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The Little Rascals Volume 4

Blu ray – The ClassicFlix Restorations

ClassicFlix

1933, ’34, ’35,/ 1.37:1 / 218 Min.

Starring George McFarland, Dorothy DeBorba, Dickie Moore

Written by H.W. Walker

Directed by Robert F. McGowan, Gus Meins

Often dismissed for their old-fashioned ways, classic films should be applauded for those very qualities. For better—and sometimes for a lot worse—movies operate as de facto documentaries of their generation, and none more so than the string of depression-era comedies produced under the most un-comical circumstances. Those two-reelers featured bankable stars at center stage but lingering on the sidelines were the dime a dozen extras who came to California looking for work and found it in, of all places, Hollywood. Brutalized by their circumstances, these migrants would not have been out of place in a Walker Evans photograph—instead those careworn faces would be documented by the likes of Mack Sennett and Hal Roach. One of Roach...

Vintage ’30s comedy returns, with a beautiful blonde, a sassy brunette and elaborate location filming in a bygone Los Angeles. Hal Roach found a good match for his ‘female Laurel & Hardy’ comedy team in gorgeous Thelma Todd and the smart-mouthed Patsy Kelly.

The Complete Hal Roach Thelma Todd Patsy Kelly Comedy Collection

DVD

1933-1936 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 445 min. / Silver Series / Street Date June 26 2018, 2018 / available through Classic Flix / 39.99

Starring: Thelma Todd & Patsy Kelly.

Produced by Hal Roach

Directed by Gus Meins, William Terhune, James Parrott, Nick Grinde, others

Hal Roach made the movie game pay big even back in the ‘teens, when Los Angeles used zoning laws to force moviemakers away from downtown, into the remote ‘suburbs’ of Hollywood and Culver City. Taking a choice piece of Culver City real estate, Hal built a veritable empire of comedy, mostly with short subjects. He helped launch the great Harold Lloyd, invented and...

Have you ever wondered what are the films that inspire the next generation of visionary filmmakers? As part of our monthly Ioncinephile profile (read here), we ask the filmmaker the incredibly arduous task of identifying their top ten list of favorite films. Sean Baker (Four Letter Words (’00), Take Out (’04), Prince of Broadway (’08) and the just released Starlet), provided us with his all time top ten film list (dated: November 2012).

Babes in Toyland (aka March of Wooden Soldiers) – Gus Meins, Charley Rogers (1932)

“Gus Meins and Charley Rogers’ masterpiece. The comedic timing and images have passed the test of time… that poor monkey playing a bastard Mickey Mouse. And even in this age of advanced make-up and computer effects, show a child that Bogeymen sequence and I guarantee there will be nightmares.“

Bad Lieutenant – Abel Ferrara (1990)

“Ferrara’s masterpiece. I love NYC films and this truly captured the city’s vibe of the late 80′s,...

Oncinema.com’s Ioncinephile of the Month feature focuses on an emerging filmmaker from the world of cinema. This November, we feature Sean Baker, an independent filmmaker whose fourth film, Starlet premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, then continued onwards to Locarno, BFI London and most recently AFI Film Fest before being released theatrically via Music Box Films on Friday November 9th. Below is our follow-up interview where we learn more about Baker’s process and about the films that have influenced the filmmaker. Here’s Sean Baker’s personal Top Ten films of all time.

Eric Lavallee: During your childhood…what films were important to you?

Sean Baker: When I was in first grade, my mother brought me to the local library where they were screening selected scenes from the Universal monster films on 16mm. I remember watching the burning windmill sequence from James Whale’s...

25 Days Of Christmas: Television Specials and Holiday Films

Throughout the month of December, TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Film Editor Ricky D will review classic Christmas adaptions, posting a total of 13 each, one a day, until the 25th of December.

The catch: They will swap roles as Rick will take on reviews of classic television Christmas specials and Kate will take on Christmas movies. Today is day 2.

Day 2: Babes in Toyland/March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934)

Written by Frank Butler and Nick Grinde

Directed by Gus Meins and Charley Rogers

What’s it about?

This Laurel and Hardy musical, originally titled Babes in Toyland but later retitled March of the Wooden Soldiers, follows the misadventures of several of the residents of Toyland. Mother Peep, the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe, is about to be evicted by the evil Silas Barnaby, who is scheming to coerce the beautiful Bo-Peep into marrying him,...

Happy Thanksgiving! With a little help from the Tribeca staff, we've pulled together some must-see movies for your long weekend with the family. Please chime in with your own suggestions in the comments below! First, we're kicking things off with an oldie-but-goodie. We figure not many of you remember this commercial, which aired during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2001, and stars one of fearless leaders. Gobble, gobble! Next up, some movie suggestions: Babes in Toyland Dir. Gus Meins, Charley Rogers, 1934 For some reason, my family has always watched March of the Wooden Soldiers on Thanksgiving - aka, apparently, Babes in Toyland. Why? I have no clue. I think it's just one of those movies they play constantly on holiday weekends, and we just grew accustomed to it. It's pretty bizarre: black and white, from 1934, with Laurel and Hardy as toymakers, lots of nursery rhyme characters, and monsters in ...