I 'm still wading through all of the posts and won't finish today. I'll go ahead and post the reply from David at ClassicFix to my question on the silents. "Yes. We hope to have some type of Our Gang silent release put together by later this year." He also sent a link to a preview of Dogs of War. Someone posted that earlier in this thread. I've watched the first four and plan on starting the 5th this weekend. I've already preordered the 6th. I hope it's true that there will be a box for the entire set included with the 6th.
I can't get the "Good Old Days" theme song out of my head after watching the first 4 these past 3 weekends. When was the "London Bridge is Falling Down" music first used? Did that start with MGM? I will try to figure out how to play "Good Old Days" on guitar from this video. Not bad. Edit: After posting, I remembered that "The Farmer's in the Dell" and "My Fair Lady" were also later used as part of the theme. At least I think they were.
I've read through the entire thread now. I should've known not to post till I was finished. I now see that David from ClassicFlix is participating here. I appreciate all the info posted here and his quick reply to my email maybe about 2 months ago. I'm looking forward to volume 6 and the silents.
There is a Dutch jazz group, The Beau Hunks, that have recorded two CDs of music from the Our Gang shorts (mostly Leroy Shield's compositions). Both discs are terrific. They've also recorded music from Laurel and Hardy's films and Raymond Scott's compositions. I'm a fan.
A friend told me about those recordings. He used them to watch The Little Rascals silent films. He didn’t like what was used on the silents he was watching. He muted it and played The Beau Hunks recordings. I’m not sure if he was watching on mp4s, DVDs, or another source.
Yes, according to the Lucky Corner website, the theme song used for the 1938-1944 M-G-M shorts was titled "Our Gang" by David Snell. It is a medley of "London Bridge," "Mulberry Bush" and "The Farmer In The Dell." The end title music on the M-G-M shorts is called "The Gang Goes Home," also arranged by Snell. The Little Ranger
The Lucky Corner website is a terrific resource for information on the Our Gang series. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in over a decade, but at least all of the pages are still up and accessible.
I’m assuming ClassicFlix does not have the licensing rights for the MGM shorts. Correct? What is currently the best source for those. Has there been any news of a Blu-ray release? My apologies if that has already been covered. I rushed through some of the posts and might’ve missed something.
The MGM shorts have been released on DVD by Warner Archives, as WB now owns them. I'm not sure if that set is still in print. Warner Archives has gone through some changes in the last few years (from being sold through their own online store to becoming exclusives on Amazon, among other issues). There hasn't been a blu-ray release yet. Warner Archives also released General Spanky, the one Our Gang feature film, on DVD. Be warned - it's pretty terrible.
I just ordered the shorts set. It is still available new. I might get the movie later. I remember seeing that a long time ago. Thanks.
Out two weeks from today on June 14th, The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 6 features the final 23 (of 80) Our Gang Hal Roach sound shorts produced by Hal Roach Studios. Below is a restoration comparison we cut for the set which demonstrates the work that went into bringing these delightful and timeless shorts back to life. Audio restoration is compared on the first (BORED OF EDUCATION) and fourth (FRAMING YOUTH) shorts presented. ENJOY! - David ClassicFlix Founder, Producer
Ten days until ClassicFlixs Restored 'Sound Shorts' of The Little Rascals Volume 6 is out...on June 14, 2022. Thank you again David @ClassicFlix for presenting an amazing collection on physical media!
June 7, 2022 First Annual Hal Roach Studios Sale Starts Today - ClassicFlix Sale ends June 14th at 11:59pm. ClassicFlix - Only the Classics - ClassicFlix
I have the first four (so far), and I can't stress enough how great these discs are. Highly recommended.
The final Our Gang volume, The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 6 is finally here! Containing the last 23 of the 80 Hal Roach Our Gang sound shorts, Volume 6 brings to completion the 2-year project to give these iconic and beloved shorts top-notch restorations. As we say, and hoards of fans can attest, "With restorations so glorious, it will be like watching these iconic shorts for the first time!" Enjoy the custom trailer we cut for this last volume below. - David ClassicFlix Founder, Producer
Congratulations David on an incredible release, like watching them for very first time! Got my shipping notice this week on Volume 6, and Thank you again!
With the release this week of The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 6, we have completed the restoration project on the 80 Hal Roach Little Rascal (Our Gang) sound shorts which started over two years ago, and can now turn our full attention to restoring and releasing as many of the 88 silent Our Gang films which survive on Blu-ray and DVD. PROJECT GOALS We already have nearly 40 Our Gang silent films scanned and expect to eventually restore and release between 30 - 40 shorts from 35mm and pristine 16mm elements on both Blu-ray and DVD. The remaining 40 or so shorts which survive only on 16mm elements will be released solely on DVD as most are in very rough shape. TIMELINE We had initially anticipated releasing some of the silents in the fall of 2022, but due to the complexity of tracking down, piecing together and restoring the silents, as well as the up front cost associated with the project, the first complete volume will likely come out in early 2023. We do, however, plan to include some as bonus features in an upcoming Complete Little Rascal Collection (all 80 sound shorts) set planned for release this fall. We just posted a new RAW SCAN clip today of Spook Spoofing which you can see below. Stay tuned for more updates on this thread. - David ClassicFlix Founder, Producer
Thanks for the updates. I hope all of the bonuses in the collection will be available for purchase separately. There was some talk earlier in this thread about acquiring an empty box for the set for those of us that already purchased the discs. I would be willing to pay for the empty box.
