Our Gang comedy shorts program
Special Features: New DCP Restorations. Live musical accompaniment by Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton
Hal Roach's beloved Our Gang comedies (later known as The Little Rascals) debuted in 1922, making this their centennial year. Many child actors would cycle through the troupe over the 23 years the series was produced, resulting in more than 200 short films. The lineup featured in these early silent shorts included original players Joe Cobb as Joe, Jackie Condon as Jackie, Mickey Daniels as Mickey, Jack Davis as Jack, Allen Hoskins as Farina, Mary Kornman as Mary, Andy Samuel as Andy and Ernie Morrison as Sunshine Sammy.
A note to audiences: the Our Gang series notably presented an integrated group of children from diverse backgrounds enjoying playful adventures together, at a time when such depictions were rare. However, some of these films contain instances of racial and ethnic stereotyping, played for comedic effect. Please be advised when presenting to younger viewers.
THE BIG SHOW (1923)
Chased away from the county fair, the gang creates their own, including imaginative wild animal displays and rides. The topper is their live stage performance, featuring the kids' impersonations of various Hollywood stars, including Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and William S. Hart. DIR Robert F. McGowan; SCR/PROD Hal Roach; SCR H. M. Walker. U.S., 1923, b&w, 20 min. NOT RATED
DERBY DAY (1923)
The gang sets up a lemonade stand across from a horse racetrack. After they befriend rich girl Mary, whose father owns a racehorse, she ushers them inside to see the race for themselves. Impressed, they set about creating their own kids' version — entering anything with four legs as steeds. DIR Robert F. McGowan; SCR/PROD Hal Roach; SCR H. M. Walker. U.S., 1923, b&w, 20 min. NOT RATED
DOGS OF WAR! (1923)
The gang is embroiled in an elaborate war game against a rival group of kids — primarily fought with rotten vegetables — on the streets outside West Coast Studios. A truce is called when child actress Mary is summoned inside to go to work on set. Intrigued, the rest of the gang sneaks inside, and is soon chased across the lot by security. Eventually the kids get helped out of this jam by comedy star Harold Lloyd and his leading lady Jobyna Ralston. DIR Robert F. McGowan; SCR/PROD Hal Roach; SCR H. M. Walker. U.S., 1923, b&w, 24 min. NOT RATED
MARY, QUEEN OF TOTS
Mary, a lonely rich girl, is ignored by her parents and treated cruelly by her governess. She takes comfort in her handmade doll collection, gifts from the family's gardener, and imagines them to be her friends. Unbeknownst to Mary, the dollmakers modeled each doll after a real-life kid. When a group of these real kids turns up at her house to deliver the laundry, a delighted Mary believes that her dolls have come to life like Pinocchio. DIR Robert F. McGowan; SCR/PROD Hal Roach; SCR H. M. Walker. U.S., 1925, b&w, 20 min. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 85 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, November 13, 2022
Genre: Silent comedy