This Hal Roach comedy short, Dog Days, is the thirty-sixth entry in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series. As the short begins, Jackie's dog is jumping over his owner and Mickey and Joe. Mickey's dog learns how to sit. Both Mickey and Jackie say to Joe afterwards, "Let's see your dog p'form that trick." Joe tries to get his dog to fetch a stick but he runs the other way. Mickey's mother comes and makes her son keep an eye on his baby brother Mortimer who's laying on a blanket at the field the gang is playing in. After she leaves, Mickey gives that job to his dog who's on a leash. Instead, while Mickey goes with his friends to look at a gopher, the dog takes off his collar and drinks the milk bottle that's near the baby. The dog also drinks some of a cat's milk nearby. After Mickey finds out, he disowns him. In another part of town, society girl Mary is taking a ride with a horse pulling her open-air carriage. For some reason, the horse gallops quickly causing Mary to panic. The gang sees this and Mickey sends his dog to rescue her. He does by confronting the horse. Mary, grateful for the dog and his owner for saving her life, invites the whole gang to her birthday party. When they arrive, the mother does not approve of her daughter's new scruffy friends but reluctantly gives in after Mary causes a fit. After Mary blows out her candles and everyone has cake, Mickey asks Joe where his dog is. Joe goes to the room his dog is in and finds a litter of puppies! After showing everyone what happened, Joe says to Mickey, "Let's see your dog p'form that trick!"...This was a sweetly amusing "Our Gang" entry that brings more smiles than laughs but the kids personalities are so charming at this point that you get sucked in just the same. Of note here is the addition of Eugene "Pinapple" Jackson, who replaced Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison a few shorts ago. Eugene got his nickname from Hal Roach because of his clutch of hair. Speaking of Ernie, his father, Ernie, Sr., plays the butler here. So on that note, Dog Days is not hilarious in the usual Hal Roach tradition but is a sweetly amusing tale that does not overdo the sentiment. P.S. Kudos to the YouTube poster for once again adding the LeRoy Shield "Little Rascals" score to this short.
4 Reviews
Long lost Gang comedy provides more warmth than howls
Damonfordham22 April 2008
This long-lost (until recently) Our Gang comedy is filled with elements that make the silent Our Gangs so special to those of us who belong to their underground cult of admirers.
In a nutshell, this deals with the Gang enjoying their dogs "p'forming" some interesting tricks until one of them comes to the rescue of our lady of cuteness Mary Kornman, playing a rich girl as she did in "Mary Queen of Tots" and "Derby Day." The cute one invites the poor kids of the Gang to her birthday party as a reward, and LOOK OUT! On the whole, none of this will cause you to bust your guts and bang on the floor in hysterical laughter, but it's all quite charming in its simplicity and I would highly recommend it.
In a nutshell, this deals with the Gang enjoying their dogs "p'forming" some interesting tricks until one of them comes to the rescue of our lady of cuteness Mary Kornman, playing a rich girl as she did in "Mary Queen of Tots" and "Derby Day." The cute one invites the poor kids of the Gang to her birthday party as a reward, and LOOK OUT! On the whole, none of this will cause you to bust your guts and bang on the floor in hysterical laughter, but it's all quite charming in its simplicity and I would highly recommend it.
One of the Better Our Gang Shorts
Michael_Elliott27 January 2011
Dog Days (1925)
*** (out of 4)
Entertaining Our Gang short has the kids in the streets trying to teach their dogs tricks with the owner bragging about whose dog is the best. Soon Mickey's dog rescues a rich girl (Mary Kornman) after her horse runs away with her in the cart. The kids are invited to her party when trouble follows. Apparently DOG DAYS is one of the handful of shorts that were at one time lost only to be rediscovered years later. From what I've read this one here is still missing quite a bit of footage as it barely runs 12-minutes, which is a lot shorter than most films in the series. Either way, this was a pleasant entry and certainly one of the best I've seen up to this point in the series. I think what makes it work so well are the animals and the various tricks we get to see. The majority of them are quite nice to watch and this includes the big scene where the dog manages to catch up with the horse and jump on the back of the cart to save the day. Also funny were several moments where Mickey tells the gang to follow Mary's lead when it comes time to eat and poor Joe gets put through the pains of not being able to eat the ice cream.
*** (out of 4)
Entertaining Our Gang short has the kids in the streets trying to teach their dogs tricks with the owner bragging about whose dog is the best. Soon Mickey's dog rescues a rich girl (Mary Kornman) after her horse runs away with her in the cart. The kids are invited to her party when trouble follows. Apparently DOG DAYS is one of the handful of shorts that were at one time lost only to be rediscovered years later. From what I've read this one here is still missing quite a bit of footage as it barely runs 12-minutes, which is a lot shorter than most films in the series. Either way, this was a pleasant entry and certainly one of the best I've seen up to this point in the series. I think what makes it work so well are the animals and the various tricks we get to see. The majority of them are quite nice to watch and this includes the big scene where the dog manages to catch up with the horse and jump on the back of the cart to save the day. Also funny were several moments where Mickey tells the gang to follow Mary's lead when it comes time to eat and poor Joe gets put through the pains of not being able to eat the ice cream.
Oddly, the Gang is very well behaved in this one!
planktonrules5 September 2021
In the early Our Gang silent comedies, Ernie Morrison played Farina's older brother. Well, in 1924, Ernie's parents decided to put him in Vaudeville so this left a Farina (who was often billed as a girl even though he was played by Allen Hoskins) without a brother. So, for a few films they had Eugene Jackson play 'Pineapple'.... Farina's older brother. "Dog Days" is one of these films with Jackson.
The boys are all comparing what tricks their dogs can do but it seems only Mickey's dog has any abilities. He not only can be sneaky, but he is a real hero when Mary's pony cart runs amok with her in it...and the dog saves her. As a result, she is grateful and invites the Gang and the hero dog to her birthday party...where, oddly, the Gang is actually pretty well behaved!!
Overall, it seems as if the filmmakers were going less for laughs in this one and more for a stronger story. I appreciate this and think it's actually among the better Our Gang silents. Well worth seeing.
The boys are all comparing what tricks their dogs can do but it seems only Mickey's dog has any abilities. He not only can be sneaky, but he is a real hero when Mary's pony cart runs amok with her in it...and the dog saves her. As a result, she is grateful and invites the Gang and the hero dog to her birthday party...where, oddly, the Gang is actually pretty well behaved!!
Overall, it seems as if the filmmakers were going less for laughs in this one and more for a stronger story. I appreciate this and think it's actually among the better Our Gang silents. Well worth seeing.
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