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Ladies and Gentlemen, Hal Roach Presents His Rascals - Page 2

© John Vincent Brennan

neighbors, heartless dog-catchers, shotgun toting chicken farmers, befuddled cops, and, once in a while, a kindly old grandma. The Gang was always remarkably diverse. As Our Gang enthusiast Leonard Maltin has noted, the Our Gang shorts had more integration between races than the feature pictures being filmed in the same era. Whereas in most feature films, black men were almost always porters or janitors, in the world of Our Gang, the black members, like Stymie and Farina, were always on an equal footing with their white counterparts. Skin color meant nothing to the other kids.

Jackie Cooper dominated the 1931 films, one of the series greatest years. Cooper, a handsome, scrappy young kid, inherited the role of "gang leader", left vacant for a while by the departure of Mickey Daniels from the series. Cooper was always good, but he was never better than in the "Miss Crabtree" trio of films Teacher's Pet, School's Out and Love Business, where he falls for his teacher (and who could blame him for falling for June Marlowe?). In these three classics, he shows such a range of emotions, it is no wonder that other studios wanted him. He is fondly remembered today not only for his work with Our Gang but for his non-Roach features like SKIPPY, TREASURE ISLAND and THE CHAMP. Cooper was also one of the few child actors from Our Gang that went on to a long successful acting career. Film fans will remember him as grouchy Daily Planet editor Perry White in all four of the Christopher Reeves SUPERMAN movies.

Another great early talent was the laconic and hilarious Allen "Farina" Hoskins, who had started as a toddler in the silent films. Farina was a natural talent who knew how to give his lines just the right inflection. Farina was as versatile an actor as Cooper and had an amazing ability to cry on cue. When he grew too old to remain in the series, Farina was replaced by Matthew "Stymie" Beard, who earned his nickname by constantly being underfoot of director Bob McGowan ("Boy, that kid stymies me all the time!"). Stymie could handle jokes and wisecracks with the best of them, and consequently got some of the best lines and dialogue routines of the series.

Stymie often teamed with Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, an adorable kid with a smile that lit up the screen. Some of the most enjoyable moments in the films of this period comes from simply watching Wheezer frolic in bed with Pete the Pup or seeing his face light up with honest admiration while listening to the latest rambling stories from his pal Stymie.

Pete the Pup

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