Fly My Kite

The thing about the Little Rascal/Our Gang shorts was the insanity. Pure and simple. The kids were extraordinary, and the adult leads were either victims of circumstances or villains -- who got their just rewards BIG TIME.

Case in point finds grandma Margaret Mann, about to be thrown into the street by her no good son in law. Mann's career went back to the silent screen and she appeared in many classic films, including GONE WITH THE WIND in a bit part. She was well used by Hollywood producers. Jim Mason plays Dan, the villain, who was also in many dramatic silent and sound films.

This comedy short is a classic, and to its credit quite sentimental and poignant, as rotten to the core Dan schemes to steal security bonds (worth a fortune) from granny. This guy is run through the mill by the kids, both goofy and outrageous. The writers had lots of imagination, including the best gag --dragging Dan across NAILS!

By the way, who else to play Dan's greedy gal pal than cold as ice Mae Busch! Be sure to watch Pete the dog to the rescue!

Doing the math... the $100,000 worth of bonds today (2023) would be worth five million bucks.

Holy smokes. Granny won the super lotto!

Get the dvd box set for posterity.

An OUR GANG Comedy Short. Grandma, the Rascals' sweet old neighbor lady, is being victimized by her scoundrel of a stepson. He wants to seize her property & put her in the county poor house. Most of all, he wants her suddenly very valuable corporate shares, which she believes are worthless. Using them as weights, she ties the papers to the tail of Chubby's kite. When the wicked wastrel tries to steal the kite, the Rascals & Grandma teach him a painful lesson he won't soon forget. `Hey, Mister, do you wanna FLY MY KITE?'

A very funny little film. The Rascals handle the bad guy in a most satisfying manner. That's Margaret Mann as Grandma.

Fly My Kite (1931)

** (out of 4)

This Our Gang short doesn't have too many laughs but there's still a fairly nice story. The gang's favorite grandmother is getting taken advantage of by her evil stepson. He kicks her out of the house she's staying but soon tries to steal some bonds from her, which are worth a lot of money. Again, I really didn't laugh a single time during this short but I enjoyed the story enough to make it worth sitting through and the cast were all pretty good. Margaret Mann is pretty good as the grandmother and Mae Busch, of Laurel and Hardy fame, is nice in her one scene. Chubby, Stymie and Wheezer are all cute enough in the film even though they don't get too many comic moments. The film ends with the gang tracking down the stepson and throwing rocks at him, which was mildly entertaining.

I adore this short. I watched it as a kid, and it's got even better, watching it as an adult.

It's got the lovable "everybody's" grandmother who can first read a scary story to the kids and then don the boxing gloves and duke it out. It's got a son-in-law of pure evil, who would not only steal money from Granny (twice), but also break her glasses on purpose, right before he sends her to the Poor Farm.

But best of all, it's got kids who act like true kids. They return Granny's unconditional love, and also defend her from the dark-suited wraith. The best part for me is when they bite the guy! Because when you're a little kid, you're virtually defenseless against a big adult. And you're always taught to never bite. But when it's all they can do, the kids do it, and it's satisfying because the guy deserves every bit of it.

Also satisfying are the other ways they get even with him. It may seem cruel to drag someone's butt over broken glass and rusty nails, but it's a riot when it happens to this guy. I don't think you could make this sort of thing today and have it be funny. The secret here is that it's so in-your-face that you can't help but laugh. We all think things were so quaint back then, but comedians were just as out there as they are today.

Anyway, I'm sure this film was satisfying to period audiences, with James Mason personifying the depression, and Margaret Mann as the "everyman" Granny who regular folks could identify with. She even says at one point "Burn those papers--let them go up in smoke just like all my dreams and hopes."

The character development is quick, the dramatic build-up pulls you right in (just as you can't believe how mean Mason is, he gets meaner), and then the kids save the day, along with a wonderful contribution from Pete the pup. I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching this short.