All this month, Turner Classic Movies is hauling out classic films produced at the Hal Roach Studio. Tomorrow night, you can watch or record twenty-four hours of Our Gang comedies, including a lot of silent films. My TiVo doesn't give individual episode titles but the schedule on the TCM website does…with, alas, no descriptions. If you want to catch a few episodes, try recording some of the sound ones produced from 1934-1936. (It may be rough going to watch them live. TCM has a lot of 18-19 minute shorts slotted in half-hour time slots so you'll probably sit through a lot of filler to get from one to the next.)
I always liked Our Gang, at least while Roach was doing 'em. He later sold the franchise to MGM but by then, the best Our Gangsters had either outgrown the series and left or were checking out. The quality of the films took a pretty noticeable plunge when that happened. During the years they were being produced by the Roach crew, they had a nice warmth and pace to them with good art direction and music. Also, when adults showed up, some pretty good comic actors filled those roles.
Next Tuesday, we get twenty-four hours of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in some of their best short comedies and a couple of lesser features. I'll give you some pointers to my favorites in time to set your DVR or VCR. Nothing I like better than Laurel and Hardy.