Search - The Little Rascals: Best of Spanky on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 7/9/2023...

A classic for the whole family!

35mm restored & COLORIZED! But you can still watch them in B

Paul J. Mular | San Carlos, CA USA | 02/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I give this only **** 4 stars because most of these have already been released on DVD restored from 35mm. There is little new here.

The thought is that Kids won't watch B&W movies, so lets colorize The Little Rascals/Our Gang. Purists will be glad that they can watch these in their original B&W, which is good since the colorization looks cartoony & unnatural.

The title of this set is a little mis-leading, some of the better Spanky comedies are on the other colorized DVDs from this distributor.

I just could not pass up the extras that are included on these DVDs.

BEST OF SPANKY has
General Spanky Trailer,
Home Movies of Spanky wrestling with a boy ( possibly his stand-in ),
Speedo Bike Commercial,
Clip from Peck's Bad Boy.

Oh, yes.. there are the comedy shorts. These are all from 35mm 1950's RE-ISSUE PRINTS, not the same MGM transfers as the Cabin Fever / Hallmark DVDs. But they are 35mm prints and they look very good. There is a variety of title sections representing almost every company that re-issued these shorts in 35mm, including Official Films which I never knew made 35mm prints.

BEST OF SPANKY
"LITTLE RASCALS FOLLIES" - Monogram titles - Originally titles Our Gang Follies of 1936, the gang puts on a show.

"WASHEE IRONEE" - Official 'Famous Kids' titles - The gang starts their own laundry service. While the title is politically incorrect today, the short has few jokes that wouldn't be acceptable. So this one can be enjoyed by all.

"SHRIMPS FOR A DAY" - Monogram titles - This fantasy story has a rich couple finding a magic lamp and wishing they were kids again. Their wish backfires as they are mistaken for orphans and are forced to join Spanky & the gang at the orphanage run by a mean miser. The truth eventually comes out with a happy ending.

"CHOO CHOO" - Official 'Famous Kids' titles - An early Spank entry, back when he was a little face-punching brat. Children could pick up some bad behaviors watching this, but it is great fun for adults. The gang brings havoc to an overnight train ride.

"NIGHT 'N' GALES " - Official 'Famous Kids' titles (1st time on DVD?) - "Oh, mama..." cries Darla's Dad when Alfalfa, Buckwheat, & Porky come over for a visit with music in their hands. A timeless classic.

The shorts are offered in both Colorized & original B&W restored versions, but switching back & forth while playing the short is not possible. The bonus material is B&W only."

The Best of Spanky are some of the best the Rascals have to

Fred Lamperzi | Springfield, VA | 03/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When you think about the Little Rascals, Alfalfa is probably the first one of the bunch that comes to mind. And unless your only exposure to the group is through Eddie Murphy's parody of Buckwheat on Saturday Night Live, Spanky would probably be second. During his early days, the kid was about as cute as they come, and since he didn't sing off key as much as Alfalfa, he is without a doubt my favorite Rascal.

This collection has five Spanky-centric shorts, and they are presented both in Black and White and in color. The colorized shorts look great, it's fun to see the kids outfits and the sets spring to life in a new manner, especially since lots of the Rascals shorts available on DVD are inferior prints. So to get the quality issue out of the way, rest assured that these episodes look great.

The five shorts included on this disc are:

-Our Gang Follies of 1936 - Spanky directs as the gang puts on a neighborhood variety show. Lots of singing and dancing to go along with the laughs.

-Washee Ironee - While Waldo is forced to practice the violin, Spanky and the rest of the gang manage to play football, have a food fight, have a water fight, play with several kinds of animals including a monkey, and make friends with a local dry cleaner.

-Shrimps for a Day - Spanky wields a hammer quite well in this inventive tale, that involves a magic lamp, an evil caretaker and a wacky adult/child mixup. One of the all time greats, and features a great emsemble cast in addition to Spanky.

-Choo-Choo - An adorable younger Spanky rides the rails. Some great slapstick in this one, and in a fun new setting.

-Night 'n' Gales - The boys have a sleepover after the concert performance. Some classic Little Rascals "mistaken identity" capers ensue when a man dons a bearskin rug. One of the episodes I vividly remember watching as a kid.

The bonus features also all feature Spanky:

-General Spanky Trailer - Trailer for a film starring the man himself. Also featuring Buckwheat and Alfalfa.

-Spanky Home Movies - Some old home movies show a side of the actor not shown on the Little Rascals shows.

-Peck's Bad Boy at the Circus - Rare short featuring an older Spanky frustrating a lion tamer at the circus.

-Spanky Speedo Bike Promo - An old timey ad for a bike that looks "just like a motorcycle"

If you're a fan of Spanky, you won't want to miss this set. There's also a healthy amount of all your other favorite Rascals, and Shrimps for a Day is one of my all time favorites. Compared to most of the other sets I've seen, this quality of this collection is top notch, and the Colorization is great, especially if your kids or grandkids prefer their TV in color."