Fly My Kite (1931) review: Why this Our Gang short still hits hard

If you have twenty minutes to spare today, Fly My Kite is absolutely worth your time. It is a perfect watch for anyone who loves old-school slapstick with actual heart, though people who hate screeching kids or scratchy black-and-white films will probably want to skip it.

This is one of those classic Our Gang shorts where the stakes feel weirdly high. We are talking about a sweet old lady getting kicked out to the 'poor house' by her incredibly greasy son-in-law. 👵

The son-in-law is played by Jim Mason, and man, he has such a punchable face in this. He is just trying to please his new, very loud wife played by Mae Busch, who is always great at being mean.

But the real star here is Grandma, played by Margaret Mann. She has this incredibly sweet face that makes you want to protect her at all costs, which is exactly what the neighborhood kids decide to do.

There is a scene where the kids are just hanging out with her in her room. The way they look at her feels so real, like they actually loved this lady off-screen too.

Then we get to the actual plot engine: the kite. Grandma has these old bonds she thinks are totally worthless, so she lets the kids use them to make a tail for thier kite.

Of course, they are not worthless at all. They are worth a fortune, and the greedy son-in-law finds out.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Fly My Kite (1931) through its definitive frames.

This leads to a frantic, chaotic chase scene to get the kite down before the bad guys grab it. It is surprisingly suspenseful! 🪁

I love how Stymie (Matthew Beard) just steals every single scene he is in. He has this dry delivery that is way funnier than any of the physical gags.

There is a quick moment where he is talking to a dog that always makes me laugh out loud. It is just so random and charming.

Some of the humor is a bit dated, sure. And the sound quality is pretty rough in places, like a lot of early 1930s talkies like Millie or even The Whole Truth from around the same time.

But the energy is just so infectious. You cannot help but root for these scrappy kids fighting the system.

The ending is a bit abrupt, but honestly, it works. It does not overstay its welcome, which is more than I can say for most modern comedies.

Definitely give it a watch if you want a quick dose of pure, unrefined nostalgia.