"Bear Shooters," an "Our Gang" film from early 1930, contains many tried and true comedy elements from the series. The film is also notable for featuring a one-shot character, never to be seen again.
The Gang endeavor to go on a bear hunt. The have guns and weapons of various sizes, shapes, and accuracy! They go in their wagon of questionable stability to a creek. They stumble across a bootlegger's territory; the bootleggers decide to put a scare into the kids. Will the bootleggers be successful, or will the Gang have the last word?
"Bear Shooters" is a middling early talkie in the "Our Gang" series. The film contains enough laughs to see it through, but the plodding of early talkies such as this makes the film somewhat difficult to watch. Fortunately, with the previous release of "When the Wind Blows," the Hal Roach studio began to use background music in the films, which helped to move the films along. Before long, the background music became almost as famous as the films (particularly in this series, and in Roach's "Laurel and Hardy" films). Music is present here, and it does help.
Curiously, Leon Janney is added to the Gang as "Spud," and takes the lead in this film. This is Janney's only appearance in the series; he's good, but his character certainly doesn't add much, and the fact that Janney was thirteen when he made this film also added to his one-shot appearance.
"Bear Shooters" is a pleasant but unimportant entry in the series. 6 out of 10.
