Little Rascals (Our Gang) DVD's... (1 Viewer)

[AndrewR]

Barry Sandrew (President of Legend Films) posted this response over at DVDTalk:

 

[Carlos Garcia]

What's the title of the episode where the kids try to raise money (I think in order to buy one of their mothers a dress) by baking a surprise cake loaded with junk? I'll never forget the sound that cake made as Stymie tried to push its contents back into it...OEEEEEOOOOAOH!!!

I too am sick of all these multiple title releases. How many different DVD sets must we buy in order to get all the 30s shorts? As far as I'm concerned, I've bought the 3 Lionsgate/Hallmark releases, and that's 28 shorts so far. The prints look great, definitely cleaned up digitally. I'd guess every other release is either a two bit company releasing a bad PD print, or a bootleg set that consists of the LD sets copied to DVD...I am happy with what Lionsgate/Hallmark have given us so far, and the fact that whenever they release a DVD, you'll know it won't contain an episode found on a previous release of theirs. What I DON'T like is the fact that they are releasing a new disc every 2 yrs or so...Can't they just release a 10 volume set all at once? Sheesh!

 

[Jack Theakston]

Carlos,

You're thinking of BIRTHDAY BLUES. That same weird sound effect was used in A LAD AN' A LAMP during one of the funniest moments in an Our Gang short.

 

[Paul_Nyman]

Anyone purchase the recent 3-pack "The Little Rascals" by Legend Films? Aside from any debate on "Colorization" how are the B&W versions included in the set?

 

[Mark Y]

I think they look pretty good, however...nearly all of them have some sort of reissue titles (not the original M-G-M titles as seen on the Cabin Fever releases). As I recall, the notes on the box actually mention this and call the reissue titles "rare!" (There appears to be some sort of "legal loophole" which allows public domain companies to release these films, as long as they are reissue versions. I don't understand it, but that appears to be the case, somehow.) (I note "School's Out" and "Waldo's Last Stand" have their original titles, but these films are public domain themselves.)

Shorts included:

Our Gang Follies Of 1936 (Monogram)
Washee Ironee (Official Films)
Shrimps For A Day (Monogram)
Choo-Choo! (Official Films)
Night 'N' Gales (Official Films)
School's Out (Original titles with no M-G-M intro)
Free Wheeling (Official Films)
For Pete's Sake (Inter-State Television)
Divot Diggers (Allied Artists)
Waldo's Last Stand (Original titles with no M-G-M intro)
Fly My Kite (Official Films)
A Lad 'An A Lamp (Erko)
The Kid From Borneo (Monogram)
Hi' Neighbor (Allied Artists)
Hide And Shriek (Official Films)

There are some interesting "extras," including the trailer of "General Spanky," a "Soundie" featuring a post-Rascals Alfalfa, Spanky's Speedo Bike promo film, and a bunch of clips of various shorts and TV appearances. But frustratingly, much of this material is presented only in the form of clips rather than the whole film or show.

And oh yeah, there are colorized versions of all the shorts too.

 

[Jack Theakston]

Just because a company that sub-licensed the films went out of business doesn't mean that the assetts of that company go PD. If that were true, people would be bootlegging Castle Films' five minute editions of FRANKENSTEIN, Realart prints of HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, etc, etc.

The truth is that Hallmark just doesn't care.

 

[Tony S]

I wonder if Legend plans on issuing more of these or if this is a one shot deal. I have the 3 Hallmark/Lion's Gate discs and there is a lot of overlap with the Legend discs. If I knew that Legend was going to release more of them in the near future, I might buy them instead of waiting on Hallmark. For that matter, does anyone know when the next Hallmark disc will be out?

 

[Mark Y]

They may not care about preserving these films and making them available, but didn't they go after Nostalgia Family Video for re-releasing the Nostalgia Merchant compilations on DVD (if I'm not mistaken, sourced from the European DVDs)?

I'm not saying it's right...it can't possibly be that simple. But Goodtimes released a bunch of Our Gang shorts on a series of DVDs and it was the same thing...they looked like they were duped from the Cabin Fever DVDs but had the titles replaced with reissue titles. And doesn't Goodtimes cross their Ts and dot their Is when it comes to making sure they are in the clear?

I think there's more to this than what we know.

 

[Brian-W]

just watched a few of these...now, I prefer the black and white versions and always will, especially since that's how I've always viewed them. Having said that, the colorized versions are actually very well done. Not the mess that Turner made back in the day of colorizing classic films. Again, it's very well done and makes for an interesting watch. Our Gang Follies makes for the best (IMO) colorized of the collection, with Washee Ironee looking rather, well, weird. It has that pasty/pastel look.

But upon re-watching, I'll go to the b&w versions.

Quality looks good on them, but without knowing what the original source they're using is, it appears that DNR has been used since they're not as grainy as the original b&w releases done by Cabin Fever.

This collection (especially for the extras) is well worth picking up - even though all the episodes have been previously released by other companies.

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

Can anyone vouch for the quality of this set?

TheVintageTheatre.com - The Little Rascals DVD Collection

It has all of the Cabin Fever disks, plus 5 more disks (40 additional shorts!) Could this be the "lost" volume 2 of the Cabin Fever set?

 

[Mark_Wilson]

Read the bottom of their Sales Policy pages. They're on DVD-Rs! Store Policies : Bela Lugosi DVD : Three Stooges DVD : Old Movies : Dead End Kids DVD : Thevintagetheatre.com

 

[Steve...O]

Bob McLaughlin - sorry to say, but the vendor you referenced are notorious for being pirates. They sell some PD material, but also things like TV Superman (Reeves), Green Hornet, etc. that are most definitely under copyright. They also have "unadvertised" products that are also bootlegs but were taken off the front page to avoid legal action (the Charlie Chan films are an example).

Hopefully a legal and complete set of Our Gang will someday surface along with the rest of the Hal Roach library.

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

Thanks guys--you saved me $60!
Hopefully someday the older silents will be released as well as the talkies.

 

[Radioman970]

I'm usually good at spotting home made garbage, but that web site looks great, as does the product they've produced (at least the DVD cases). The pirates are getting good at it aren't they?

Well, I'm glad this thread exists. I'll continue to wait like everyone else. And I'm wanting the silents as well. I love those early ones so much!

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

Wait! This is for real this time, Little Rascals fans! I stumbled across this on the release list on another site.

The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection
Remastered, Restored, Uncut
Release date: 10/28/08

Preview from Amazon....

"Includes some SILENT shorts, in addition to all of the sound Hal Roach produced shorts., July 30, 2008
By Paul J. Mular (San Carlos, CA USA) - See all my reviews


Not only will we get all of the Hal Roach sound shorts in one package, but a nice surprise will be the inclusion of some silent shorts. A few of these are making their DVD debut!

SYNOPSIS:
"The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection" spans
the years of 1929-1938. This collection contains all
80 of the original sound Hal Roach Our Gang films (later re-issued as The Little Rascals)
in their entirety; fully Remastered, Restored and
Uncut. This amazing 8-disc set contains a collectible
booklet, loads of nostalgic bonus footage, photos and
much more! This preeminent collection is a must-have
for fans, both old and new.

Members of the gang start out with WHEEZER, FARINA, Mary Ann Jackson, Joe Cobb, Jean Darling, Harry Spear, & Pete (the Pup).

DISC 1 (Introduction by Richard Bann):

Small Talk (1929) (only 3-reeler running about 25 minutes)
***(2-reels running 15 to 21 minutes from here to 1936)***
Railroadin' (1929) (CHUBBY joins the gang)
Boxing Gloves (1929) (with Jackie Cooper)
Lazy Days (1929)
Bouncing Babies (1929)
Moan and Groan Inc (1929) (with Edgar Kennedy & Max Davidson)
Shivering Shakespeare (1930) (with Jackie Cooper & Edgar Kennedy)
The First Seven Years (1930) (with Jackie Cooper & Edgar Kennedy)
When the Wind Blows (1930) (with Jackie Cooper & Edgar Kennedy)
Bear Shooters (1930) (with Charlie Hall)

DISC 2 (Introduction by Tom Hatten):
A Tough Winter (1930) (with Stepin' Fetchit)
Pups is Pups (1930) (with Charlie Hall. 1st appearance of Dorothy "ECHO" DeBorba)
Teacher's Pet (1930) - Commentary by Richard Bann (w/Jackie Cooper & MISS CRABTREE. 1st STYMIE appearance)
School's Out (1930) (with Jackie Cooper & MISS CRABTREE)
Helping Grandma (1931) (with Jackie Cooper. 1st appearance of Shirley Jean Rickert)
Love Business (1931) (with Jackie Cooper & MISS CRABTREE)
Little Daddy (1931) (with MISS CRABTREE)
Bargain Day (1931) (last with Jackie Cooper using a stand-in for the last scene)
Fly My Kite (1931) - Commentary by Richard Bann
Big Ears (1931)

DISC 3 (Introduction by Dickie Moore):
Shiver My Timbers (1931) (with MISS CRABTREE)
Dog is Dogs (1931)
Readin' and Writin' (1932) (with MISS CRABTREE. 1st with BREEZY)
Free Eats (1932) (with Billy Gilbert. 1st film to feature SPANKY)
Spanky (1932) (with Billy Gilbert)
Choo Choo (1932) (1st appearance of Wally Albright)
Pooch (1932)
Hook and Ladder (1932) (w/ Dinah the Mule. 1st with Dickie Moore)
Free Wheeling (1932) (with Dinah The Mule)
Birthday Blues (1932)

DISC 4 (Introduction by Jerry Tucker):
A Lad an' a Lamp (1932)
Fish Hooky (1933) (w/ grown up old Our Gangers Mickey, Mary, Joe & Farina)
Forgotten Babies (1933) (with Billy Gilbert. 1st appearance of Tommy Bond as a gang member and not BUTCH)
Kid from Borneo (1933)
Mush and Milk (1933)
Bedtime Worries (1933)
Wild Poses (1933) - Commentary by Richard Ward (Laurel & Hardy Cameo)
Hi, Neighbor (1934) (1st teaming Scotty Beckett with Spanky)
For Pete's Sake (1934)
The First Round-Up (1934) (with Billy Bletcher)

DISC 5 (Introduction by Jerry Tucker):
Honkey Donkey (1934)
Mike Fright (1934) (with Charlie Hall)
Washee Ironee (1934) (with 'Tiny' Sanford)
Mama's Little Pirate (1934) (1st time Billie is BUCKWHEAT)
Shrimps for a Day (1934)
Anniversary Trouble (1935) (with Hattie McDaniel & Johnny Arthur)
Beginner's Luck (1935) (with Charlie Hall & THE CABIN KIDS. ALFALFA's debut film)
Teacher's Beau (1935) (with THE CABIN KIDS, Charlie Hall, Billy Bletcher)
Sprucin' Up (1935)
Little Papa (1935) (SPANKY & ALFALFA become more of a team)

DISC 6 (Introduction by Richard Lewis Ward):
Little Sinner (1935) (1st appearance by PORKY)
The Lucky Corner (1936)
Our Gang Follies of 1936 (1935) (DARLA HOOD's 1st appearance)
Divot Diggers (1936) (with Billy Bletcher)
Pinch Singer (1936) (with Charlie Hall)
Second Childhood (1936)
Arbor Day (1936) (with Hattie McDaniel)
***(1-reel, about 9 to 11 minutes from here on unless noted.)***
Bored of Education (1936) (with Rosina Lawrence as MISS LAWRENCE) Acadamy Award Winner!
Two Too Young (1936) (with Rosina Lawrence as MISS LAWRENCE)
Pay as You Exit (1936) (Joe Cobb returns outside of the gang)
Spooky Hooky (1936) (with Rosina Lawrence as MISS JONES)
Reunion in Rhythm (1937) (with Rosina Lawrence as MISS JONES and old Our Gangers Mickey, Mary, Joe, & Stymie)
Glove Taps (1937) (1st to feature the "BUTCH" and "WALDO" characters)

DISC 7 (Introduction by Annie Ross):
Hearts are Thumps (1937) (with Rosina Lawrence as MISS JONES)(He-Man Woman haters Club)
Three Smart Boys (1937) (with Rosina Lawrence as MISS JONES)
Rushin' Ballet (1937) (2nd to feature "BUTCH")
Roamin' Holiday (1937)
Night 'n' Gales (1937) (with Johnny Arthur)
Fishy Tales (1937) (3rd to feature "BUTCH")
Framing Youth (1937) (4th to feature "BUTCH")
The Pigskin Palooka (1937)
Mail and Female (1937) (featuring the He-Man Woman Haters Club)
Our Gang Follies of 1938 (1937) (2-reel special, 18 minutes)
Canned Fishing (1938)
Bear Facts (1938)
Three Men in a Tub (1938)
Came the Brawn (1938) (Last appearance of "SPANKY" & "BUTCH")
Feed 'em and Weep (1938) (w/ Johnny Arthur. Philip Hurlic replaces "Buckwheat" only in this film)
The Awful Tooth (1938)
Hide and Shriek (1938)

(Note: Spanky & Butch would return to the series after Hal Roach sold it to MGM.)

DISC 8 (Introduction by Jean Darling):
Three Silents:
Dog Heaven (1927) - Commentary by Richard Ward
Spook Spoofing (1928) - Commentary by Richard Ward
Barnum & Ringling, Inc. (1928)
The Story of Hal Roach and Our Gang
Rascals and Racial Issues
Catching Up With The Rascals - this feature contains
the following:
Catching Up with the Rascals: Dickie Moore
Catching Up with the Rascals: Jean Darling
Catching Up with the Rascals: Jerry Tucker
Catching Up with the Rascals: Annie Ross
Memories of Spanky (with Rick Sapphire)

For a complete guide to these shorts, buy Leonard Maltin & Richard Bann's highly informative book "THE LITTLE RASCALS, THE LIFE & TIMES OF OUR GANG":
The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang

I am assured by Genius Entertainment that these will be dual layered DVD-9 discs, well capable of handling the amount of content on each disc.

The only minor disappointment is that MGM released 22 of the silent Hal Roach Our Gang (Little Rascals) Comedies and 17 of them exist. RHI owns the rights to these which keeps them off of the public domain Our Gang sets. It would have been nice to see all 17 of these in this set, but 3 is better than none. "

 

[Robert Crawford]

Bob,
You might find this thread an interesting read.

Crawdaddy

 

[Radioman970]

I'm watching the silence ones downloaded from archive.org. But I noticed these were available on oldies.com. 3 volumes, all silent. Was wondering if anybody has any experience with these from Alpha.

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/5312D.html

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/7999D.html

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/8032D.html


Also, wondering what you think about Rascals and Stooges in 3D bluray.

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/42995O.html

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/42993O.html


All of this from oldies is about $50. Debating....

 

[BobO'Link]

^Two of those "Alpha" titles are DVD-R and the 3D ones are "post processed" for 3D - but they're from Legend who does a bang-up job colorizing stuff so they might be OK. Personally, I'd not purchase any of them.

That said, I used to order fairly frequently from "Oldies" until they started doing wholesale buyouts of cutout and overstock product and then, having somewhat a monopoly on them, raised the prices significantly - as if they were "rare" and not "overstock" material.

I also have a few of their "Alpha" titles - before they moved to MOD. Some are fairly good and others are rather bad, but they're also all PD material and tend to look it. It's generally a crap shoot on that line. You have to decide how badly you want a title and then we willing to be disappointed in case it's a poor PD style copy. They're pretty much like the Mill Creek PD releases.

 

[Radioman970]

^^ I think I'll get the 3D ones soon. But pass on those Alpha.

Bob, super duper answers to my questions! Thank you thank you!

 

[Tony Bensley]

Insofar as the 'Our Gang' 1929-44 sound shorts, all of which I have on DVD/DVD-R (Plus their 1936 Feature GENERAL SPANKY!), I'm pretty satisfied!

As for the silents, While I do have around three dozen of them, mostly via the Mackinac editions that aired on TCM some time ago, I wouldn't mind getting some replacements down the road, provided they have different scoring from the Mackinacs. Man, some of their slower acoustic guitar sections are downright sleep inducing, and they occur in pretty much all of the Mackinac produced restorations!

CHEERS!