About a week ago, I started seeing scenes on YouTube from a childhood classic. It was from ‘The Little Rascals’ and it depicted four children dressing up as 2 adults in order to get a bank loan to rebuild their clubhouse. When I first watched the film as a child, I found the scene mild, but as an adult, the nostalgia came rushing back, and I found myself laughing harder than I ever had at the movie. I started searching for every piece of the film I could find on YouTube, and with every clip, I fell back in love with it.
‘The Little Rascals’ is an adaptation of the short film series ‘Our Gang’, which ran from the 1920s to the mid-1940s. It followed neighbourhood children as they fought against rich kids, attempted to court their crushes and creatively escaped troublesome and embarrassing situations. Though some of the humour was dangerously stereotypical, it nonetheless made history as one of the first productions to portray Caucasians and African-Americans as equals. A few of the African-American children were even touted as some of the best characters of the series, like Matthew Beard who played Stymie (who was given his trademark bowler hat by Stan Laurel, of the iconic silent-era comedy duo Laurel and Hardy). So with such a tremendous legacy and over 2 decades and 220 entries, how does one modernise and adapt ‘Our Gang’ into a feature film?
One would start with hiring Penelope Spheeris, the director of ‘Wayne’s World’, as well as screenwriters Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur (who would 3 years later write ‘Liar Liar’). You would then adapt multiple subplots relating to the original series and end with thrilling finale of a weaponised go-kart derby. Subplots include the love triangle between Alfalfa, Darla and Waldo, Alfalfa’s probation from the gang, the neighbourhood bullies’ attempts to steal the gang’s prized go-kart and the children’s attempt to rebuild their burnt-down clubhouse.
Travis Tedford plays the authoritative Spanky McFarland, leader of the ‘He-Man Women-Hater’s Club’ and does so charmingly. One can’t help but giggle along with him as he quietly sabotages Alfalfa’s romantic pursuits and sports a tutu to sneak past bullies. He feels like the Bugs Bunny of the gang, with a southern drawl and a mischievous nature.
Bug Hall plays Alfalfa Switzer and in doing so, portrays everyone’s cringey, embarrassing first romantic period. It’s awkwardly hilarious as he serenades Darla, off-note and in public. One of his best scenes is no doubt when, after a wardrobe malfunction, Alfalfa must run from dogs and bullies in his underwear, shocking passerby nuns.
Blake McIver Ewing plays Waldo Johnston III, the snobby rich kid who competes with Alfalfa for Darla’s affection. Ewing’s performance as a villain is perfect, becoming hateable right from his first scene. He finds himself in the background of a few of Alfalfa’s humiliations, but steals multiple scenes as he swoops in and charms Darla with a poetic compliment and a well-tailored suit.
Brittany Ashton Holmes plays Darla, the child diva. At portraying a demanding and temperamental love interest, Holmes is the perfect choice. She dominates every line and scores more than a fair amount of laughs. It cracks me up hearing a five-year-old complain that her ex-boyfriend “took the best years” of her life and that, upon receiving a ring found in a cereal box that she “loves diamonds”. Needless to say, the hyperbolic dialogue by the children are a major source of hilarity in the film.
Perhaps the greatest reward the film gave me upon rewatching after all these years was the celebrity cameos. 10-year-old Mason wouldn’t have a clue who George Wendt or Darryl Hannah are, but 23-year-old Mason cheers at their very appearance. Wendt (Norm from ‘Cheers’) has a very miniscule role as a lumber salesman, while Daryl Hannah (California Mountain Snake from ‘Kill Bill’) plays the children’s teacher. Other famous faces include legendary comedian Mel Brooks as a loan officer, Whoopie Goldberg as Buckwheat’s mother, Lea Thompson as Darla’s ballet teacher, Reba McEntire as racing champion A.J. Ferguson, and current President of the United States, Donald Trump, as Waldo’s adoptive father. Almost all of these cameos lend themselves to comedy gold, whether that comedy be physical, verbal or absurd.
‘The Little Rascals’ is a family film that ages marvelously, with a range of cartoonish, cringe and physical comedy, there’s bound to be a joke to have you in stitches. If not, you can always use this film as an opportunity to take a nostalgic look back to the 90s and reflect on your own childhood, assessing which Rascal you might be. In any case, I can 100% recommend ‘The Little Rascals’ as a certified family classic!
