Darlings, let me tell you, as I was watching "The Shaggs" Saturday night, my mind kept flashing back to the much lauded "Book Of Mormon." And as I thought back to what made me uncomfortable with that show, my mind went farther back in time to something very important during my formative years--network reruns of "The Little Rascals."
Now, while I was uncomfortable with some of the 'Mormon' material, I never had a problem with any of the 'Rascals.' In fact, two of what I considered the most humorous episodes were eventually banned from the airwaves, very likely by those who would perceive nothing askew about "The Book Of Mormon." It leaves me to wonder.
The two episodes in question are the 1933 "The Kid From Borneo," and the 1935 "Little Sinner."
The first, and earlier one, is remembered chiefly for one famous line, spoken several times throughout--"Yum! Yum! Eat 'em up!," spoken like an actor resembling one of the Skull Island natives in "King Kong."
What actually happens is the Gang goes to a circus sideshow, to visit Dickie and Spanky's uncle, whom they mistakenly believe is "The Wild Man From Borneo." Somehow, they end up in an abandoned house, (as I best recall, not having seen this in over 40 years) which they are chased through by the title character. However, what inspires him to utter the famous is not a cannibalistic appetite, but a sweet tooth. The line is spoken only when one of the kids takes out some candy, to which he is drawn, and it is THIS he is going after, not the kids.
This was later removed from TV syndication, due to racial content. However, the child audience to whom this is directed, would not really grasp that. The humor of kids being chased by a strange character, uttering a famous, incantational nonsense line, is what got to so many, but the guilt ridden adults saw fit to deprive future audiences of this. One can only hope it is on a DVD set.
To those of a Certain Age, just uttering that line can produce peals of nostalgic laughter. And there is nothing wrong with that.
The second short, "Little Sinner," has Spanky and Co. playing hooky from Sunday school. The excuse is a brand new fishing pole, which Spanky wants to try. During the course of their excursion, they happen upon a Negro Baptismal Ceremony by the pond/river, which takes place during what turns out to be a solar eclipse. The first time I saw this, I was so young, I did not grasp all of these subtleties, and the result is visually eerie. But the disturbing atmosphere is interrupted, when the Baptismal choir breaks into a fast paced Gospel song, which accompanies the famous tracking shot of Buckwheat, fleeing through the woods, his curls and white ribbons blowing in the wind. Anyone who has seen this knows exactly what I am talking about. I wish I knew what hymn the choir is singing, so I could quote it here; I can hear it in my head, yet cannot reproduce it. But this is an iconic moment in "Little Rascals" history, and a real star turn for Buckwheat, who was given his big moments as much as the others. More, to some degree; there are more solo moments I remember from Buckwheat than Porky.
Yet, this is considered verboten, and "The Book Of Mormon" is not. I am not advocating censorship, or denigrating those who admire this lauded musical, but why cannot there be room for both????? I mean, how about the "Seinfeld" episode, where Jerry and a date get into a make-out session at a screening of...."Schindler's List?" Why is this considered inoffensive, but the humorous doings of a group of 30's children is not????? It just boggles my mind.
I hope future generations can experience the humor of these shorts, and that we come to a point where we enjoy them for the pure pleasure they offer, rather than the political guilt they induce in some. Perhaps those who would exclude these should examine just what they feel guilty about.
I mean, how many of us eat Buckwheat Pancakes??????????????????
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