Yum Yum Eat'em Up!
Time for a little levity. It's Friday and I need to laugh.
Yesterday I was on youtube taking a break, looking for something to make me laugh, and I typed in the Little Rascals. I don't think I've laughed so hard or so much in a long time, and it's been a long time since I watched Spanky, Stymie, and the rest of the gang cutting up. Decades later and they are still fresh! Yeah, there is the occasional stereotype that could be offensive taken out of context. But honestly, the natural fun the kids get up to, and the interracial cast, with black actors like Matthew "Stymie" Beard (who got paid the highest when he was on the show) taking center stage makes these pretty ahead of their time. Take a look at the clip from the episode "The Kid from Borneo" then tell me you didn't laugh until your stomach hurt. I've just a clip (the full episode was pulled off by a company that allegedly holds a copyright on the clips I used to have here), but there are other clips on youtube. Another favorite of mine is "Milk and Mush" featured here.
Yum Yum Eat'em Up!
FYI, Bumbo, the kid from Borneo, was a professional boxer turned actor named John Lester Johnson who once went ten rounds with boxing champ Jack Dempsey. It's a shame he had to take silly roles like this, but the man had to eat, and those were unfortunately the times.
Yesterday I was on youtube taking a break, looking for something to make me laugh, and I typed in the Little Rascals. I don't think I've laughed so hard or so much in a long time, and it's been a long time since I watched Spanky, Stymie, and the rest of the gang cutting up. Decades later and they are still fresh! Yeah, there is the occasional stereotype that could be offensive taken out of context. But honestly, the natural fun the kids get up to, and the interracial cast, with black actors like Matthew "Stymie" Beard (who got paid the highest when he was on the show) taking center stage makes these pretty ahead of their time. Take a look at the clip from the episode "The Kid from Borneo" then tell me you didn't laugh until your stomach hurt. I've just a clip (the full episode was pulled off by a company that allegedly holds a copyright on the clips I used to have here), but there are other clips on youtube. Another favorite of mine is "Milk and Mush" featured here.
Yum Yum Eat'em Up!
FYI, Bumbo, the kid from Borneo, was a professional boxer turned actor named John Lester Johnson who once went ten rounds with boxing champ Jack Dempsey. It's a shame he had to take silly roles like this, but the man had to eat, and those were unfortunately the times.
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