Mary Ann Jackson is a tiny menace in The Holy Terror (1929)

If you have twenty minutes and want to see a small child absolutely terrorize a group of boys, this is for you.

People who like polite, quiet kids will probably hate this.

It’s one of those early Our Gang talkies where everyone is still figuring out how microphones work.

Mary Ann Jackson is the star here, and honestly? She’s kind of scary.

The "gang" is fed up with her causing trouble, so they task Joe Cobb with "training" her.

Joe looks like he’s about to have a mid-life crisis and he’s maybe eight years old.

The way he tries to be the "man in charge" while wearing those giant pants is hilarious.

I noticed a scene where the kids are sitting around a table and the clatter of the dishes is louder than the dialogue.

That’s early sound for you. It’s like they hid the mic in a bowl of soup.

Allen 'Farina' Hoskins has this look of pure exhaustion that I deeply relate to. 😫

The "training" involves a lot of shouting and Mary Ann just doing whatever she wants anyway.

There’s a bit with a goat. Or maybe it was just a very fast dog? No, it was Pal the Wonder Dog.

He has more screen presence than half the human cast.

It’s not as polished as something like It's a Great Life, but it has more energy.

The pacing is a bit messy. It feels like they had five different ideas for jokes and just did them all at once.

I love how Mary Ann’s hair is just constantly vibrating from how fast she moves.

She’s like a tiny, angry tornado in a dress.

At one point, Joe tries to act tough and it’s clearly not working.

You can see him looking off-camera once or twice, probably making sure a producer isn't going to fire him.

It reminds me slightly of the chaos in Bobbed Hair, though obviously on a playground scale.

The ending doesn't really resolve anything, which is pretty realistic for kids.

They just kind of stop because they're tired of screaming.

It's worth a watch if you want to see why Mary Ann was the best of the bunch.

Don't expect high art. It's just kids being loud and messy.

Also, Pal the dog deserves an Oscar. Or a bone. 🦴