I must say, this short is not the funniest of all the MGM Our gang shorts (or even the 10th funniest), but the it's the most peculiar in terms of story lines for this series.
I mean, who would have ever thought somebody would actually get KILLED in an Our Gang comedy (which brings up the question, "Was this movie even meant for kids to see?"). Perhaps the writers were trying for something different this time around. And different, this is!
The acting performance of the kids (if you can call it that) was often contrived, as is expected for the increasingly aging cast. The actors who played the crooks, however, were top-notch. They had obviously perfected their roles in previous films.
And even though this film isn't too funny, there's one dialogue exchange between the 2 men that was just plain classic: when the men are contemplating whether to "bump off" the kids for knowing too much, the kids threaten to haunt them till their dying day. Pete (the dumber of the two crooks) pleads with them not to, while Joe says: "Don't be a dope, there ain't no such things as ghosts!" "Really?" Pete sighs, "gosh, Joe, I sure was worried!"
Other than that, there's not much else to recommend the film, at least not comedically. Well, OK, the ending scene where Froggy literally reenacts the swallowing of the key was cute ("Oh, doctor!!!").
I mean, who would have ever thought somebody would actually get KILLED in an Our Gang comedy (which brings up the question, "Was this movie even meant for kids to see?"). Perhaps the writers were trying for something different this time around. And different, this is!
The acting performance of the kids (if you can call it that) was often contrived, as is expected for the increasingly aging cast. The actors who played the crooks, however, were top-notch. They had obviously perfected their roles in previous films.
And even though this film isn't too funny, there's one dialogue exchange between the 2 men that was just plain classic: when the men are contemplating whether to "bump off" the kids for knowing too much, the kids threaten to haunt them till their dying day. Pete (the dumber of the two crooks) pleads with them not to, while Joe says: "Don't be a dope, there ain't no such things as ghosts!" "Really?" Pete sighs, "gosh, Joe, I sure was worried!"
Other than that, there's not much else to recommend the film, at least not comedically. Well, OK, the ending scene where Froggy literally reenacts the swallowing of the key was cute ("Oh, doctor!!!").