Search - The Little Rascals: Superstars of Our Gang on DVD

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

A classic for the whole family!

Little Rascals - Still making this reviewer laugh

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

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Watching Little Rascals (Our Gang) reruns are among my earliest TV Memories, and I'm delighted to say that they still hold up to this day. The Rascals had a style all their own, that is missing from childrens programming these days. Watching them now, they engage in antics and mischief that at times, makes all the hubbub about Bart Simpson being rebellious seem tame.

The best thing about collecting Rascal episodes now on DVD is that I can share them with my family, who fortunately happens to like them just as much as I do. The great colorization on these recent releases just makes it even easier, and it's always neat to see the bonus features, which contain things that in some cases, haven't been seen since they were originally aired.

This "Superstars of Our Gang" collection features



School's Out - There's a new teacher in town, but the class she's assigned to teach isn't quite what she expected. It's fun to see the class respond to her questions about history with some modern (for the time) pop culture references.

Free Wheeling - Dickie's sick, and the Rascals know how to fix that: Add in a drinking donkey and a wild monkey into the mix. One of my favorites.

For Pete's Sake - Pete gets dognapped, but gets his revenge on the evildoers and their antique shop, (and even an early Mickey Mouse doll!)

Divot Diggers - Combine Alfalfa, Buckwheat AND Spanky, along with the kids playing a round of golf, and you've got another one of my favorite classic episodes. I enjoyed seeing golf lampooned Rascals style, the uptight golfers are an ideal foil for our boys.

Waldo's Last Stand - As their lemonade stand flounders, the kids start up an entire restaurant complete with a floor show to try to boost sales. As a later episode, it's fun to see how the kids grow up as the show went on.

As you can see, there's a lot to take in from these five shorts. A variety of schemes, mischief and animal action, with a rotating cast of all your favorite Rascals. The bonus materials include:

-Jackie Cooper Go Kart Race - A comedic news report showing Little Rascal Jackie Cooper road racing with the Mark Brothers on a Hollywood backlot.

-Old and New Rascals - The first "Gang" from the movies of the 20's, meets with Spanky and the late 30's iteration. Fun to see how the kids turned out.

-Little Rascals Varieties - Trailer for the gangs full length movie

-Alfalfa on the Roy Rogers Show - A grown up Alfalfa guest stars on the Roy Rogers show.

All the shorts are presented in their original B & W as well as in a great colorization job. The bonus features are all in B & W and provide both entertainment value and a historical context for the shorts. The whole package is an entertaining and affordable one, and I highly recommend it to anyone confused by the myriad of Little Rascals material available on DVD."

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 four stars because all of these have already appeared on DVD, restored from 35mm, so there is little new here.

It seems that kids don't like to watch B&W movies, so lets COLORIZE The Little Rascals/Our Gang! But purists can also watch them in their original B&W, which is good since the colorization looks cartoony & unnatural.

If you don't have the old CABIN FEVER DVDs you may want to build up your Little Rascals collection with these. Hallmark seems to be taking their time releasing their DVDs.

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

SUPERSTARS OF OUR GANG has
The Jackie Cooper go-cart race with The Marx Brothers,
Our Gang old & new FOX Movietone Newsreel clip from about 1936, probably during the filming of 'Reunion In Rythm'.
"Little Rascals Follies" preview trailer from the 1950's Allied Artists re-issue.
Clip of Alfalfa's appearance on "The Roy Rogers Show".

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.

SUPERSTARS OF OUR GANG
"SCHOOL'S OUT" - MGM Our Gang titles minus the roaring lion. This was one of my favorites as a kid, but it has trouble holding up today. Basically the teacher Miss Crabtree would be in jail for what she does.
1) When Joe Cobb says he can't sit down in the car because his father gave him a wipping with the shaving belt, Miss Crabtree just laughs. Today she would have to report this child abuse.
2) Since Joe can not sit down, Miss Crabtree allows him to hang on to the side of the car as she drives to the schoolhouse. What state would allow this today? The police would certainly stop her for this.
3) During school recess, Miss Crabtree leaves the children at the schoolhouse, unsupervised, while she goes into town. Allowing a stranger to enter the schoolhouse and ask the kids about her. Imagine the lawsuite this would bring today. This would be child endangerment and she would be out of a job.
4) There are also the usual black jokes prevelent at this time. Farina talks of how his mom keeps marrying men so much that it has gotten to be a habit.
Times have changed alot since this short was made, and it is most evident in this one. You can enjoy it if you remember that this is not happening now. It took place over 75 years ago when life was a bit more simpler, safer, cars did not travel very fast, and wippings were more standard with families that remembered the ways of 'the old country' they came from.

"FREE WHEELIN'" - Official 'Famous Kids' titles - Stymie runs a TAXI service with Spanky as his #1 rider. They try to help a sick rich kid with a stiff neck, who just seems to be sick of being a shut-in rich kid.

"FOR PETE'S SAKE" - Interstate Television titles (the title card looks like 16mm, but the credits & short are 35mm)- The Gang tries to raise money to buy a little girl a doll. After some comic failures they try trading Pete the Pup to the store owner for the doll.

"DIVOT DIGGERS" - Allied Artists titles - The gang invades a golf course. This timeless tale is as funny today as it was 75 years ago. Possibly the best in this set.

"WALDO'S LAST STAND" (only non-Roach comedy here) - MGM Our Gang titles minus the roaring lion. Made after Hal Roach sold the series to MGM, this is more of a musical comedy with polished acting. Still enjoyable, and an example of how the series turned out.

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."