Little Rascals/Our Gang

[Duer 157099]

TCM had a marathon that I noticed yesterday that went through to today. I hadn't seen any of these shows for years, but I was an avid viewer when I was a kid, I watched them all the time (pre-VCR), so much so that I knew most of the scripts by heart, even today watching them, I still knew the dialogues.

But after getting curious, I did some Googling and found out that some of the episodes were filmed, quite literally, in one of the neighborhoods where I grew up (near the MGM studio in Culver City). I mean, like, on the blocks where I lived and played and went to school. Except it was some 40 years prior and everything looked different.

I just found that kinda weird, because when I was a kid watching those shows, I had no idea where they were filmed. The magic of the Google!

[blue neen]

1. Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Spanky, Stymie.

There are miles of hilarity in those Little Rascals episodes. :)

My favorite involved Alfalfa swallowing an egg while he is singing!

[hedgehog]

3. What's wild is how independent the kids are. There is a general

benign adult supervision from any adult they encounter, but no hawk-like surveillance. IIRC, some of the older characters are tasked with caring for younger siblings.

[Duer 157099]

4. That's truly the most amazing aspect imho

One of my favorite episodes has Spanky babysitting all the younger siblings of the gang, and Spanky himself is only like 3 or 4! The whole episode is filled with truly cringeworthy moments. Babies almost falling down stairs, off of chairs, etc.

Parents sure were neglectful in those days, lol. Unless it wasn't really like that, but I sort of suspect that it was. It was practically like that when I grew up a generation later. Nowadays, it'd be criminal.

[LeftinOH]

2. I would love to see some "now and then" images of the filming locations..

-it's probably somewhere on the net already.

[Duer 157099]

5. Great idea. I haven't looked or found such a site.

If you do, please let me know. I know there are several that I could make, if I can find the episodes on youtube or something.

Hmmmm... I may actually try...