Our Gang

I find it somewhat odd that no one has seen the old silent versions of "Our Gang," and that it is supposed to be lost except for fragments. In the 1960's there was a series for children called "The Mischief Makers." This was a syndicated series featuring the silent "Our Gang" movies with an added sound track of Wurlitzer organ music and child commentators who were a boy and a girl, "Bobby and Bonnie." I used to see it as a child on L.A.'s Channel 9 in about the years 1964-65. There is currently on U-Tube a clip of the animated opening and closing of the program produced by Gene Deitch in 1960. Now I have heard that some silent comedies that were put on TV as similar series in the '60's had mostly clips that were used and that the dastardly editors of the time would destroy the rest of the silent film. I hope this is not the case with Our Gang/The Mischief Makers. But I do remember the series and the characters well.

I'd just like to comment that THERE NEVER WAS A FRECKLES ON OUR GANG!!! I have the book and it states clearly that there was never a Freckles. But other than that I loved the Little Rascals and I own 21 volumes of their movies. I also have some of the rare old silent Little Rascals and they are the best! Kudos to Hal Roach and the rest of the gang for bringing entertainment to my home!

Anna Mae Bilson did NOT play the widow in this film. She played "Mary Jane," the widow's daughter. This was filmed in 1922. In 1921, she played "Dolly," or as listed here at IMDb,"the girl" in Harold Lloyd's "Now Or Never." You don't play a 4-year old one year and a widow the next year. That makes no sense. I have seen both films (at least what has been found of "Our Gang") and it is without a doubt the same girl. Besides having blonde hair, Anna Mae Bilson bears no resemblance to Mary Kornman. Mary Kornman was NOT in this film. Only about half of this film has been discovered, and it would be great if the rest would turn up somewhere so we can view the complete film, as viewed in 1922.

According to IMDB, this first Our Gang comedy (appropriately named "Our Gang") is a lost film. Well, you should tell YouTube that, as it IS posted there and I just saw it.

The first portion has little to do with the final portion...and the final portion of the film is best.

It begins with Jimmy trying to impress Flora (in the credits they are listed as Jackie and Mary Jane). The credits say Jimmy is 6...he looks about 10. Regardless, this is an inoffensive but relatively dull portion of the movie. What IS interesting is when a nice shopkeeper finds herself being put out of business by a grouchy man. The kids like her and decide to help...and their mule and horse help as well. This part is loaded with laughs and made me smile.

Aside from a continuity problem towards the end when the grouch loses his coat to a dog and it suddenly appears on him seconds later, this is a lovely and fun outing....and, had it not been, perhaps it would have been the first AND last Our Gang film!

After reading the review in Leonard Maltin and Richard Bann's 1992 "Little Rascals" book of this very first "Our Gang" film, I can only hope someone will locate and restore the film, and ultimately put it on DVD. It sounds like "Our Gang" at its best and funniest (I wonder what that surviving fragment of "Our Gang" Maltin and Bann cited was like?). For that matter, it would be nice to see some of these early silents, period, since some of them were the "blueprints" for the more commonly seen (sound) episodes. I wonder what kind of "show" the kids and their pets put on to win the widow's much-needed business? Maybe a makeshift circus?....