Our Gang 8-Pack (2002)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Edward L. Cahn, Steven Granger, Robert F. McGowan, Gus Meins & Fred C. Newmeyer
Written by Robert A. McGowan, Hal Roach & H.M. Walker
Starring Scotty Becket, Darla Hood, George McFarland, Carl Switzer, Billie Thomas

Contents:

• The Little Rascals/The Greatest Hits
  
• Our Gang/Comedy Festival
  
• Little Rascals/Varieties
  
• Little Papa/Dogs Is Dogs/Sprucin' Up
  
• Hook And Ladder/Hi Neighbor/Sundown Ltd.
  
• The Pooch/Arbor Day/Derby Day
  
• Bear Shooters/Waldo's Last Stand/Dogs Of War!
  
• The Our Gang Story
  

Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Rent it

Back before child labor laws, Hal Roach had an idea for a series of film short that featured little kids in simple "backyard" adventures. They were shown in movie houses all over the country starting as early as 1922...and they endured in cinemas through the 1940s. There were seemingly countless numbers of these shorts, and to be honest, a DVD 8-pack only scratches the surface of all that is out there. These short comedies seemed to be an escape for the country during the Great Depression. It also seems interesting that the kids seemed to be immune to the discrimination that was prevalent in our country at this time, too.

The DVD 8-pack is great for both the die-hard fan and simply for posterity. Seven of the discs contains three short films each; two "talkies" and one silent film. So you get not only stories with Alfalfa and Spanky, but also the Our Gang that preceded them in the silent flicks--something most contemporary kids who grew up watching the shows in reruns on cable never knew about. Now, if you know anything about film preservation, a lot of these films are beginning to turn to dust in their tin containers. Amongst the shorts you have everything from the kids coming up with their own fire department to interacting with movie star of the era Harold "Lonesome Luke" Lloyd. It is absolutely wonderful that these have been saved on DVD for many years to come.

The eighth disc contains a documentary that is really nicely done and very extensive. Not only does give you the history of the productions of Our Gang, but also most of the cast members and where they wound up later in life. Covered as well are those who didn't make it into Our Gang (such as Shirley Temple and Mickey Rooney) and their reunion fifteen years after the series. It also goes into some of the shows that later tried to capitalize on the popularity of the original Our Gang shorts. There aren't any special features other than this eighth disc.

The content of this set is simply timeless and again, it's merely a sampling of what Our Gang shorts were out there--but it's nice that with this collection you get a decent sampling across the history of the series. It's good that they're available in a DVD format, and this set is worth renting--but unless you're a huge fan of the series, I wouldn't recommend adding this set to your collection permanently.