The Kid from Borneo

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.

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 one is as un-PC as they come, but it is quite possibly the funniest Little Rascals short ever made. The kids mistake "the Wild Man from Borneo" for "Uncle George" and some of the lines and actions that follow are priceless. Spanky is the main Rascal in this one, but Stymie has the funniest bits. This would never be made today and I am surprised that it was made back then. A black man chasing white kids with a large knife seems odd for the time even though it was a comedy setting and we are told up front that the wild man wouldn't hurt a fly. What is so refreshing about this and other Little Rascal shorts is how innocent the kids seem. A far cry from the wise cracking kids today who always outsmart the adults. Do not miss this one.

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.

I remember seeing the original Our Gang Comedies (the silent films) on television in the Fifties. Joe Cobb, the little fat kid, was the leader at that time just as Spanky MacFarland became in the Thirties. Mary Kornman was a pretty little blonde girl who preceded Darla Hood as the sweetheart of the gang. Freckled faced Mickey Daniels was Alfalfa's predecessor and Farina was the only black child in the gang. Later would come Stymie and Buckwheat. The gang used to build soap box derby cars that would actually run and they had their own clubhouse. I think it was the inventiveness of the kids that actually appealed to the kids in the Fifties. How many of them had actually built a soapbox car with wheels that they took off the Irish Mail (Say What, it was an early scooter) or their sister's baby carriage. If their father was watching with them, perhaps he would recall building something like this as kids did back then. They had tree houses or club houses with signs that said "No Girls Allowed." Remember the Women Haters Club that Spanky started and Alfalfa couldn't join because Darla talked him out of it. That is what made the series cute and entertaining. The politically correct critics always look at everything in a modern sense. The stereotype was not meant to be mean, just a reflection of the times.