Many viewers who grew up watching The Little Rascals are often surprised to learn it was based on the classic Our Gang shorts. These short films recounted the adventures of various poor neighborhood children, created by Hal Roach. Though some jokes and stories can be dated, the shorts have also been praised for featuring children of color among the gang.
Fans of the film might be surprised to learn that many jokes and sequences from the film were direct references to scenes from the classic shorts. Some viewers have even described the movie as if it were woven together from a few of the classic shorts. A few of the classic characters naturally appear, though sometimes they seem to have different names than the ones in the movie. There are also a few ladies that befriend the gang that would make racing star A.J. Ferguson proud.
15 Helping Grandma (1931)
Helping Grandma stars “Grandma,” an elderly woman that the gang has adopted as their grandmother of sorts, Mrs. Margaret Mack. They help her run her small grocery store and they love each other despite not actually being related. Two different buyers take an interest in the store: a chain store that plans on giving “Grandma” a good deal and a con artist that plans on cheating her. However, the gang assume both potential buyers are cheats.
The Rascals Are Good For Business
The comedy of errors ends up working in Grandma’s favor. Thanks to the kids, the chain store keeps increasing its offer. Grandma also learns about the swindler’s true colors when he mistreats the children. While the story is a heartwarming one, it’s a gag that saves the day, with the cheat losing out on the deal when Granma signs the wrong paper. Grandma also proves to be as tough as her little friends, giving the villain a well-deserved punch when everything comes to light.
Notably, the short also was an influence on the 1994 film’s sequel, The Little Rascals Save the Day, which featured Doris Roberts as “Grandma.”
14 Baby Brother (1927)
Baby Brother revolves around Joe, portrayed as a poor little rich boy who wants a baby brother. While meeting with the poor kids of the neighborhood, he meets a variety of the gang’s little brothers, including one that knows how to play craps. After asking for one just leads to embarrassing situations, Joe teams up with Farina to get the little brother he wishes for.
“Every Member Has a Baby Brother – Unbreakable and Unwashable.”
Eventually, Farina arranges for Joe to take in a baby named Nasturtium. While the story has some dated humor, Joe still happily accepts little Nasturtium after he calls him “papa.”
Of course, Nasturtium is ultimately returned to his mother, with the story ending on a more comedic note. Joe’s father satiates him with a surprise, setting up that his parents will have another baby after all, though it turns out he’s getting a pony for Christmas. The short is also notable for marking the first appearance of Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, playing Horatio.
13 Shivering Shakespeare (1930)
In Shivering Shakespeare, the culturally-minded Funston Evergreen Kennedy, a member of high society and the wife of Officer Kennedy, forms the Golden Age Dramatic League with the local kids. Mrs. Kennedy stages a production of “Quo Vadis,” or “The Gladiator’s Dilemma,” teaching the kids their lines while her husband takes care of the effects and adult parts.
The Little Rascals Put On a Show
Of course, the production is a little too avant-garde for the kids, who keep messing up their lines. While the parents are happy to watch their kids on stage, some kids who get kicked out start trouble by throwing eggs on stage. Eventually, this ends with pies being thrown between both on and off the stage. Ultimately, it’s Mrs. Kennedy who ends up the biggest target while trying to resolve the whole debacle.
12 Pups Is Pups (1930)
Pups Is Pups is the 100th Our Gang short released and has a story revolving around the gang’s four-legged friends. Wheezer tries to find his missing puppies while the rest of the gang sneak into a fancy dog show. The kids bring in all sorts of animals, like mice, frogs, and a pig, causing trouble. Meanwhile, Wheezer’s only clue to finding his puppies is the sound of a bell, which they recognize as a sign it’s dinner time.
A Boy & His Dogs
As is often the case in stories, it’s when the kids have given up hope does the happy ending reveal itself. When poor little Wheezer has given up hope and thinks he’s lost his puppies for good, a ringing church bell gets them running right to him, effectively bringing about a happy reunion with a borderline deus ex machina.
11 Mama’s Little Pirate (1934)
Mama’s Little Pirate is a more fantastic story from the Our Gang series. During breakfast, Spanky hears about treasure found at a local cave. When his mother catches him looking for a flashlight, she forbids him from looking and confines him to his room. While there, his “inner self” tries to convince him to search for treasure with the other kids.
“That Boy’s a Whirlwind When He Gets Going.”
The kids manage to find lavish jewels and crowns, but taking the treasure home with them proves easier said than done. This proves to be the least of their worries when they get chased by a giant pirate who wants the treasure back. Hunting down the children and hanging them on meat hooks, Spanky is soon the only one left.
Just as he is about to get caught, however, the whole thing turns out to be a dream. Having learned his lesson, Spanky refuses to join his friends when they come over and ask if he wants to search for treasure.
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10 Free Eats (1932)
Free Eats revolves around a party being thrown for the poor children of the town, thrown by the wealthy wife of a local politician. As the title suggests, not only is there going to be free food, the kids will even get food to bring home to their families. However, criminals seek to infiltrate the party disguised as children, hoping to break into a money-laden safe.
The story soon proves to be Stymie’s story, as he’s the one who sees through the disguise, catching the “infants” talking. Unfortunately, none of the adults believe him. Luckily, Wheezer and Echo realize what’s going on and get the gang to help, right as the thieves are about to reach the safe.
Eventually, even the adults start to notice their valuables have gone missing, but the chief of detectives still refuses to believe Stymie’s story. However, Stymie is able to expose the trick by pricking one of the fake babies, causing them to talk.
9 Hide and Shriek (1938)
Hide and Shriek offers a comedy mystery in which Alfalfa starts his own detective agency. For his first assignment, he has to find Darla’s stolen box of candy, with Leonard and Junior as the main suspects. While investigating with Buckwheat and Porky, however, they get trapped within a haunted house.
“What Would Sherlock’s Home Do In a Time Like This?”
The young gumshoes endure ghosts and goblins, which eventually scares them out of the detective business. The punchline to all this is that it was all for nothing: Darla realizes she left her candy in her baby carriage all along.
Hide and Shriek serves as an important milestone for fans of the series as it was the last one made with series creator Hal Roach’s involvement. Due to this, the short was also intended as a series finale, although Our Gang ended up going to MGM.
8 High Society (1924)
High Society starts with Mickey living humbly but happily with his Uncle Patrick. However, the boy is forced to leave his uncle and friends, including his dog, behind when his aunt gets custody of him. Having to deal with his bratty cousin and a wealthier lifestyle, Mickey writes to his uncle and the gang to visit him.
“Wow! So This Is Paris!”
They arrive when the aunt is out, with Pat keeping the family’s butler at bay so Mickey can play with his friends. Of course, the gang cause havoc during the visit, skating on a makeshift liquid soap ice rink and using a chandelier as a swing. When the police and various other authorities arrive at the house, however, the aunt decides Mickey is probably better off with his uncle after all.
7 School’s Out (1930)
School’s Out is a short taking place over summer vacation. The gang has grown so fond of their teacher, Miss Crabtree, that Jackie petitions to have school over the summer, fearing she might get married and lose her job. While riding with her in her roadster, they learn she does want to get married someday, despite their protestations.
“Believe Me, Married Life Is Sure Tough!”
Soon, they encounter her brother, Jack, who they mistake for her new beau. This leads to a comedy of errors with them trying to break them apart. While making up stories about her falls flat, they ultimately follow him to a local lake and steal his clothes when he goes swimming. Of course, Miss Crabtree has a good laugh when she sees her brother in a stolen dress and the kids wearing his clothing.
Years later, Alfalfa would go through something similar to what happened to Jack in The Little Rascals movie, being forced to disguise himself in drag and sprint around town in his underwear, though not necessarily in that order.
6 Dogs Is Dogs (1931)
Dogs Is Dogs almost starts out like a fairy tale, with Wheezer and Dorothy living with their cruel stepmother and spoiled son Sherwood, all the while waiting for their father to return. The two halves of the blended family even have different dogs: Sherwood’s pampered pooch Nero and Wheezer’s dog Pete, who isn’t even allowed into the house.
Pete the Pup’s the Star of the Show
When Pete is caught sneaking into the window, Wheezer gets spanked while the stepmother threatens to send the dog to the pound and her stepchildren to the orphanage. Eventually, Sherwood frames Pete for killing a bird Nero attacked and, after nearly getting shot, the poor dog is sent to the pound. Fortunately, the children and Pete are eventually rescued by their aunt, their father’s sister.
In true Our Gang fashion, the aunt proves pretty plucky, giving the wicked stepmother a well-deserved kick in the rear when she’s not looking. Ultimately, Pete steals the show, being the emotional heart of the story. One close-up even shows him crying for the poor, put-upon children.
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5 Hook and Ladder (1932)
In The Little Rascals, when the clubhouse catches on fire, the gang all don firefighter uniforms and try to subdue the flames. Even Petey the dog gets involved, trying the pee on the fire. The scene is likely inspired by the short, Hook and Ladder.
“I Don’t Know Where We Goin’, But We’re On Our Way.”
A shortage of firefighters in the area, with the public asked to get involved, inspires Dickie to start his own fire department. The gang see the real fire department on the way to stop a real fire and follow after them. However, when they lose track of the real truck, they get involved with a fire at a local warehouse.
Unfortunately, they risk causing more damage by exposing containers of dynamite to the flames, but ultimately end up putting out the fire. With the real firefighters alerted to what happened, the gang is promised a reward.
4 Our Gang Follies of 1936 (1935)
The 1994 movie famously hinted at a contemporary setting, such as with Waldo’s boom box, and the original shorts knew how to reflect the popular culture of its time, too. One of the most famous examples of this was in Our Gang Follies of 1936, one of the first musical entries in the series.
“We Want the Flory Dory”
The gang host a musical revue in Spanky’s basement, with him hosting as the event’s master of ceremonies. Acts include a chorus line, dancing skeletons, and Alfalfa performing Pinky Tomlin’s “The Object of My Affection” off-key.
However, the main event is the “Flory-Dory Girls,” a parody of Floradora‘s famous chorus line. Unfortunately, the girls are late and the gang resorts to going on in their place. As Spanky is the only one who knows the routine and a monkey with a needle causes trouble when the rest try to copy him on stage.
Something that also makes the short especially important to fans of the 1994 movie is that it marked the debut of Darla Hood, who would go on to become the de facto female lead of both the series and the movie.
3 Hi’-Neighbor! (1934)
The Little Rascal‘s famous go-kart race has its origins in the short, Hi’-Neighbor!, complete with a love triangle. The gang meets a spoiled boy named Jerry who refuses to let him ride in his toy fire truck, even after they offer a trade. When Jerry takes a liking to Wally’s girlfriend Jane, Wally convinces her that the gang has a fire engine of their own.
The Original Waldo, Sort Of…
Since the toy truck doesn’t actually exist, it’s up to the gang to put it together. Jerry tries to convince Jane that Wally is lying, but ends up getting embarrassed in the process. Of course, the toy fire engine doesn’t impress Jane much either. In the end, Jerry and the gang decide to settle things with a race. When Jerry abandons Jane during the race, she gets revenge with a water sprinkler.
The snobbish Jerry serves as a precursor to Waldo from the film. Interestingly, a character named Waldo actually did appear in the shorts and also came from money, but was not an antagonistic character.
2 Rushin’ Ballet (1937)
One of the most famous scenes in The Little Rascals involves Alfalfa and Spanky disguising themselves as sugar plum fairies to infiltrate Darla’s ballet rehearsal. The scene was likely a reference to one of the classic shorts, Rushin’ Ballet. A bully, Butch, and his lackey, Woim, steal Porky and Buckwheat’s marbles. After throwing tomatoes at the bullies, Spanky and Alfalfa hide from the bullies disguised as members of a ballet chorus at a local dance school.
“There’s Nobody Down Here Except Us Dummies.”
However, Butch and Woim catch on and disguise themselves as a pair of adagio dancers. To make things worse, the audience assumes the bullies’ antics are all part of the show. Alfalfa ends up getting tossed off the stage, but ends up getting the last laugh. Not only are the stolen marbles recovered, Buckwheat and Porky pelt the bullies with tomatoes just as they take their bows.
1 Teacher’s Pet (1930)
Fans of the 1994 film may remember Daryl Hannah as Miss Crabtree, the gang’s teacher, a character who originated in the shorts. One of her more prominent roles was Teacher’s Pet, which starts off on the first day of school.
Their beloved teacher has left her job after getting married, leaving the kids terrified of their new teacher, “Miss Crabtree.” They scheme up a bunch of pranks. The final trick will be getting their younger siblings to come and tell their new teacher they have to go home early so they can really go swimming.
What Could Make a Better First Impression Than Cake & Ice Cream?
However, Crabtree turns out to be a lovely young lady and one of the pranksters, Jack, accidentally reveals the plans to her after she gives him a ride to school. Jack and his friends get suspended as punishment, only to reveal the teacher had arranged for the class to have cake and ice cream as a surprise.
Jack’s friends apologize to get some ice cream, but Jack is too ashamed and breaks down crying outside. The story’s happy ending is Miss Crabtree bringing him some treats outside, showing both that she forgave him and that the kids aren’t the only tricksters around.
