The Little Rascals Christmas Special

Last updated
The Little Rascals Christmas Special
Genre
Based on Our Gang
Written by Romeo Muller
Directed by Charles Swenson
Fred Wolf
StarringPhilip Tanzini
Jim Gatherum
Randi Kiger
Al Jocko Fann
Robby Kiger
Darla Hood Granson
Stymie Beard
Theme music composerGreig McRitchie
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers Romeo Muller
Fred Wolf
EditorRich Harrison
Running time24 minutes
Production companies King World Productions
Muller-Rosen Productions
Murakami Wolf Swenson
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseDecember 3, 1979 (1979-12-03)

The Little Rascals' Christmas Special is an animated Christmas television special based on the Our Gang comedies of the 1920s-40s. The special was produced by King World Productions, and first aired December 3, 1979 on NBC. [1] It is a spoof of the 1905 O. Henry short story The Gift of the Magi . [2]

Contents

Plot

Spanky (Philip Tanzini) and Porky (Robby Kiger)'s mother (Darla Hood) is a single mother during the Depression. Money is tight with very little left over to buy anything nice. When the boys overhear Mom talking on the phone about a blue comet, they think she is ordering for them a Blue Comet train set for the holidays. However, Mom was talking about the train, but rather a vacuum cleaner. Realizing that she confused her sons, she exchanges a coat she had ordered for the train. When she gets sick and the boys realize the truth, they enlist the help of the gang to raise the money to get the coat back. Meanwhile, two neighborhood bullies steal the train set so now there are no gifts for the boys or their mom. A grouchy Salvation Army Santa (Jack Somack) arrives to spread cheer.

Cast

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darla Hood</span> American child actress (1931–1979)

Darla Jean Hood was an American child actress, best known as the female lead in the Our Gang series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of music teacher Elizabeth Davner, and James Claude Hood, who worked in a bank.

<i>The Little Rascals</i> (film) 1994 family comedy film by Penelope Spheeris

The Little Rascals is a 1994 American family comedy film produced by Amblin Entertainment, and released by Universal Pictures on August 5, 1994. The film is an adaptation of Hal Roach's Our Gang, a series of short films of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s which centered on the adventures of a group of neighborhood children. Directed by Penelope Spheeris, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, the film presents several of the Our Gang characters in an updated setting, featuring re-interpretations of several of the original shorts. It is the first collaboration by Guay and Mazur, whose subsequent comedies were Liar Liar and Heartbreakers.

The Little Rascals is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and King World Productions. It first aired on ABC on September 25, 1982. A spin-off based on the live-action Our Gang comedy shorts, it was broadcast as part of The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show in 1982 and then as part of The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show in 1983.

The following is a complete list of the 220 Our Gang short films produced by Hal Roach Studios and/or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer between 1922 and 1944, numbered by order of release along with production order.

<i>Our Gang</i> American series of comedy short films

Our Gang is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the producer of the Laurel and Hardy films, Our Gang shorts were produced from 1922 to 1944, spanning the silent film and early sound film periods of American cinema. Our Gang is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively natural way; Roach and original director Robert F. McGowan worked to film the unaffected, raw nuances apparent in regular children, rather than have them imitate adult acting styles. The series also broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation in the United States.

<i>Our Gang Follies of 1938</i> 1937 American film

Our Gang Follies of 1938 is a 1937 American musical short subject, the 161st short subject entry in Hal Roach's Our Gang series. Directed by Gordon Douglas as a sequel to 1935's Our Gang Follies of 1936, the two-reel short was released to theaters on December 18, 1937, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Reunion in Rhythm</i> 1937 film

Reunion in Rhythm is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 150th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Glove Taps</i> 1937 American film

Glove Taps is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 151st Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Three Smart Boys</i> 1937 American film

Three Smart Boys is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 153rd Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Rushin Ballet</i> 1937 film

Rushin' Ballet is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 154th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Roamin Holiday</i> 1937 short comedy film

Roamin' Holiday is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 155th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Mail and Female</i> 1937 film

Mail and Female is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer. It was the 160th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Bear Facts</i> (film) 1938 film

Bear Facts is a 1938 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 163rd Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Feed em and Weep</i> 1938 American film

Feed 'em and Weep is a 1938 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 166th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Party Fever</i> 1938 American film

Party Fever is a 1938 Our Gang short comedy film directed by George Sidney. It was the 170th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Men in Fright</i> 1938 American film

Men in Fright is a 1938 Our Gang short comedy film directed by George Sidney. Produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 172nd Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Duel Personalities</i> 1939 American film

Duel Personalities is a 1939 Our Gang short comedy film directed by George Sidney. It was the 177th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Clown Princes</i> 1939 American film

Clown Princes is a 1939 Our Gang short comedy film directed by George Sidney. Produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 178th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Auto Antics</i> 1939 American film by Edward L. Cahn

Auto Antics is a 1939 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Edward Cahn. It was the 182nd Our Gang short to be released.

<i>The Little Rascals Save the Day</i> 2014 American film

The Little Rascals Save the Day is a 2014 American comedy film released by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Succeeding the first film released in 1994, it is the second feature film adaptation of Hal Roach's Our Gang, a series of short films of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s which centered on the adventures of a group of neighborhood children.

References

  1. ↑ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 257–260. ISBN   0-8108-2198-2 . Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays--Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 172. ISBN   9781476672939.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.