School's Out (1930) - The kids are kind of monsters and I love it

If you have twenty minutes to spare today, you should probably watch School’s Out. It is basically the peak of the Our Gang era where they actually felt like real, messy kids instead of polished child stars.

People who like unfiltered chaos will dig this. If you can't stand the sound of 1930s audio crackling or kids yelling over each other, you will probably hate it.

The whole plot is just a big misunderstanding. The kids see a man talking to Miss Crabtree and assume she’s getting married and leaving them forever.

Jackie Cooper is the lead here and he is so intense. He has this way of looking like he’s about to burst into tears or punch someone at any given second.

It’s actually kind of funny how much they worship Miss Crabtree. She’s played by June Marlowe, who has this incredibly kind face that makes you understand why a bunch of rowdy boys would behave for her.

There is a scene in the classroom where they are taking a test. Chubby is trying to cheat and it’s just pure physical comedy that doesn't feel forced.

I noticed the chalkboard in the background has some really weird drawings on it. It looks like a real kid actually drew them, which is a nice touch you don't always see.

Stymie makes an appearance too, though he’s still pretty new here. He just has this natural coolness that the other kids don't have yet.

The movie really gets going when they follow the brother to the swimming hole. They decide to hide his clothes and it’s honestly pretty mean-spirited in a way that feels authentic to how kids actually think.

They aren't trying to be "cute" for the camera. They are trying to ruin this man's afternoon so their teacher stays single.

The brother, played by Creighton Hale, takes a lot of punishment. He’s like a human cartoon character getting poked and prodded by these tiny terrors.

It reminds me a bit of the energy in Who Hit Me? where the comedy comes from just absolute confusion. There’s no big moral lesson at the end, which is refreshing.

I did find the transition between the school and the woods a bit jarring. It feels like they lost a few pages of the script or just ran out of film that day.

One thing that’s always weird in these old shorts is the pacing. A joke will land, and then the camera just lingers on a kid’s face for five seconds too long.

But that’s part of the charm, I guess. It feels like you are watching a home movie with a massive budget and a very talented dog.

Pete the Dog is barely in this one, which is a bummer. He’s usually the best part of any Our Gang short, but here he’s just kind of... there.

The dialogue is also surprisingly snappy. Most of it sounds like stuff kids would actually say, not what a middle-aged writer thinks kids say.

If you’ve seen The Kid Is Clever, you know how annoying child actors can be when they try too hard. These kids aren't trying; they are just existing loudly.

The ending is a bit abrupt. It just sort of stops once the misunderstanding is cleared up, but I suppose there wasn't much else to say.

Stuff I scribbled down:

• The way Farina looks at the camera is still legendary.
• The fake mustache bit is actually pretty clever for 1930.
• Miss Crabtree’s brother is a very good sport about being harassed by toddlers.
• I wish schools still had those giant inkwells, even if they were messy.

It’s a solid little film. It doesn't try to be anything other than a bunch of kids being weird and jealous.

Definitely worth a watch if you want to see where modern sitcom tropes started. Plus, the clothes they wear are just fascinatingly baggy.

I'll probably watch it again just to see the classroom scene. Chubby eating his way through a test is a total mood.