I was lucky enough to meet Diana Serra Cary in Sacile, and I now recall a kind, very distinguished lady, but above all her intelligent, penetrating eyes, the same ones that sparkled as an unmistakable trait of “Baby Peggy”. Years later, in Pordenone, I met the unforgettable Jean Darling, to whom we paid tribute by re-scoring Crazy House; our encounters were truly exceptional, on a human and musical level. That’s why we returned to the Little Rascals this year. As always, the team saw some movies, and after a democratic vote they chose Dogs of War!
For me, even the musical selections were a return to childhood, with three pieces by Ettore Pozzoli, the first composer I had to learn on the piano, who was especially fashionable in my day. In the first part of the film (the battle of the tomatoes), three of his studies – Passano i soldati, Sfilata di marionette, and Il fabbro [Soldiers marching, Parade of the Marionettes, and The Blacksmith], when the fight gets tougher – were reworked according to the instruments at my disposal: piano, trumpet, horn, glockenspiel, bass and soprano xylophone, and, of course, the unfailing foley artists. When the action shifts to the studios, the main theme, a fox-musette by Luciano Fancelli called Cartoons, enhances the irresistible gags of our heroes (Farina being the favourite) on accordion. The most theoretical moment, in terms of style (the film within the film), is entrusted to Daniel Steibelt’s Adagio, performed on piano and cello. And since everything has to have a glorious ending, the final fugue is a recap of the initial march.

Maria Luisa Sogaro

After Charlie Chaplin created the “service comedy” in 1918 with Shoulder Arms every comic had to spend some time in uniform – even Our Gang. The first reel of Dogs of War! chronicles the Gang’s Battle of Kelly’s Tomato Patch, complete with rotten cabbage grenades, watermelon mortars, and a skunk gas attack. When nurse Mary Kornman has to go “work in the movies and earn five dollars,” this provides the link for Reel 2’s tour of the Hal Roach Studio. Besides running all over the lot and its standing sets, the kids even interrupt Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston, who are busy shooting Why Worry? (1923).
There had been many kids comedies before Our Gang, but the spontaneity of the films, high quality of the gags, and memorable child performers kept the series in production until 1944. Hal Roach’s idea had been for a cast of just kids, tattered and full of spirits, and the first group of Gang members – “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison, Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, Joe Cobb, Allen “Farina” Hoskins – had been rounded up mostly through friends and studio employees. These kids became the archetypes that were repeated during Our Gang’s long run – a feisty, freckle-face kid and the pretty heroine that he has a crush on, a good-natured fat boy, and a wise black child (usually named after a breakfast cereal). As the original kids aged out, new recruits were eased into their place.
Much of the success of the series can be attributed to its guiding light, the overlooked Robert McGowan, who supervised the shorts until 1933. A former fireman who decided he wanted to write movie stories after running a nickelodeon, McGowan arrived in Hollywood in 1913. When tapped for Our Gang he had been writing scripts and occasionally directing for Nestor, Christie, Mr. & Mrs. Carter De Haven, and Eddie Lyons comedies. McGowan loved working with kids and made the shooting fun for them – which spills over into the films. This, along with his sensitivity to their feelings and a focus on their view of the world, has kept the shorts fresh and funny.

Steve Massa