If there is only one Our Gang movie to be seen, “Teacher’s Pet”, from 1930, and the eleventh talkie in the series, is the one to see. From the nostalgia of the one-room schoolhouse, to the wonderful interplay between Miss Crabtree and the kids, this one really clicks. June Marlowe, although not the best actress of the day, or even as good as Jackie Cooper was an actor, was nevertheless perfect as Miss Crabtree, using her silent movie training to express herself beautifully with facial expressions and body language.
“Teacher’s Pet” was the first video I captured and posted on my old website in 2002. If you click here your Windows Media Player should open up and show it to you. Here’s a new and much improved transfer.
[MEDIA=23]
Note: For this video to play just right, you’ll need Adobe Flash player 10
For all of the attention given to the next generation of Rascals, with Spanky, Alfalfa (who my father knew), and Darla, my personal attachment is to the earlier troupe, with Jackie, Chubby, Mary Ann and Wheezer. And although some people feel that Farina, Stymie and, later, Buckwheat were stereotypes, the important thing is that Our Gang was integrated.
As I’ve said before, the music of Leroy Shield (it’s not “Shields,” just as Charles M. is not “Schultz”) is, for me, an integral part of why I favor the earlier gang’s stories. Here is an example that is a particular favorite. If I knew nothing at all, listening to this exquisite 75-second track would stop me cold and leave me asking, “Who wrote this? Where is it from?”
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/FEB/Wishing.mp3]