Cinema Retro just received word that Genius Products will be releasing the complete collection of Little Rascals shorts on DVD. Here is the official press release:
SANTA MONICA,
CALIF.
(July 28, 2008) – Generations have grown up with them and now Spanky, Alfalfa,
Buckwheat, Darla, Froggy, Pete the Pup and the rest of the gang return in their
best-loved comedies when Genius Products and RHI Entertainment debuts The
Little Rascals: The Complete Collection on DVD October 28. One of
the most famous and successful series in cinema history, the collection represents
all 80 shorts in chronological release date order created under the supervision
of legendary film producer Hal Roach from the dawn of the talkies (1929) until
the series was sold to MGM in 1938, an era generally conceded to be the series
“golden age.†Each short has been magnificently remastered from the
original camera negatives, restored using DVNR technology and available uncut
for the first time in years.
The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection also
features a wealth of bonus materials including introductions and commentaries
by various film historians and authors; interviews with former “Little Rascalsâ€
members, the five-part featurette Catching Up With
“The Rascalsâ€; the featurette The Story
of Hal Roach and “Our Gang;†the featurette
“The Rascals†and Racial Issues, a study of racism as part of the
Rascals; and three original silent shorts from the Hal Roach “Our Gangâ€
library: Dog Heaven (1927), Spook-Spoofing (1928) and Barnum
& Ringling, Inc. (1928). Also included with the set is a collectible
photo booklet containing classic images from the series, original movie
posters, fun facts, and lobby cards. The preeminent collection is a
must-have for all true fans and will be available for $89.95 SRP
Producer Hal Roach (who also launched Harold Lloyd and
Laurel & Hardy into immortality) introduced “The Little Rascals†in
1922. The short films featured ordinary, lower class kids acting like
real children, rather than stilted actors and the series immediately gained
popularity with film-going audiences. Although originally dubbed “Hal
Roach’s Rascals,†the name “Our Gang†caught on in popularity after one of the
early short’s titles and became the official name shortly afterward. The series
also broke new ground by including boys, girls, whites and blacks interacting
as equals.
In 1938, Roach sold the series outright to MGM, stepping
away from any active participation in his creation. The studio continued
to make “Our Gang†comedies, but without Roach, the series deteriorated in
quality and popularity and MGM discontinued production in 1944. In the
late ‘40s, Roach exorcized his option to buy back the rights to the 1927–1938
“Our Gang†shorts, repackaged them (without the “Our Gang†name and MGM logo,
to which the studio still owned the rights) and launched “The Little Rascalsâ€
on television in 1955, where they became, along with “The Three Stooges,â€
staples of after-school TV, enchanting whole new generations of children for
years to come.
In addition to the Academy Award® winning Bored of
Education (Best Short Subject/One-Reel, 1937) and Pups Is Pups
(1930) which was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in
2004, The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection includes the
shorts Small Talk, Railroadin’, Boxing Gloves, Lazy
Days, Bouncing Babies, Moan & Groan, Inc., Shivering
Shakespeare (all 1929); The First Seven Years, When the Wind
Blows, Bear Shooters, A Tough Winter, Teacher’s Pet, School’s
Out (all 1930); Helping Grandma, Love Business, Little
Daddy, Bargain Day, Fly My Kite, Big Ears, Shiver
My Timbers, Dogs Is Dogs, Readin’ and Writin’ (all 1931); Free
Eats, Spanky, Choo-Choo!, The Pooch, Hook and
Ladder, Free Wheeling, Birthday Blues, A Lad an’ a Lamp
(all 1932); Fish Hooky, Forgotten Babies, The Kid From
Borneo, Mush and Milk, Bedtime Worries, Wild Poses
(all 1933); Hi’-Neighbor, For Pete’s Sake, The First Round-Up,
Honky-Donkey, Mike Fright, Washee Ironee, Mama’s Little
Pirate, Shrimps for a Day (all 1934); Anniversary Trouble, Beginner’s
Luck, Teacher’s Beau, Sprucin’ Up, The Lucky Corner, Little
Papa, Little Sinner, Our Gang Follies of 1936 (all 1935); Divot
Diggers, The Pinch Singer, Second Childhood; Arbor Day;
Two Too Young; Pay As You Exit, Spooky Hooky (all 1936); Reunion
in Rhythm, Glove Taps, Hearts Are Thumps, Three Smart Boys,
Rushin’ Ballet; Roamin’ Holiday; Night ‘N’ Gales; Fishy
Tales; Framing Youth; The Pigskin Palooka; Mail and Female;
Our Gang Follies of 1938 (all 1937); Canned Fishing, Bear
Facts, Three Men in a Tub, Came the Brawn; Feed ‘Em and
Weep, The Awful Tooth, and Hide and Shriek (all 1938).
Special Features:
·
Commentary from Film Historians and Authors
·
Interviews with former “Little Rascals†members
·
Film Introductions
·
Three Original Hal Roach “Our
Gang†Silent Shorts
Dog Heaven (1927)
Spook-Spoofing (1928)
Barnum & Ringling, Inc. (1928)
·
Featurette: The Story of Hal Roach
and Our Gang
·
Featurette: “The Rascals†and Racial
Issues
·
5-Part Featurette: Catching Up With
“The Rascalsâ€
·
12 page collectible photo booklet with trivia, images, and
collectible lobby cards
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