Our Gang Little Rascals Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, ca. 1930s

Our Gang (also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach’s Rascals) is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. The films were created by studio executive Hal Roach, who was best known as the man behind the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.

The series was produced in various formats from 1922 to 1944 and 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 broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals.

 

From left: Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Mary Ann Jackson, Jackie Cooper, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, and Norman “Chubby” Chaney.

Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins and Mary Ann Jackson