The Fourth Alarm

Fourth Alarm, The (1926)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Flat Our Gang short has the kids playing with firemen when the real pros are called away to fight a fire. While they're gone another fire breaks out and the kids are able to put it out by themselves so the fire chief makes them honorary firemen. Sure enough, it doesn't take long for another fire to break out and the Gang ends up causing more trouble. I must admit that THE FOURTH ALARM is probably the worst of the Our Gang silents that I've seen. I found the film to be incredibly hard to sit through and especially during the first ten minutes when there's not a single laugh to be had. There doesn't even appear to have been any attempt for a laugh to happen as all we get are scenes of the kids playing in water and eventually fighting a fire. None of the action here is all that memorable and even when the fire stuff does start it just isn't funny at all. It seems like without Mickey Daniels they were struggling to see who should carry the films. Joe and Farina get most of the action and Mary is here a tad bit more but they haven't too much to do.

Though not the best of the bunch, The Fourth Alarm is definitely a cute later silent era Our Gang comedy.

THE FOURTH ALARM starts off with the kids having their Coney Island, built by the fire chief, but when he and the fire department get called off to a fire, the gang must put out a fire that has just started in a nearby home. After successfully putting out the fire by themselves, they get made honorary firemen. After building their own firehouse, a real fire starts in town. Once there, the real fire department tells them to stay where its safe, but that doesn't stop the gang from saving the day!

"The Fourth Alarm" is one of a fraction of the silent Little Rascals comedies that exist today. And, oddly, it's not part of the huge mega-DVD set that was released a few years ago. It, and a few other silent installments are available for free download at archive.org.

The theme of the kids wanting to be firemen is not unique to "The Fourth Alarm". I've seen at least a couple later shorts with this theme and perhaps there were a some before this one. Regardless, after putting out a dangerous fire, the boys are told by the chief that they are his helpers--and soon the boys build their own firehouse--complete with so many of the cute gadgets that you'd expect from these films. Eventually, a real and deadly fire breaks out and the kids mistakenly think they can handle it! What's next? See the film.

Well done throughout. Perhaps it has a few less laughs than usual but it's more than made up for by the wonderful firehouse and their hilarious fire engines. Well worth your time.