Second Childhood: When the Our Gang kids accidentally save a grump

Is this actually worth the time?

If you have a soft spot for classic shorts or just want to see 1930s kids causing absolute chaos in a mansion, you’ll probably get a kick out of this. If you have an allergy to sentimentality or 'heartwarming' life lessons, stay far away. It’s not exactly Crainquebille in terms of social weight, but it’s fine for a rainy afternoon.

Zeffie Tilbury is the whole show here. She plays the grumpy lady, Mrs. Henderson, with such commitment that you almost wish she stayed mean for the whole runtime. She’s got this way of clutching her pills and sighing at the sunlight like it’s a personal insult to her health. It’s funny because it’s so dramatic.

Then the toy airplane flies through the window. It’s a very 1936 moment. You can practically hear the string holding the prop up if you listen hard enough.

Spanky and the gang show up and the dynamic is exactly what you expect. They are loud, messy, and have zero respect for expensive vases. The seventy-five cent debt feels like a huge amount of money in the context of the film, which adds a weirdly grounded stakes to the whole thing. Most people today would probably just shrug, but for these kids, it’s a mission.

The yard work montage is standard fare. There’s a lot of running around and accidental slapstick that feels a bit more frantic than usual. It’s not subtle. But there’s a moment where Alfalfa tries to help and ends up looking like he’s having a minor crisis, which is a nice touch of personality.

Is the ending predictable? Absolutely. You know exactly when the music is going to swell and when the old lady is going to finally let out a genuine laugh. It’s like clockwork. It lacks the edge of something like La marmaille, but it’s not trying to be anything other than a quick pick-me-up.

Sometimes, movies like this are just nice to have on in the background. You don't need to analyze the 'human condition' here. Just watch the kids try to work for free and see if you can keep a straight face when the vase breaks. It’s a tiny, dusty piece of 1936. That’s enough for me today.

• That vase was probably doomed from the start.
• The way Tilbury looks at the sunlight is my new mood.
• Buckwheat’s reaction to the 'work' is the only honest part of the third act.
• Why is everyone so obsessed with seventy-five cents?