Our Gang,Do You Rememberturned to film historian Leonard Maltin, who also wrote the bookThe Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang. He was very proud of that series, says Maltin in that exclusive interview. Paramount Global subsidiary CBS Media Ventures, through King World Productions, 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 television package, with certain territory exclusions controlled by Cinematographische Commerz-Anstalt. Heartbreaking Details About Froggy From The Little Rascals In 2011, Legend Films released black and white versions of Little Rascals DVDs. 235236. He later became Spankys best friend and graduated to the leader of the group. Heres What Happened to Spanky from The Little Rascals as Told by a Close Friend, Top 10 Forgotten 70s Teen Heartthrobs, Then And Now 2023, Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Is Now Hiring New Drivers. [19] Morrison's "Sunshine Sammy" instead became one of the foci of the new Our Gang series. After leaving the series in 1940, he was the victim of typecasting and struggled to find roles. 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. With these releases, Cabin Fever made all 80 Roach sound shorts, and four silents, available for purchase unedited with digitally restored picture and sound. He died on January 28, 1946. 1 - ClassicFlix", "Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations Volume 1, The (Blu-ray Review)", "The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 4 (1933-1935)", "In the Heat of the Night hits 4K on 4/19, plus The Untouchables, The Sleeper Must Awaken, Peter Robbins RIP & more", "ClassicFlix: First Look at New Restoration of The Little Rascals Volume 6", "Qintex Entertainment to Sell Virtually All of Its Assets", "The Little Rascals - The Complete Collection (Centennial Edition) Blu-ray - ClassicFlix", "Warner Bros. to Run Most of Turner's Entertainment Units", "Our Gang. 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.[60]. The series also broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation in the United States.[1]. Most casual fans of Our Gang are particularly familiar with the 19361939 incarnation of the cast: Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat, and Porky, with recurring characters such as neighborhood bullies Butch and Woim and the bookworm Waldo. Ill see how this turns out. A MOD release of General Spanky on DVD was also released by Warner Archive in 2016.[65]. 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. [17], 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. She started in the series in 1928, just as the silent era was ending, and left in 1931 at age 8. As a result, Lee nicknamed Porky by the studio joined the cast as Spankys little brother. Financial data for negative costs, revenue, and profits/losses are provided for all 52 MGM, Mikkelson, Barbara and Mikkelson, David. [36] 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. [52], E. L. Doctorow's 1975 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 Little Rascals, originally known as Our Gang, first debuted in 1922, chronicling a group of ragtag neighborhood kiddos and their adventures. Groovin' - Wikipedia Just like a family. His trademark was a bald head, crowned by an oversized derby hat. But he says he was looking out his office window one day and watched some kids fighting over a stick they were going to use for a game they were going to play. The Dark Secrets and Somber Fates of 'The Little Rascals' - History 101 Joe Rivkin, a casting director for Hal Roach Studios, cast her in the role of Darla in the Our Gang shorts. It may sound like a strange life, but since it was my life for as long as I can remember, I loved it.. Following the broadcast, Spanky McFarland informed the media of the truth,[56] and in December, William Thomas, Jr. (son of Billie Thomas, the person who played Buckwheat) filed a lawsuit against ABC for negligence.[56]. We didn't care that our folks -or even grandparents- had watched it. The scooter was given to Laughlin by his parents only two weeks prior to the accident. [37] The children's performances were criticized as stilted and stiff, their dialogue being recited instead of spoken naturally. 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. September 10, 1922 Our Gang/First episode date Where can I watch the original Little Rascals? While she was busy organizing the 1980 Little Rascals reunion for the Los Angeles chapter of the Sons of the Desert, she underwent an appendectomy. The film focused more on the adult leads (Phillips Holmes and Rosina Lawrence) than the children and was a box office disappointment. When did little rascals 2 come out? 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. He signed on to release future products through the newly formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which released its first Our Gang comedy in September 1927. The Rascals - Wikipedia In 1994, Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures released The Little Rascals, 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 Little Rascals (1994): Dir: Penelope Spheeris / Cast: Bug Hall, Travis Tedford, Brittany Ashton Holmes, Kevin Jamal Woods, Zachary Mabry: Misguided family film about trouble and innocence. Stars Wally Albright Sherwood Bailey Bobbie 'Cotton' Beard 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. There are many unofficial Our Gang and Little Rascals home video collections available from several other distributors, comprising shorts (both silent and sound) which have fallen into the public domain. Well, here's the answer. We didn't care if it was a show made in the '30s (I'm referring to what I like to call "The Spanky Years", as there are in fact OUR GANG shorts even older- so old that they aren't even "talkies!" 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 45, 2011. [73] In 2022, ClassicFlix acquired the rights to the entire Hal Roach-era Our Gang catalogue (silent and sound) for home video release, and completed an extensive 4K restoration of all "sound-era" short subjects, by re-scanning from original 35mm master prints, and completing further restoration, image stabilization, and overall digital picture cleanup. Alfalfa was played by Carl Switzer in many of the shorts from 1934-40. [9] Meanwhile MGM's Our Gang series (1938-1944), is currently owned by Turner Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros.. New productions based on the shorts have been made over the years, including a 1994 feature film, The Little Rascals, released by Universal Pictures. In a 1980 interview, he explained, After the Army, I wasnt really interested in the hassle of performing. WHERE ARE THEY NOW: the Cast of 'the Little Racals' - Insider As he explained in 1953, Dont get me wrong. Dorothy DeBorba joined the cast of Our Gang in 1930 in Pups is Pups. She is best remembered for her elaborate hairstyles and bows on the series. The Our Gang Collection: Saving Alfalfa. Unfortunately, Beard eventually became addicted to heroin. He and his brother, Harold, became famous in their hometown for their musical talents. Even though it was a job, we had a pretty good time making those comedies. That portrayal would be deemed quite controversial in the years to come. 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 12. From main characters to minor roles and cameos, these characters are a big part of what made the film so great. Numerous unauthorized Little Rascals and Our Gang restaurants and day care centers also exist throughout the United States. Actor | The Little Minister. Syndication. The Little Rascals. [25] At the start of the 193334 season, the Our Gang series format was significantly altered to accommodate McGowan and persuade him to stay another year. Another 1930 short, Teacher's Pet, marked the first use of the Our Gang theme song, "Good Old Days", composed by Shield and featuring a notable saxophone solo. (The Los Angeles Times claims that it was Stiltz who offered the reward.) The Laurel & Hardy series went from film shorts to features exclusively in mid 1935. The nickname is said to have come from his mother, who urged him not to misbehave in Roachs office. Beard played the role of Little Rascal, Stymie. The following is a listing of the primary child actors in the Our Gang comedies. The Little Rascals (1994) | Bullies Chase Alfalfa - YouTube The Little Rascals (1994) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. He reportedly married and divorced, and had one daughter, but died alone in a hotel room in 1970 while working as a taxi driver. Tommy Bond, an off-and-on member of the gang since 1932, returned to the series as Butch beginning with the 1937 short Glove Taps. By 1936, Hal Roach began debating plans to discontinue Our Gang until Louis B. Mayer, head of Roach's distributor MGM, persuaded Roach to keep the popular series in production. Our Gang - Wikipedia New Roach discovery George McFarland 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. Matthew Beard, Wheezer Hutchins, and Dorothy DeBorba carried the series during this period, aided by Sherwood Bailey and Kendall McComas, who would play Breezy Brisbane. [39] The final short was Dancing Romeo, which was released on April 29, 1944 (as an MGM Miniature, not an Our Gang comedy). While Harold would eventually be relegated to the role of a background player, Carl, nicknamed "Alfalfa," eventually replaced Scotty Beckett as Spanky's sidekick. A new kid moves into town and is soon bullying little Jackie. 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. My dancing teacher talked my mother into letting me go to New York City, where I wound up leading the band at the Edison Hotel and caught the eye of theOur Gangcasting director. Turner Entertainment acquired the classic MGM library in 1986, and the 193844 MGM-produced Our Gang shorts were shown on Turner's TBS and TNT cable networks for many years as early-morning programming filler, with a regular slot on Sundays at 6am ET on TNT. This story may contain some links from which we may earn a small affiliate commission. Sadly, outside the studio gates, his life couldnt be more different. For her third birthday they went to New York to seek fame and fortune in the arts. [31] No further Our Gang features were made. 1:57. 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. [36] Tommy Bond, Darwood Kaye, and Alfalfa Switzer all left the series in 1940, and Billy "Froggy" Laughlin (with his Popeye-esque trick voice) and Janet Burston were added to the cast. 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 featurettes, Curley and Who Killed Doc Robbin. 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. Other Our Gang members appearing in the early sound shorts included Buddy McDonald, Clifton Young, and Shirley Jean Rickert. THE LITTLE RASCALS (OUR GANG) THEN AND NOW 2021 - YouTube The Buckwheat character was originally a female, portrayed by Matthew Stymie Beards younger sister, Carlena. [66] When the campaign did not meet its fundraising goal, other sources of financing were sought for the restorations. TheLittle Rascals, which debuted on television in 1955, introduced a band of ragtag children to the world. Two further Hallmark DVD collections featured ten shorts apiece and were released in 2003 and 2005, respectively. He was honorably discharged from active duty, receiving a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. On May 29, 1936, when he was only 21, Norman died of myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle. 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 film is based on the "Our Gang" series of short films from the '20s, '30s, and '40s. Our Gang/Little Rascals (1922-1944) - IMDb [29] McGowan returned two years later to direct his Our Gang swan song, Divot Diggers, released in 1936. Scotty Beckett departed for a career in features (he returned in 1939 for two shorts, Cousin Wilbur and Dog Daze). Watch on. The success of The Little Rascals paved the way for King's new company, King World Productions, to grow into one of the largest television syndicators in the world. To escape his acting career, he changed his name to Gordon Lee after his favoriteOur Gangdirector, Gordon Douglas. 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. Here's what the cast, including Raven-Symon, the Olsen twins, and Blake McIver Ewing, are up to now. [36] The MGM entries are considered by many film historians, and the Our Gang children themselves, to be lesser films than the Roach entries. Laughlin did the voice himself. She was also the voice of the mermaid in the "Chicken Of The Sea" TV commercials. He was 16 as old as Billy Froggy Laughlin when he died. Im a guy who likes to eat and I found I couldnt do it without working. Unlike other kids, he couldnt really go outside and play, and not because of his stardom, but rather because the neighborhood they lived in was so dangerous. Travis Tedford played Spanky, the president of the "He-Man Woman-Haters Club." What Happened To The Original Cast of The Little Rascals - DoYouRemember? 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 perceived racism, while Big Ears was deleted for its depiction of carelessly ingesting an assortment of drugs out of a medicine cabinet. The Little Rascals Save the Day - Wikipedia The Little Rascals (1994) - Clubhouse Fire Scene (3/10) | Movieclips. [2], As children aged out of their roles, they were replaced by new children, usually from the Los Angeles area. [51], 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. [2] 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). Sadly, though, that life was short-lived. Later Our Gang directors, such as Gus Meins 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. Blake, now 85, has maintained a low profile since his acquittal, filing for bankruptcy with debts of $3 million for unpaid legal fees and taxes. Roach's distributor Path 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. Coupled with a brief suspension in McFarland's work permit,[28] 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 was hired as the new series director.[25]. Our Gang : A Racial History of The Little Rascals - The Atlantic In 1934, the Switzers traveled to California to visit family and, as fate would have it, went on a sightseeing tour to Hal Roach Studios, where the Our Gang shorts were filmed. Stymie enjoyed making the films and, more importantly, the sense of equality that Roach insisted on when it came to his productions. List ranges from Waldo's Dad to Twin #1 and more.
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