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The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection
Written by Genius PR Release   

littlerascals200.jpgThe Little Rascals  have  entertained generations who grew 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.

thlittlerascalsposter.jpgThe 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 Rascals" members, the five-part featurette Catching Up With "The Rascals"; 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 Gang" 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.  

rascals2.jpgIn 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 Rascals" on television in 1955, where they became, along with "The Three Stooges," 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 Rascals"

12 page collectible photo booklet with trivia, images, and collectible lobby cards

 
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