Before Spanky, Alfalfa and Darla, there was Sammy, Mickey and Mary.

Years in the making, with over 800 man-hours of restoration invested in the shorts in this collection, ClassicFlix presents The Little Rascals - The Restored Silents, Volume 1 this November 19th (later changed to January 21, 2025).

Volume 1 showcases the franchise in its infancy, including Our Gang (1922)—the premiere short in the series put together from eight different sources and now in its most complete form. See below for the synopsis as well as some clips from a few of the shorts.

We'll also be re-releasing the 80 restored Our Gang sound shorts in a bare-bones budget release DVD set (without bonus features) on the same date (description also below). 

A SPECIAL NOTE: Because we have received so many questions regarding the Our Gang silents over the last few years, but especially over the last few months, we'd like to address some FAQs in this announcement.

WILL CLASSICFLIX BE RESTORING AND RELEASING ALL THE SILENT OUR GANG'S ON BLU-RAY?
We expect to release most of them on Blu-ray. Of the 88 shorts, at least four are completely lost, while several others remain only in fragment form. If Volume 1 sells well, we'll continue to release subsequent volumes with the same level of restoration. If sales are below expectations, we'll likely have to reduce our restoration budgets, but will still release them on Blu-ray. If sales are very poor, we may only do minimal restoration and release the over 50 scanned shorts we have so far on DVD only.

WILL THERE EVENTUALLY BE A BLU-RAY SET RELEASED OF ALL YOUR RESTORATIONS?
If the shorts sell well, yes, but it won't be for another 3 - 5 years. If they don't, there will not be an eventual collection.

WILL THE RESTORED SHORTS EVENTUALLY BE RELEASED ON DVD?
They may eventually be released on DVD in a collection, and if they are, it likely won't be for another 3-5 years.

WHY AREN'T YOUR VOLUMES PRESENTING THE SHORTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER?
Unlike the sound Our Gang shorts, it is impossible to present the silents in chronological order because 1) some shorts are missing or only survive in fragments and 2) some material only survives in soft, damaged or generally very poor condition.

WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO LONG TO RELEASE THESE SHORTS?
There is a reason no other company or individual has taken on trying to find and restore the Our Gang silents—the sheer difficulty, magnitude and risk of the project is enough to scare most away.

Additionally, there isn't one place to go to find the material as a majority of the shorts are in the hands of individual collector's who have to be found. And once found, they are likely not complete so that involves additional searches to find material to fill in the gaps as best as possible. Even then, the material is generally in such poor shape that a major restoration is needed.

All that said, we already have another 50 Our Gang silent shorts scanned so we know we'll be releasing them in some form, and sooner rather than later as many of them are on 35mm (as opposed to Volume 1 which has a majority from 16mm) which means, in most cases, they are in slightly better shape. Our goal is to release at least two more volumes in 2025 if Volume 1 sells well.

The Little Rascals - The Restored Silents, Volume 1

Remastered and beautifully restored, eight rare silent Our Gang shorts make their Blu-ray debut in ClassicFlix's The Little Rascals - The Restored Silents, Volume 1.

Before Spanky, Alfalfa and Darla, there was Sammy, Mickey and Mary.

First inaugurated in 1922, comedy producer Hal Roach's Our Gang series (later re-titled The Little Rascals for TV syndication) would become the longest-running and most prolific in the history of movie comedy short subjects with 220 entries in all.

Volume 1 showcases the franchise in its infancy, including the premiere short put together from eight different sources and now in its most complete form, Our Gang (1922). The collection also features seven of the next eight shorts in the series produced in 1922 and 1923: Fire Fighters, Young Sherlocks, One Terrible Day, Saturday Morning, The Big Show!, The Cobbler and The Champeen!

A must-have for any true Our Gang fan, The Little Rascals - The Restored Silents, Volume 1 stars the delightful kiddie troupe of Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, Jackie Condon, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, Jack Davis, Joe Cobb and Peggy Cartwright.

Also included is the bonus short The Pickaninny (1921), a two-reel comedy which showcases a pre-Our Gang Ernie Morrison in his first starring role, and shows why Hal Roach had confidence the talented actor was not only able to carry a film all by himself, but also had a budding star he could build an entire series around.

Each short also has a newly recorded musical accompaniment performed by either Ben Model and Dr. Philip Carli.

The Little Rascals - The Complete Collection

For generations, Our Gang comedies have been enjoyed by millions of fans the world over. Now, you can see The Little Rascals like never before—with restorations so glorious, it will be like watching these iconic shorts for the first time!

In 1922, producer Hal Roach introduced the kiddie troupe known as "Our Gang" to theater audiences and kicked off one of the most popular and prolific franchises in the field of short subjects, with 220 one- and two-reel comedies released over a twenty-two year period.

By the late 1920s, the series (later re-titled "The Little Rascals" for TV syndication) made the transition from silents to “talkies” and would soon embark on its most revered and best remembered period–the 80 sound shorts made at Hal Roach Studios between 1929 and 1938–all of which are included in this one-of-a-kind collection.

A must-have for any true Our Gang fan, this 4-disc set features the talents of George "Spanky" McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, Darla Hood, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Jackie Cooper, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, Eugene "Porky" Lee and many, many more. be as well.

About the restorations: Each short has been newly scanned from original Hal Roach 35mm film elements. Remastered, uncut and beautifully restored, now you can see The Little Rascals like never before. With restorations so glorious, it will truly be like watching these iconic shorts for the first time!