DVD Talk review of 'The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection'
10-28-08, 08:33 AM
#1
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DVD Talk review of 'The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection'
I read Francis Rizzo III's DVD review of The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=35178 and...
Okay, that was the obligatory DVD Talk starter, with link. When I was growing up, the Little Rascals were a staple on what little kids programming there was. This was back in the mid-to-late 60s, when TV was all OTA and we only had 3 stations. There was no Disney channel, no Nick, no Cartoon Network, nothing. The only network kids programming was Saturday morning cartoons (for 2-3 hours) and Captain Kangaroo on CBS on weekday mornings.
One of my local channels (WKEF-22) had a kids show that aired from 3 to 4:30 pm, just as we were getting home, called "Clubhouse 22". Between the zany antics of Malcolm (and later, Joe Smith), Duffy the Dog, and Doctor Creep, they would run cartoons and an occasional Little Rascals short. That was my ONLY exposure the Rascals, which at the time was the only show ABOUT kids, FOR kids.
While I haven't seen the DVDs yet, I am hoping to pick up a copy of the set for my 7 y/o son for Christmas. While most of the shorts were about stuff like dealing with schoolwork, or stealing a cooked chicken, or how to get Darla to like you, or getting revenge on a bully, there were quite a few educational moments there as well. I still remember the sketch that brought us lessons on crossing traffic safely via the "1-2-3-Go" method.
And it's because of the Rascals that I know that every 4th child born is Chinese.
The $90 MSRP has me a little spooked, conisdering that *my* target audience is a kid who is still learning how to treat Daddy's videos with respect. But maybe the retail price will be low enough (with a possible sale) that I can feel comfortable adding this to HIS collection. My PC wife may be worried about some of the racist stereotyping (expecially Stymie and Buckwheat's characters), but I see that as an educational opportunity to point out how things that were once harmless fun are today considered hurtful, and how we need to always be sensitive to how we treat other people - particularly if that treatment is due to WHAT they are instead of WHO.
Okay, that was the obligatory DVD Talk starter, with link. When I was growing up, the Little Rascals were a staple on what little kids programming there was. This was back in the mid-to-late 60s, when TV was all OTA and we only had 3 stations. There was no Disney channel, no Nick, no Cartoon Network, nothing. The only network kids programming was Saturday morning cartoons (for 2-3 hours) and Captain Kangaroo on CBS on weekday mornings.
One of my local channels (WKEF-22) had a kids show that aired from 3 to 4:30 pm, just as we were getting home, called "Clubhouse 22". Between the zany antics of Malcolm (and later, Joe Smith), Duffy the Dog, and Doctor Creep, they would run cartoons and an occasional Little Rascals short. That was my ONLY exposure the Rascals, which at the time was the only show ABOUT kids, FOR kids.
While I haven't seen the DVDs yet, I am hoping to pick up a copy of the set for my 7 y/o son for Christmas. While most of the shorts were about stuff like dealing with schoolwork, or stealing a cooked chicken, or how to get Darla to like you, or getting revenge on a bully, there were quite a few educational moments there as well. I still remember the sketch that brought us lessons on crossing traffic safely via the "1-2-3-Go" method.
And it's because of the Rascals that I know that every 4th child born is Chinese.
The $90 MSRP has me a little spooked, conisdering that *my* target audience is a kid who is still learning how to treat Daddy's videos with respect. But maybe the retail price will be low enough (with a possible sale) that I can feel comfortable adding this to HIS collection. My PC wife may be worried about some of the racist stereotyping (expecially Stymie and Buckwheat's characters), but I see that as an educational opportunity to point out how things that were once harmless fun are today considered hurtful, and how we need to always be sensitive to how we treat other people - particularly if that treatment is due to WHAT they are instead of WHO.
10-28-08, 09:00 AM
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I'm the person who decides which reviewer gets to review the popular titles here at DVDTalk. The hardest part of the job is to give a set I really, really want to someone else, and not just hog all the good stuff for myself. That was the case with this title. I knew Francis would do a great job though, which made it much easier.
Like Ken, I grew up in the pre-cable 60's and the Little Rascals were a staple. I had more than one conversation walking to school about how horrible it would be to have to sing to your teacher each morning. These are just great, harmless fun. I too want to share these with my kids. The sale-that-must-not-be-mentioned can't happen soon enough.
Like Ken, I grew up in the pre-cable 60's and the Little Rascals were a staple. I had more than one conversation walking to school about how horrible it would be to have to sing to your teacher each morning. These are just great, harmless fun. I too want to share these with my kids. The sale-that-must-not-be-mentioned can't happen soon enough.
10-28-08, 11:12 AM
#3
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Ha! My 3rd grade teacher (Mrs. Scott) made us sing Edelweiss to her every morning! And I never thought Darla was all that hot, but their teacher, Miss Crabtree....
Edited to add: Hey, she's got her own website! http://www.dspears.com/junesite/
Edited to add: Hey, she's got her own website! http://www.dspears.com/junesite/
