Free Wheeling

I recently bought a collection of Little Rascals shorts on DVD for my 3 year old daughter...needless to say she loves these pieces more than anything on TV today...she's memorized many of the lines in them and will quip off at will at any time around the house... This particular episode serves as a sterling example of the Little Rascals at their best...not only the kids but the adult team of McGowan, Roach, and Walker. Their direction and writing are fantastic, and create humor that is enjoyable and timeless... 70 years later we still find ourselves in stitches watching the gang's adventures.

This episode features Dickie Moore and Stymie Beard, along with Spanky, Kendall McComas (Brisbane), and Dorothy (DeBorba)... The premise of the sick rich kid wanting to "rough it up a bit" with the "street urchins" is refreshing to this day...color of skin was no barrier. The taxi contraption is ingenious and hilarious to watch in action. Spanky provides priceless comic relief going up against the poor little monkey. In the end, every issue is resolved and it even seems Dickie's (rich kid) parents view Stymie (street urchin) as a hero! Look for Stymie's real-life mother in a brief cameo...

Could you imagine how much fun it would be if we could watch one of these shorts in a theater before the main attraction (instead of all the commercial advertising)like the old days? Imagine what a treat people who've never heard of this series would be in for!

Another of my personal favorites.Free Wheelin' makes you laugh.Stymie is the voices on the taxi-cab radio,as well as the floating power!Spanky shakes down an organ grinder's monkey for cab fare,and Dickie's stiff neck gets cured!All thanks to a wild down hill ride that provides plenty of excitement!Stymie and Spanky are exceptionally good in this one,as they often were.

I recorded this episode in its entirety on VHS in the 1980's. Many moons and neighborhoods have seen it pass.

As the clock of progress takes us beyond, theatre, broadcast, VHS, DVD, internet, etc.; this masterpiece of comic genius is becoming more scarce than ever.

There was a brief time that you could view it on YouTube Movies in a few chapters. They're gone now and most of what's out there now online are missing the funniest parts. The mule gets drunk drinking rubbing alcohol and his tail points straight up.

Whatever it takes to get this, pursue it passionately. Even if it means buying it on VHS and having it professionally digitized. It's that good!!!!

An OUR GANG Comedy Short. Rich kid Dickie has a stiff neck and his mother insists on treating him like an invalid. After his pal Stymie hears the doctor say that Dickie needs to get out & have some excitement in his life, Stymie takes him for a ride in the Gang's new taxi, which is operated by mule power. But the ornery critter breaks loose - leaving the vehicle without breaks. With a steep hill & dangerous curves ahead, it looks like little Dickie is in for plenty of excitement - now that they're FREE WHEELING.

This is a funny little film with a couple of very cute moments: Dickie & his nurse tricking each other into taking castor oil and Spanky's encounter with a monkey. The taxi itself is quite ingenious and should delight gadget-minded viewers.

I can't speak for other reviewers, but when I first saw this episode as a kid, my first reaction was: "My friends and I need to build a car like this." And hey, it's light years before anyone was serious about sustainable energy vehicles! I wanted to build that same taxi in our driveway. Of course, it didn't take me long to realize that I didn't have the building materials, the donkey, or the know how, to create anything this exceptionally wonderful! Those lucky kids!

It's films like this that define The Little Rascals as kids who got along very well, and race or gender had very little meaning (especially to the children). Child labor laws hadn't quite gone into effect yet. And it would be several more years before PETA stepped in to help protect the rights of the animal actors. But the film stands as it is, representing that particular period of time and should not be taken too seriously.

No spoilers necessary. The film speaks for itself. Although I will reveal that some of the scenes on Mulholland Drive will bring back quite a lot of memories to those of us that grew up in southern California in the 50s and 60s.