Shootin' Injuns

Buckwheat can still make you cringe almost a century later. Same with Farina.

This short was the worst of the worst. A racist epithet for its title. Kids fantasizing about who could kill the most of anyone of one ethnic group they've all been taught to hate.

Shootin' Injuns (1925)

*** (out of 4)

If you can overlook all the politically incorrect "comedy" then you should find yourself enjoying this Our Gang short. The kids are in their clubhouse pretending to be various "legends" of the West and they all talk about how great it would be to kill Indians. When their parents find out the kids decide to runaway but they only make it to a house down the street as they find themselves inside and it appears to be haunted. This isn't the greatest short in the world but I think it has enough charm and laughs to make it worth viewing. I've said a couple times that I felt this was a fairly weak series but there are some gems to be found and this here is one of them. I'm sure many people won't be able to be entertained by this thing due to the politically incorrect nature but I always say it's important to remember when these films were made. With that said, the first half offers up some funny gags including poor Farina not being able to find out where the new clubhouse is. The film really comes to life during the second half once the kids enter the house, which they think is haunted but it's actually just rigged for an amusement park. Here is where we get all sorts of wonderful gags including a sequence where Farina tries to runaway from a skeleton but can't move as well as another one where poor Joe keeps going through a trick door. The film also features some trick shots where various skeletons come to life and the effect works pretty good. This short certainly has a lot of imagination in it, which is something other films in the series could have used.