Perennial Rascals

The kids look just about the same as they did a quarter of a century ago. Spanky MacFarland is built close to the ground, but always rises to an occasion. Alfalfa is wistful, but his cowlick won't stay put. Doe-eyed Farina has his black hair up in curlers, but is headed for trouble. Golden-haired Baby Jean is fickle: she generally falls for the kid with the shiniest fire engine. All of them get in and out of the same old scrapes, baffle grownups and outsiders, and always have ready answers to teacher's questions ("What is an escalator?" "Something that hangs around swamps").

The humor is low, the spirits high, and the kids still love it. Our Gang, the old Hal Roach series of one-and two-reel comedies, is back again, playing on TV in 61 U.S. cities. The success of the old films has been an eye opener to TVmen. In Manhattan, shown six times weekly in half-hour shows over WPIX, they have become the most popular afternoon feature for kids in the New York City area (almost a million and a half viewers). In St.

Louis the film rascals outrate all three competing programs combined. In Detroit they have an ARE rating of 35.8 against the 2.2 of their closest rivals. In Cleveland they do better than Superman, and in Hollywood, on one occasion, not even a spectacular could come close to them.

At least part of the reason for Our Gang's success lies in the nostalgia of an older generation. Surveys show that almost as many adults as children follow the little rascals in New York. But the reason why they fascinate a new generation of small fry is to be found in the quality of the rascals themselves and the brand of mischievous nonsense they generate. They are good kids without being goody-goody; they have a genius for getting into jams, but are ingenious at getting out. They may build a gang-size hook and ladder, charge downhill in it and fling sky-high all pedestrians along the way.

They may start a war, but nobody really gets hurt. The custard pies fly in a multitude of directions, but at the end the warriors are apt to be licking meringue rather than their wounds.

Outside the filmed comedies, the little rascals have grown up. Some, such as Eddie Bracken and Jackie Cooper, have continued successfully as actors. Others have dropped out of show business (Spanky MacFarland was recently working as a cigarette salesman in Texas).

Baby Jean is married and a TV actress by the name of Jean Darling. All of them are 25 years away from the days when teacher would ask, "If a hen laid two eggs here and I laid two eggs here--" and one of the gang would interrupt: "I don't think you can do it."

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