The Kid from Borneo

For me the "Our Gang" shorts of this era were far superior to "Little Rascals" MGM episodes of the late 30's & early 40's. "The Kid From Borneo" AKA-Uncle George, who Spanky's father referenced as "the black sheep of the family" is an absolutely hysterical episode, as Spanky and Dicky are mistakenly convinced that Bumbo, the wild man of the circus, is indeed their uncle!

Spanky McFarland was, hands down, the best kid comedic actor of all time. His scene with Bumbo in the kitchen, when Spanky is offering food from the icebox to Bumbo (which includes eggs, shell & all, tabasco, vinegar, wine, a hunk of bolongna and about 2 dozen wienies) is priceless Bumbo continues to shove it in, to Spanky's amazement. A wonderful chase scene throughout the house, Stymie as always is a riot as a drunken Bumbo chases the kids with a knife, yelling "yum, yum, eat em up!" Throw in the rest of the gang, plus Petey the Pup and the wonderful musical score they had in the episodes from this period and this might be the funniest episode in the series! Totally un-PC!!!

Millions of children howled with delight when they saw this film on television in the 50's, and its just as funny today! Although there is arguably a subtle anti-miscegenation message here-what would happen if white children actually had a black uncle?-you must understand that sex, not race, was the taboo topic then, and 1930's audiences would have thought this perfectly appropriate comic fare, but would have been shocked and offended by what we would regard as the mildest of sexual innuendo found in current comedies! Children, however, are impressed by the madcap frenetic pace of the film, and the musical score that matches the action so perfectly-it is a work of true artistry in this regard. Most of the best Our Gang comedies have a racial theme-check out "Little Sinner" or"A Lad and a Lamp", for example. The comedy is nonetheless excellent-it's a marvel that they did so well on such a small budget. Anyone who can't appreciate these films is wound a little too tightly.

This Hal Roach comedy short, The Kid from Borneo, is the one hundred twenty-second in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the thirty-fourth talkie. In this one, the uncle of Spanky, Dickie, and Dorothy is supposed to come to town with a traveling sideshow. The mother is anxious to see him again but the father, not so much. The gang ends up going to the place the show's at but they miss him and sees this child-like man who loves candy but is mistaken for Spanky's uncle and also a cannibal...Okay, the fact that the "uncle" is black and primitive in characterization may give one pause watching today but otherwise, this was one of the most hilarious shorts in the series yet especially when Spanky and Stymie are involved! So on that note, I highly recommend The Kid from Borneo. P.S. This was Tommy Bond's second appearance in the series but the first in which he has lines.

If given the difficult task of choosing the very best of the Our Gang comedies "The Kid from Borneo" would certainly be in the running. In this short, Dickie, Dorothy, and Spanky mistake a wild-man from Borneo for their uncle George. This wild-man has a taste for candy, so when he sees Stymie snacking on candy he pursues the gang, shouting "Yum yum, eat 'em up" the whole way. Of course the gang thinks he wants to eat them. The highlight of this film has to be Spanky's kitchen encounter with the wild-man. The scene is proof that Spanky was a child actor of amazing comic ability. Some of his reactions are so subtle yet hilarious you would think he had spent years studying the great comic actors of the time.

I can only assume this short's popularity has something to do with its political incorrectness; in itself it's rather lame. How funny is it really to see a grunting halfwit running around in circles after a bunch of little kids? The film does have its moments, especially with Spanky and Bumbo in the kitchen, but overall it reminded me a lot of that standard childhood nightmare of being chased by a gorilla, except not as exciting. I pass on this one.