The Little Ranger

Infobox Film
name = Little Ranger


image_size =
caption =
director = Gordon Douglas
producer = Jack Chertok for MGM
writer = Hal Law
Robert A. McGowan
narrator =
starring =
music =
cinematography = Robert Pittack
editing =
distributor = MGM
released = 6 August, 1938
runtime = 10 minutes
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by = "Hide and Shriek"
followed_by = "Party Fever"
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0030232

"The Little Ranger" is a 1938 "Our Gang" short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 169th "Our Gang" short (170th episode, 81th talking short, 82nd talking episode, and first MGM produced episode) that was released. It was the first Our Gang episode that was not created by Hal Roach but created by MGM

Plot

The Our Gang comedy series had just moved from Hal Roach Studios to MGM when the one-reel film, The Little Ranger was made. Snubbed by his girlfriend Darla, Alfalfa accepts the invitation of tomboyish Muggsy (Shirley Coates, who appeared ocasionally during the last two years of the Hal Roach days as a fill in) to attend the local picture show. While watching the adventures of his favorite cowboy star, Alfalfa dreams that he himself is a Wild West sheriff, with his pals Buckwheat and Porky as deputies. Naturally, Darla also figures prominently in Alfalfa's dream, as does his archrival Butch. What happens next determines Alfalfa's destiny when he wakes up from his dream.cite web |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/226184/Little Ranger/overview |title=New York Times: Little Ranger|accessdate=2008-10-08|work=NY Times]

Notes

Tle Little Ranger was the first entry to be produced at MGM. Hal Roach had another year to go to produce episodes for MGM but his distribution deal with other properties expired earlier in 1938. Roach switched to another studio to distribute his produced feature films. Our Gang was his only property left doing short subjects. Roach agreed to attempt to move Our Gang into features with the episode, General Spanky. But that film was a box office failure so MGM let Roach out of the annual feature film for the gang but resumed producing the one reelers plus a two reeler per year. After making Hide and Shriek, roach announced that he would end the Our Gang series the following year. The people at MGM, however, still loved the series and the films were doing well at theatres. So MGM decided rather than just distribute Our Gang, which Roach was a year from ending anyway, to just buy the unit outright. This would include the contracts with the Our Gangers and their director, Gordon Douglas. Hal Roach Studios' veterans Hal Law and former part-time director, Robert A. McGowan aka Anthony Mack during the 1920's and early 1930's would also transfer to MGM Studios to write the screenplays and dialogue. Robert A McGowan was the nephew of the gang's original director and producer Robert F. McGowan.

The Little ranger was filmed late in June of 1938 only a mere six weeks after "Hide & Shriek was made, the same week that film was released, and only days after the unit was sold to MGM. This was considered one of MGM's better Our Gang films. Critics stated that this was an example of what could and should have been done with Our Gang at their new headquarters. MGM revamped the series to have more continuity than at Hal Roach Studios and would be set in a fictitous town called "Greenpoint". Over time, the series evolved into morality lessons. Film critics felt that the MGM Our gang episodes were inferior to the Roach produced episodes. MGM continued producing the 10 minute shorts of Our Gang until 1944.

This was also the fourth episode to be made without George McFarland as Spanky. He was still on loan to other studios and would stay on loan for another couple months. Spanky's brother, Tommy, however, did appear on this epsisode but had no speaking roles as usual. Butch, Waldo, and The Woim returned for this episode and they would continue for a couple more years on a recurring status. The new Our Gang theme song was a blended instrumental of London Bridge and The Farmer In The Dell and would remain so until the series ended in 1944.

Cast

* Carl Switzer - Alfalfa
* Tommy Bond - Butch
* Sidney Kibrick - The Woim
* Darla Hood
* Billie Thomas - Buckwheat
* Eugene Lee - Porky
* Darwood Kaye - Waldo
* Gary Jasgur
* Leonard Landy
* Henry Lee
* Janet Burston
* Harold Switzer
* Shirley Cotes - Mugsy
* Fred Walburn

ee also

* Our Gang filmography

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0030377|title=Little Ranger