The Glorious Fourth (1927) Poster

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6/10
It's amazing these kids survived past their childhoods!
planktonrules5 September 2021
There really isn't a lot in the way of plot here. Mostly it consists of the kids using fireworks in the most unsafe manner possible and it makes you wonder how in the heck any of them survived to adulthood!

When the story begins, you learn that Joe's mother runs a fireworks stand and the kids are having a great time playing with high explosives...such as putting lit ones in their mouths or down their 'friend's' pants. Eventually, the antics result in blowing up the mother's stand as well as causing a LOT of mayhem to pretty much everyone who comes near these homicidal maniacs! How? Well, their dog ends up eating some REALLY strong explosives and threatens to blow up half the town!

As I said above, there's not a lot of plot here...just mindless violence. It's funny but not especially deep. And, if you do watch, note the drunk in the top hat...that's the comedian and director Charley Chase, who ironically, died as a result of his heavy drinking in real life.
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9/10
The Glorious Fourth builds to a glorious finish in this "Our Gang" short
tavm6 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This Hal Roach comedy short, The Glorious Fourth, is the sixty-fourth in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series. While the rest of the gang have access to tiny explosives from Joe's mother's fireworks stand, Farina and sister Jannie make do with popping paper bags. Then Joe's mother leaves her son in charge of the stand and Farina gets 25 cents with the result of Farina getting a big fire-rocket from Joe and then Joe inadvertently blowing up his mother's business with it! Nearby, a scientist demonstrates to some men his Bahama Oil capsules which are a thousand times more strong than nitroglycerine. After the big explosion that startles both the men and the gang, the dog Pansy (actually Pete the Pup) eats the rest of the capsules before anyone noticed. So they run for their lives just as Pansy spits them all out at various moments causing havoc to a car that splits in pieces and the driver stuck hanging over a fire escape stair! Then there's the constant stepping over fresh cement amid the panic to the consternation of the man in charge of that before the end with the mother spanking Joe...Another hilarious "Our Gang" short directed with great panache by regular Robert McGowan. Those scenes with both the exploding fireworks stand (with the various little explosives causing hilarious havoc on all the adults including an inebriated Charlie Chase) and the car going up in a million pieces are the highlights here. Some of the scenes with Farina, especially when the gang throw active firecrackers at him and his sister, are a little uncomfortable, but other than that, this was a fine comedy short from the late silent era. P.S. Kudos again to the YouTube poster for including the LeRoy Shield "Little Rascals" score as performed by the Beau Hunks Orchestra as synchronization here.
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