General Spanky

I see from some of the other user comments here for "General Spanky" mention of the uncomfortable subplot of Buckwheat a slave who is in search of a master, as well as other parts of the movie glossing over the whole issue concerning slavery. So I don't think it's necessary for me to go into depth blasting the movie for those things when others have already done the job. What I will mention, however, is that the movie is pretty tough going even if you can look beyond the controversial content. I guess I should mention is that I have never gotten into the "Our Gang" shorts, finding the child stars to be poor and annoying actors. So seeing them in a full length movie for me was an excruciating experience. But what really sinks the movie is that the script is a mess. Certainly the humor is really lame, but there is almost no plot, just a bunch of vignettes that are barely connected together. And while the movie is just 71 minutes long, it moves at a snail's pace. If you are looking for a Civil War comedy involving a general, watch the Buster Keaton movie "The General" instead.

The Our Gang series of shorts took place in more urban settings, and there were few overtly racist moments in those shorts - all the kids were playing together, in the same spaces, going in and out of the same doors, in and out of each other's homes, and no reference made to segregation or Jim Crow, etc. There was stereotyping, for sure - the black American kids, the Italian kids, the Asian kids, the fat kids, etc. But the lack of those overt racist moments is probably why these shorts have translated well enough for modern viewing.

But this full-length feature throws all that out the window: here is a story set in the South and presenting enslaved black Americans as happy, sweet simpletons, treated wonderfully by their owners. It's not "Birth of a Nation" bad - more "Song of the South" bad. There's even a conversation 10 minutes into the movie between two slave owners, bragging at how well fed and cared for their slaves are. Buckwheat, here an enslaved child, overhears the violence these owners say they would do on a re-captured runaway slave, and as he is run-away, he is terrified. It's supposed to be a funny moment - but to any halfway caring human being, knowing what really did happen to re-captured run- away slaves, the incredible violence and humiliation that was all too real, it's painful now to watch this scene, to watch this reality made light of. It would be like watching an old movie making fun of the Holocaust. Lots of other cringe-worthy moments as well, like Spanky proudly proving he's a "Southern Gentleman" to Alfalfa by showing off "his" slave, smiling happy Buckwheat.

So, why did I give it a 7? Because it is a PERFECT example of how, 70 years after the Civil War - and beyond - the myths of the happy slave, the genteel white slave owner, the "noble" and brave fighters for the Southern "cause" and the boorish, cowardly Northerners was/is perpetuated in the USA, this time with the overwhelming cuteness and charm of Spanky and Buckwheat, probably the two most popular members of the Little Rascals (they were always my favorites).

Spanky and his friends all decide to play army as the country is embroiled in war. His friends designate him their general and he leads them on a rather funny encounter with real Union troops! In addition, they help a nice Southern officer escape a hanging--a hanging orchestrated by a total jerk.

It's not hard to believe that Hal Roach Studios decided to give little Spanky from the Our Gang comedies his own feature film. After all, for his age, he was a dandy actor...and cute as a button. However, in hindsight, their choice of material was a bit on the grotesque side. It's not that setting the story in the South during the Civil War was necessarily a bad thing, but the whole slavery issue is very weird when you see it today. After all, in this film you see lots of black slaves standing about and singing for joy, as they apparently love their lot in life!! And, when Buckwheat (who is a runaway slave) begins to cry because he wants to have a master, too, it's just too much! If it weren't so evil, it would be comical. It's sad. Because without the racial insensitivity, the film is very good. The kids in the film are all good actors and Buckwheat really is quite adorable and effective in the film.

Rather surreal...that's for sure.

When I first saw this obscure film--the ONLY feature of the Our Gang kids--I was expecting a feature-length version of one of their shorts, so naturally I was quite unhappy with GENERAL SPANKY. Watching it again after many years, I find it more strange than unsatisfying. There are a lot of excellent elements in the film, yet other parts of the film are cringe-inducing or surreal. Producer Hal Roach managed to take Laurel and Hardy from the world of comedy shorts to the world of features with great success, so it's not surprising that he would want to take the Our Gang kids from shorts to features. My only question is...why a Civil War vehicle, with Buckwheat as a slave! The box of the MGM/UA video states the Roach was inspired by the success of Shirley Temple in THE LITTLE COLONEL to cast Spanky, Buckwheat, and Alfalfa in an "Old South" setting, but Our Gang's brand of comedy is much different from Shirley Temple's. Interestingly, Hal Roach returned to the "Old South" setting a few years later, when he teamed Oliver Hardy with Harry Langdon (Stan Laurel refusing to re-sign his contract with Roach) in ZENOBIA, another strange film. Perhaps Roach was inspired to cash in on the GONE WITH THE WIND phenomenon with ZENOBIA? Since Mr. Roach was from New York State, it's interesting that he would buy into the "romantic Old South" mythology. In any event, as I said above, there are some excellent elements in this film. Buckwheat Thomas and Spanky McFarland are fantastic, charismatic performers who can easily carry a feature film on their own. Buckwheat, in particular, is quite moving, when he is looking at a birthday cake while incredibly hungry, and since he's never seen a birthday cake before, he thinks the cake is on fire, and because he is hungry, he starts to cry. The underrated Phillips Holmes (best known for the 1931 adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's AN American TRAGEDY), who reminds me somewhat of Onslow Stevens, is quite impressive as Marsh Valient, the Southern Gentlemen who takes in Spanky and Buckwheat. Holmes' scene with Spanky where the two of them discuss the nature of war was quite moving and still has a necessary message today (it reminds me of Oliver Hardy's speech on racial equality in ZENOBIA). Ralph Morgan turns on his gruff charm as the Union general who refers to Spanky as "General" and treats him as a peer throughout the film--the effect is somewhat surreal. Irving Pichel is superb as the arrogant and sleazy Union officer Simmons. On the whole, however, GENERAL SPANKY is such a strange experience, I don't really know what to make of it. Any serious Our Gang fan should see it, and people attracted to weird cinematic misfires might find it interesting also. It's still available cheaply from its early 90's VHS release. I've never been much of a fan of Alfalfa, and fortunately he doesn't appear in the film until half way through, and soon after he does his patented "off key singing" routine. It has not gotten any better with age. Fortunately, the film belongs to Spanky and Buckwheat, and they do a great job.

The film starts with promise because there is more interaction between Spanky and Buckwheat, but as the film progresses, the two boys have fewer scenes together. This slows the pace considerably. Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas gives a very strong performance in his early scenes. When he is left behind on the riverboat, his fear and abandonment are palpable and his tears are truly heartbreaking. When he goes from man to man asking for help and is repeatedly rejected the viewer really begins to wonder if this is a comedy or not. Watching a children's birthday party through a picket fence is another moving moment. As another reviewer mentioned, I was also worried about the big dog choking on chicken bones! Once Spanky and Buckwheat are in Marshall Valiant's home, Spanky tends to interact mainly with the adults and the chemistry of the children is essentially lost.

The Old South/Huck Finn-type setting really doesn't do much for the plot except allow the children to be out of doors a great deal. Ralph Morgan is the most engaging adult, but then the other roles really don't have much substance to them. Louise Beavers manages some funny moments with a Yankee soldier towards the end.

The villains aren't really villainous enough and the lovers not intense enough. Yet, I do think it's worth viewing if you're an Our Gang enthusiast, if for no other reason that the odd curiosity of the whole piece. I give it seven stars because, while not a great movie, it kept me engaged the whole time and curious as to what would happen next.