Roamin Holiday (1937)

Roamin Holiday is getting close to the end of  the Our Gang shorts. The gang which is not my particular favorite line up consists of Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Darla & Porky. In this one reel short the gang decides to run away from home where they can live free of parental law. No more babysitting and for Alfalfa & Spanky especially no more dance lessons.

When the boys hit the road to freedom the come across a bakery where they see an old couple feeding cookies to a dog. They use Pete The Pup for some free cake, cookies, creampuffs and apple pie. Little did they know that the man behind the counter is also the towns constable. He chases after the boy with his trusty shot gun and before the gang can say Oh-Tay they have got stripes thicker then Johnny Cash and they are forced to break rocks behind the mans bakery. The gang makes a run for it and its a lesson learned until the  next escapade. 

While this may not be my favorite years for the rascals I do like the fact that they were so quick and short. By this time The Our Gang shorts were clocking in at about 10 minutes apposed to the early half hour and 20 min. flicks.

Mush And Milk (1933)

This time the gang are Orphans at Bleak Hill and the name suits the place fine. It is ran by a old hag who's face is pretty grotesque and would have worked perfectly in a horror movie. The kids are yelled at constantly, forced to do chores and even threatened to be whipped.

So naturally the Rascals aren't the happiest we have seen them. They spend most of the time complaining and discussing what it will be like when they get out of Bleak Hill. They speak briefly of their parents and yet again Stymie's pappy is in prison.
On the brighter side of things Our Gang does have a friend in the building. A old man looks after them and gives them their education. He also tells them that some day when his money comes in he will get the whole gang out of Bleak Hills and they will live like royalty. Until then the Rascals go on with their harsh days of cleaning, cooking and freezing at night.

Stymie really steals the show in this one and he has some pretty funny bits. The most memorable is a scene where he is attempting to milk a cow. He comes up with the idea to attach a vacuum cleaner hose to the cows utter and suck the milk out. The plan goes well until he accidentally spills the bucket of milk. How will the gang get their Mush And Milk without any milk? No worries Stymie puts together a concoction of plaster and water. Once the gang sits down to eat, the mush solidifies, leaving Stymie dumbfounded.
Of course Spanky has his time in front of the camera. He answers phones, cracks jokes during class and even gives a speech but I really feel that this short goes to Stymie. This rather bleak instalment in the Our Gang series does have a happy ending (sort of). The kids teacher does get his money and he does take the kids away from the awful Bleak Hills. The kids go to the amusement park and then to a fine restaurant. The only problem is, they are served Mush And Milk.

The Kid From Borneo (1933)

Years later this Our Gang short would be removed from the Little Rascals television syndicate due to racism in the content. In this 18 minute talkie Spanky's uncle, known as the black sheep of the family is in town. Spanky's parents fear that he will show up at the house and its obvious that he isn't welcome when dad states if he shows up here "I'll punch his head". Meanwhile a savage from the local circus sideshow has escaped and finds his way to Spanky's house.

The savage comes complete with horns and feathers on his head with a bone through his nose and he has a big appetite. The gang mistakes the brute for Spanky's uncle and believe him to be a cannibal because he runs around yelling "Yum! Yum! Eat Em Up!". The gang has to fend for themselves and they go to war with the cannibal. There are some funny bits while the savage chases the kids throughout the house with a big kitchen knife. Spanky shoots the brute in the ass over and over again with fireworks while the others brake flower pots over his head. Spanky has the best lines in this one, especially in one bit where he tells the cannibal not to eat him. When he asked why not he replies "I wouldn't taste good, my mom says I'm spoiled". The Kid From Borneo does have its share of what most would consider racist today. Mainly bits of dialogue from Stymie. Still I find it ridiculous how sensitive people are with all their politically correct nonsense. These shorts date back to the silent era and this was just how people talked back then. The Our Gang films were not politically correct on any level. You would never see a child being chased around by a cannibal with a kitchen knife today. Does this mean that child protection groups should deam this piece of nostalgia offensive? Of course not!