Series: Our Gang @ MGM Director: Gordon Douglas Producer: Jack Chertok Screenplay: Hal Law, Robert A. McGowan Photography: Robert Pittack Editor: Art director: Stars: Carl Switzer, Darla Hood, Eugene Lee, Billie Thomas, Tommy Bond, Darwood Kaye Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 06 August 1938 Length: 1 reel Production No.: 2566 Filming dates: June 20-25, 1938 Rating: 6/10

The Little Ranger

Available on DVD:

Buckwheat and Porky are inside a movie theatre for a special kiddies matinee, watching Fearless Bill Rides Again. After seeing an exciting scene they rush outside to tell Alfala, who has been patiently waiting for Darla to show up to let him inside with her pass. Muggsy is outside trying to get Alfalfa's attention but he rejects her advances. Butch turns up with Darla and after a brief altercation with Alfalfa he goes inside the theatre. Alflafa then gives in to Muggsy and agrees to go inside with her too. The movie is too boring for Alfalfa, so he begins to dream that he is the star of it and starts serenading Darla (badly). At the end of the song Butch and his gang surround Alflafa and string him up in a tree by a rope before riding away on their horses laughing. Alfalfa escapes with the help of his horse and is just in time to gatecrash the wedding of Butch and Darla. A fight breaks out between Alfalfa and Butch and it isn't long before Buckwheat arrives on the scene with Porky to break things up. Members of Butch's gang are lured into the kitchen where they are systematically clonked over the head with frying pans. When Butch wakes up he orders his gang members to tie up Alfalfa, Buckwheat and Porky and tells Darla to choose between him and them. She chooses Butch and the two of them leave together. Just as all looks bad for the boys, in runs Muggsy to save the day. An explosion brings Alfalfa back to the land of the living when he wakes up in the theatre to find Muggsy next to him and it was all a dream. Butch tries to start on Alfalfa but he gets put in his place very quickly! Alfalfa leaves the theatre arm-in-arm with Muggsy, mirroring the image on the movie screen in the background as they go.

Favourite bit The boys diplomatically accept their fate.

Trivia • Copyrighted August 10, 1938; renewed August 10, 1965. • The 170th film in the series to be released. • The first film made and released by MGM after the series passed over from Hal Roach in 1938. • The reflection of the crew can clearly be seen in the ticket booth window outside the theatre as it zooms in on Alfalfa talking with Muggsy. • Alfalfa's 'singing' is somewhere between screeching and nails on a chalkboard. Dear God! • As Alfalfa is being strung up by Butch, he says "some day you'll learn that crime does not pay." Prophetic words. Carl Switzer was murdered at the age of just 31. My opinion • Decent, watchable and acceptable start to the "new" series. It would quickly all go downhill from here though.

	Carl Switzer Alfalfa
	Tommy Bond Butch
	Shirley Coates Muggsy
	Darla Hood Darla
	Eugene Lee Porky
	Billie Thomas Buckwheat
	Sidney Kibrick Woim
	Darwood Kaye Waldo
	Henry Lee Member of Butch's gang
	Pete Troncale Kid who gets bonked
	Joe Geil Member of Butch's gang
	Tim Davis Member of Butch's gang
	Calvin Ellison Gang member who ties Alfalfa
	Dix Davis Gang member who ties Alfalfa
	Harold Switzer Member of Butch's gang
	Joe Levine Member of Butch's gang
	Grace Bohanon Girl in movie theater
	Bonnie Bannon Little Nell, actress in 'Fearless Bill Rides Again' movie
	Gordon Douglas Theater usher
	UNIDENTIFIED Ticket booth girl
	UNIDENTIFIED Fearless Bill (in movie)

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: The Little Rascals: The Life And Times Of Our Gang by Leonard Maltin & Richard W. Bann (book) http://theluckycorner.com/mt/170.html (Robert Demoss/The Lucky Corner) This page was last updated on: 19 June 2025