The First Seven Years

With this film, Jackie Cooper emerges as the leader of the Gang. He is in love with Mary Ann, but is challenged by Donald Haines for her affections. Mary Ann suggests a duel. The two boys don armor made of assorted tin scraps and birdcages. Ultimately they end up stabbing everyone in the Gang with their swords!

"The First Seven Years" establishes the story line that would permeate the series for the next year. Jackie is the leader, he loves Mary Ann, and has to put up with his brother, Wheezer.

An early talkie bright spot in the series. 8 out of 10.

First Seven Years, The (1930)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Jackie gets a crush on Mary Ann but just as he's about to win her another guy comes along wanting to take her out. Mary Ann recommends that the two have a duel and the winner can have her. This is a step up from some of the previous shorts but I'd say this here is more cute than anything else. Jackie Cooper does a very good job in his role and really sells his character with some funny sequences including the advice he gets from Edgar Kennedy. Mary Ann also comes off quite cute here with Chubby and Farina getting some nice scenes as well. The actual duel when the kids are tearing up everything in the yard is handled quite well and manges to get quite a few laughs. Pete the dog might have the best sequence and that happens after being hit with a sword he must walk backwards to sit in some water. It's easy to see how this effect is done but it still works fine.

In Jackie's fifth outing as a rascal,he's in love and wants Mary Ann to be his girl.He must first endure Wheezer's teasing,seeing the other kids with their "wives",and bad advice from Kennedy the cop.After Kennedy tells him to be a caveman,Jackie tells Mary Ann she's his girl and that's that!Only to have her throw him to the ground and clobber him good!Later as the smooth Speck tries to move in,Mary convinces them to duel for her!The duel scenes are funny and the neighborhood laundry takes a beating!Jackie becomes the hero by throwing down his sword and defeating Speck with his fists!When Speck's father gets involved,Jackie's granny takes care of him!Proving,that while Jackie maybe the new boss of the neighborhood,the guys definitely shouldn't tangle with Mary Ann or Granny!Goodhearted fun!

This Hal Roach comedy short, The First Seven Years, is the ninety-sixth in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the eighth talkie. Jackie is in love with Mary Ann and seeks advice from the neighborhood cop, Edgar Kennedy. This policeman suggests he grab her like a caveman, which doesn't work out. When he then suggests he dress nicely, he does but finds Speck taking her for a ride in his toy car. Mary suggests a challenge to a duel since she's been reading a story of one such thing. Jackie procrastinates but eventually agrees which results in quite a mess of laundry hanging around! This was perhaps the first real good talkie of an Our Gang short and also Jackie Cooper's initial real showcase which was real good for him. Many funny lines and gags abounded with Jackie's grandma a real hoot here. So on that note, I highly recommend The First Seven Years. P.S. Jackie Cooper later revealed he really had a big crush on Mary Ann Jackson when they were kids. When Ms. Jackson herself was told this by Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann in 1990, she laughed and was flattered especially since their families socialized away off the studio during that time.

THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS wouldn't have worked as well with a musical score. Though the background silence is probably a sound equipment problem fluke rather than an artistic decision, it gives the illusion the onscreen events are actually happening. This might not have worked with most Rascal pictures, but it complements FIRST's natural, leisurely tone, with Jackie and his friends seeming more than ever like everyday kids. The story is interesting though, unlike certain OUR GANG sequences where it seems they probably did film whatever might be happening at the moment (and then forgot to edit it). I wish they'd tried this kind of thing more often.