Like a lot of Gen Xers, I spent many afternoons watching The Little Rascals shorts on television during the 1970s and early 1980s. Consequently, I was very excited to read Julia Lee's entertaining and enlightening Our Gang: A Racial History of “The Little Rascals.” One of the few American cultural forms in the first half of the twentieth century to feature a racially integrated cast, the Our Gang shorts debuted in 1922 and continued to be produced until 1944. They also became immensely popular when they began running in syndication on television in the mid-1950s.
Lee's book focuses on the four African American Our Gang stars: Ernie “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Matthew “Stymie” Beard, and Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas. In addition to her discussions of comic talents, their experiences at Hal Roach Studios, and their lives after their acting careers ended, she examines the relationships among the four actors,...
