This Our Gang short takes it's time. The film opens with Stymie and Spanky searching for some food and eventually leads into a plot involving the gang trying to save Pete from the dog catcher. A scene involving Stymie trying to peel an artichoke is a classic. Another highlight is a scene in which Spanky plays with Pete the pooch. No doubt this was just a case of letting the camera role while the little boy played with the dog, but it sure is funny. You'll laugh, just be patient with it.
8 Reviews
Pete the Pooch shines in this Our Gang short
Leofwine_draca19 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
THE POOCH is a highly enjoyable Our Gang short that offers a starring role for the lovable Pete the Pooch. Stymie takes the centre stage here and begins the story desperately looking for some good food in a handful of funny scenes. Later on the plot moves on to a dog catcher with Pete in his sights and the efforts of the gang to save their beloved canine.
Out of all the shorts I've seen, this one feels most like a proper movie as the plot moves from A to B and packs plenty of scenario and incident into the 20 minute running time. The version I watched was colourised in an efficient way which makes it even finer to look at. Most importantly, the ingredients fit together nicely and it's funny too.
Out of all the shorts I've seen, this one feels most like a proper movie as the plot moves from A to B and packs plenty of scenario and incident into the 20 minute running time. The version I watched was colourised in an efficient way which makes it even finer to look at. Most importantly, the ingredients fit together nicely and it's funny too.
The Pooch was another heartwarming "Our Gang" comedy
tavm8 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This Hal Roach comedy short, The Pooch, is the one hundred fifteenth in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the twenty-seventh talkie. Stymie and Spanky are at a diner ordering some food. The attendant there asks if they have money. Stymie says no. "How do you expect to eat?" asks the counterman. "We don't expect to," replies the bald-headed kid, "We just want to." As they leave, there are signs saying "Stymie is a crook" from the gang because he just happened to take a pie that just happened to lay on a window sill. In order to get more food, Stymie begs a couple of women for some for his dog Pete. The first gives him dog biscuits but the second one, after Stymie tells her his dog would like cold potatoes and ham, gets just that as well as an artichoke which he peels before exclaiming, "It might choke Artie, but it ain't gonna choke Stymie." At that point, he notices some dogs in a truck and frees them just as the gang once again accuses him of stealing them but Dorothy witnessed the whole thing and corroborates the story. So with Stymie and the gang in good graces again, they all try to prevent the dogcatcher from taking Pete to no avail. The dogcatcher then promises to kill Pete if he doesn't receive $5 in a half-hour. As Stymie prays, such a bill flies out of a woman shopper into his hand. With a cop chasing him, Stymie rushes with the gang to the dogcatcher who's already put the ring-around-one-eye dog in the gas chamber. "You're too late; he's dead by now." says the condescending man as Stymie cries. But the coworker tells him there's no gas in the cylinder. So as we see a healthy Pete inside and the gang says, "Go get him!", he runs after the now scared dogcatcher as they follow with Spanky in tow and the scene fades...This was another fine Stymie performance with Spanky a wonderful addition to the gang after only three shorts. In fact, in this one and the previous entry, Choo-Choo!, this little toddler gets a featuring credit with his face saying, "Hello folks!" and laughing just after the title and before the rest of the production credits. This seems to indicate just how popular George McFarland became after only his first two shorts. By contrast, Weezer here seems to be in decline as indicated by how few lines and scenes he has as compared to Spanky and Stymie considering he was just the lead in Dogs Is Dogs a little more than six months ago. Having said all that, The Pooch is another heartwarming short featuring our favorite pit bull, Pete. So, once again, The Pooch is another "Our Gang" short well worth seeing.
A personal favorite
wem15 July 2001
While it is usually pointless to choose favorite episodes of any continuing series, it is also irresistible. "The Pooch" happens to be my favorite movie from the OUR GANG/LITTLE RASCALS short subject series. Its blend of tear-jerking melodrama, comedy and social commentary epitomizes the strength of Hal Roach's RASCALS series.
While there is undeniable racial stereotyping in many of the OUR GANG shorts which makes for uncomfortable viewing today, the usual intent of the films (besides belly laughter and the occasional tear) was to break down barriers: both racial and socio-economic. Never was this more obvious than in "The Pooch" in which a black kid (Stymie) appears to be the older brother of a white kid (Spanky). And where both, quite poor and hungry (but never grim or humorless), explain to a counterman when he asks how they expect to get food with no money, "Well, we don't 'specks it, we just want it."
On a side note, this was also the last appearance of a descendent of the original Petie (the bull terrier with a circle around his eye). For whatever reason Petie's trainer and Hal Roach parted company after this short, and all future Peties were in fact impostors.
While there is undeniable racial stereotyping in many of the OUR GANG shorts which makes for uncomfortable viewing today, the usual intent of the films (besides belly laughter and the occasional tear) was to break down barriers: both racial and socio-economic. Never was this more obvious than in "The Pooch" in which a black kid (Stymie) appears to be the older brother of a white kid (Spanky). And where both, quite poor and hungry (but never grim or humorless), explain to a counterman when he asks how they expect to get food with no money, "Well, we don't 'specks it, we just want it."
On a side note, this was also the last appearance of a descendent of the original Petie (the bull terrier with a circle around his eye). For whatever reason Petie's trainer and Hal Roach parted company after this short, and all future Peties were in fact impostors.
A Movie with a Lot of Heart!
julianwest7412 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of my favorite episodes of Our Gang. It's very funny, but also quite poignant. Stymie is wonderful, and a very young Spanky is effortlessly charming.
It's the Depression, and the two appear to be pretty much on their own, begging for food. Stymie charms a woman by pretending he's asking for food for his dog ("He might nibble on that pie!"), but she quickly sees through his ruse and gives him a sumptuous meal, including an artichoke. Stymie attempts to unpack the vegetable, but gives up, saying, "It might choke Artie, but it ain't gonna choke Stymie!"
A mean dogcatcher grabs Stymie's dog Pete and takes him off to the pound. Stymie has only a half-hour to get $5.00 (a fortune for a kid back then) to pay for a dog's license, or Pete will be gassed. At his wits' end, Stymie prays to God to send him five dollars. Just then, a five-dollar bill that has blown out of a nearby woman's hand flutters down. Stymie exclaims, "Boy, that's what I call service!!" After some suspense, all ends well.
Some people today might call this film corny. Maybe it is. But it also says something about friendship and the love of a boy and his dog that is timeless.
I also feel that I have to respond to some of the earlier postings about this film. One person claims that the "...short begins with Stymie stealing a pie and eating it..." No, it doesn't. Stymie did eat the pie, and it wasn't his, but it happened off camera, before the movie began. And Stymie didn't "decide" to do something nice for the gang - he had an opportunity to help them, and he took it. The dog catcher was set up as the bad guy, and that's why he tried to kill Stymie's dog. (He failed.) If that's too creepy for kids, then so is Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You might remember that the Wicked Queen tried to kill Snow White in that one.
Another writer claims that no member of Our Gang is "in the center of it all." What movie did this person see? STYMIE is at the center of it all!! Pete is Stymie's dog, Stymie's the one begging for food, Stymie's the one trying to get back in the gang's good graces, Stymie saves the gang's dogs from the dog catcher, and Stymie's the one who cries when he thinks that his dog is dead. This is Stymie's movie all the way!
A third writer claims that "five stone-hearted White Adults" try to "intimidate Stymie into self-deporting to a "S@#$HOLE" country." This is ridiculous. The owner of the diner where the kids are sitting at the start of the film does eventually say "C'mon, you kids, scram, get out," but he DOESN'T yell it. He says it in a normal tone of voice. He's just a guy trying to make a living during the Depression and he can't afford to give food to destitute kids, but he seems sympathetic to them. He hardly seems "stone-hearted."
Stymie does trick one boy (a boy, not an adult) into tossing him a doughnut, but it immediately gets run over in the street. The reviewer then claims that people in the film "would sooner feed a hungry mutt than provide a meal to a starving child." This just isn't true. Stymie's ruse, that he's not begging for food for himself but for his dog, simply backfired. A nice young woman gave him a bunch of dog biscuits. She didn't refuse to give Stymie food at all. She gave him what she thought he wanted, food for his dog.
And then Stymie encountered the woman who gave him a feast! Pretty "stone-hearted," huh? Also, if you're keeping count, that's only four whites (and one of them was not an adult) and they were all nice. So where are the "five stone-hearted White Adults"?
This reviewer goes on to claim that then "a government official (dog catcher!) ups the ante, kidnapping Stymie's title pet and food provider" (actually just doing his job, although he was very nasty about it). The stuff about the governor of Michigan trying to find the most efficient way of eliminating the state's poor citizens is too insane to even comment on. And no, the short wasn't shot in Michigan, although I'm sure it had nothing to do with non-existent social engineering experimentation. Why should I even have to comment about lunacy like that?
It's the Depression, and the two appear to be pretty much on their own, begging for food. Stymie charms a woman by pretending he's asking for food for his dog ("He might nibble on that pie!"), but she quickly sees through his ruse and gives him a sumptuous meal, including an artichoke. Stymie attempts to unpack the vegetable, but gives up, saying, "It might choke Artie, but it ain't gonna choke Stymie!"
A mean dogcatcher grabs Stymie's dog Pete and takes him off to the pound. Stymie has only a half-hour to get $5.00 (a fortune for a kid back then) to pay for a dog's license, or Pete will be gassed. At his wits' end, Stymie prays to God to send him five dollars. Just then, a five-dollar bill that has blown out of a nearby woman's hand flutters down. Stymie exclaims, "Boy, that's what I call service!!" After some suspense, all ends well.
Some people today might call this film corny. Maybe it is. But it also says something about friendship and the love of a boy and his dog that is timeless.
I also feel that I have to respond to some of the earlier postings about this film. One person claims that the "...short begins with Stymie stealing a pie and eating it..." No, it doesn't. Stymie did eat the pie, and it wasn't his, but it happened off camera, before the movie began. And Stymie didn't "decide" to do something nice for the gang - he had an opportunity to help them, and he took it. The dog catcher was set up as the bad guy, and that's why he tried to kill Stymie's dog. (He failed.) If that's too creepy for kids, then so is Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You might remember that the Wicked Queen tried to kill Snow White in that one.
Another writer claims that no member of Our Gang is "in the center of it all." What movie did this person see? STYMIE is at the center of it all!! Pete is Stymie's dog, Stymie's the one begging for food, Stymie's the one trying to get back in the gang's good graces, Stymie saves the gang's dogs from the dog catcher, and Stymie's the one who cries when he thinks that his dog is dead. This is Stymie's movie all the way!
A third writer claims that "five stone-hearted White Adults" try to "intimidate Stymie into self-deporting to a "S@#$HOLE" country." This is ridiculous. The owner of the diner where the kids are sitting at the start of the film does eventually say "C'mon, you kids, scram, get out," but he DOESN'T yell it. He says it in a normal tone of voice. He's just a guy trying to make a living during the Depression and he can't afford to give food to destitute kids, but he seems sympathetic to them. He hardly seems "stone-hearted."
Stymie does trick one boy (a boy, not an adult) into tossing him a doughnut, but it immediately gets run over in the street. The reviewer then claims that people in the film "would sooner feed a hungry mutt than provide a meal to a starving child." This just isn't true. Stymie's ruse, that he's not begging for food for himself but for his dog, simply backfired. A nice young woman gave him a bunch of dog biscuits. She didn't refuse to give Stymie food at all. She gave him what she thought he wanted, food for his dog.
And then Stymie encountered the woman who gave him a feast! Pretty "stone-hearted," huh? Also, if you're keeping count, that's only four whites (and one of them was not an adult) and they were all nice. So where are the "five stone-hearted White Adults"?
This reviewer goes on to claim that then "a government official (dog catcher!) ups the ante, kidnapping Stymie's title pet and food provider" (actually just doing his job, although he was very nasty about it). The stuff about the governor of Michigan trying to find the most efficient way of eliminating the state's poor citizens is too insane to even comment on. And no, the short wasn't shot in Michigan, although I'm sure it had nothing to do with non-existent social engineering experimentation. Why should I even have to comment about lunacy like that?
Hmmm....kind of creepy!
planktonrules2 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This is not a bad Our Gang comedy--but some of the story elements are a bit creepy. My, how times have changed.
The short begins with Stymie stealing a pie and eating it--thus depriving the Gang from pie. Stymie doesn't see it as stealing--he just 'found it'. So, the gang shun him and even go so far as to put up signs telling Stymie to get lost...too bad he can't read! When Stymie realizes his plight, he decides to try to do something nice and help the guys--hoping they'll let him be their friend once again.
I don't want to divulge too much of the plot, but much of it concerns the dog catcher and a final scene where they are about to gas Pete the Pooch!!!! Fortunately, he is saved but this is pretty sick stuff. But, on the other hand, there is a wonderful scene with Spanky where he pretends to be a dog. Overall, worth seeing but a bit too creepy for kids.
The short begins with Stymie stealing a pie and eating it--thus depriving the Gang from pie. Stymie doesn't see it as stealing--he just 'found it'. So, the gang shun him and even go so far as to put up signs telling Stymie to get lost...too bad he can't read! When Stymie realizes his plight, he decides to try to do something nice and help the guys--hoping they'll let him be their friend once again.
I don't want to divulge too much of the plot, but much of it concerns the dog catcher and a final scene where they are about to gas Pete the Pooch!!!! Fortunately, he is saved but this is pretty sick stuff. But, on the other hand, there is a wonderful scene with Spanky where he pretends to be a dog. Overall, worth seeing but a bit too creepy for kids.
Puppy love leaves the audience cold in this one
Horst_In_Translation10 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"The Pooch" is a 20-minute black-and-white sound film from 1932, so this one has its 85th anniversary this year. It was written by Walker and directed by McGowan and now you probably know already that we have another Rascals / Our Gang short film on our hands here. Stymie, Wheezer, Spanky and the rest of the gang are all on board without one of them being in the center of it all as the focus this time is on Petey, the gang's dog and they have to make sure he is safe when a dog catcher poses an imminent threat. I find it a bit surprising Petey is not credited here as he is in several other Rascals short films despite being at the very center of it all this time, despite being the title character. Story-wise, there is nothing too special here and I must say the emotional impact was also far from what I would have expected with this possibly being a touching tale about puppy love. It is no such thing. Then again I am a bit biased when it comes to Our Gang as I have never been too big on this series. Anyway, the kids dialogues just almost never feel authentic and don't get me started about the treatment of child actors back in the day. Overall, this one like many other Rascals short films has not aged too well. It is probably not one of their most or least known and I personally give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.
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