School Begins

School Begins

Part of Our Gang: The Roach/MGM silents (1927–1929)

1928•20m•8.0/10

Comedy

Ratings

🎬TMDb

8.0/10(1)

One of a handful of currently unavailable Hal Roach/MGM “Our Gang” silent films, School Begins was a series of gags built around the unenviable ritual of returning to school during the first week of September. School begins and some gang members are forging notes from their mother wanting out. Then too-young Wheezer parades by the school with escaped circus seals following him, causing a disturbance.

Open in PickFlick

Production

Hal Roach Studios

Language

EN

Status

Released

Release Date

Cast

Joe Cobb

Joe Cobb

Joe

Jean Darling

Jean Darling

Jean

Allen 'Farina' Hoskins

Allen 'Farina' Hoskins

Farina

Bobby 'Wheezer' Hutchins

Bobby 'Wheezer' Hutchins

Wheezer

Mary Ann Jackson

Mary Ann Jackson

Mary Ann

Harry Spear

Harry Spear

Harry

Jimmy Farren

Kid Sitting Behind Harry

Billy Schuler

Kid

May Wallace

May Wallace

Harry's mother

The Wonder Dog Pal

Petie

More from Our Gang: The Roach/MGM silents (1927–1929)

Yale vs. Harvard

Yale vs. Harvard

The Gang turn to playing football, and face tough competition against the Gas House Garlics.

Yale vs. Harvard

1927

9.0

The Old Wallop

The Old Wallop

Wheezer likes to hit people on the nose, and his folks encourage him to do so. Then the Gang wandering off climbing atop a construction site while the builders have gone to lunch.

The Old Wallop

1927

7.5

Heebee Jeebees

Heebee Jeebees

A hypnotist comes to town and puts the gang in animal-like trances. Now that the spell is off, the gang returns back to their usual roles. But then while at an afternoon tea social , the spell returned, ruining a perfectly good afternoon.

Heebee Jeebees

1927

9.0

Dog Heaven

Dog Heaven

Poor Pete the Pup. He wants to hang himself because his master, Joe, has given up playing with him and going fishing for the love of a girl. A dog friend of Pete's stops him in the nick of time, and in flashback Pete tells him of his sorrows; Pete becomes a drunkard and is chased away by Joe. The last straw comes when another dog knocks Joe's sweetheart into a lake and Pete is blamed for it. Will Pete carry through with his suicide or will Joe apologize?

Dog Heaven

1927

5.8

Spook Spoofing

Spook Spoofing

As a joke, several members of the gang convince Farina, who is "brave but superstitious", that he's caused the demise of a young acquaintance and must therefore lay the body (actually still very alive) to rest in the old burying ground, under the watchful eye of "the graveyard witch". The joke backfires spectacularly on the pranksters.

Spook Spoofing

1928

7.7

Rainy Days

Rainy Days

Jay and Wheezer are left alone on a rainy afternoon when Mom goes out to run errands. But when their friends drop by and trash the place, the boys must struggle to clean up before Mom returns.

Rainy Days

1928

7.2

Edison, Marconi & Co.

Edison, Marconi & Co.

With Jay Edison as the inventor and Wheezer his assistant, the gang contrived an automobile of unusual construction; an automobile that will look like a submarine.

Edison, Marconi & Co.

1928

7.0

Barnum & Ringling, Inc.

Barnum & Ringling, Inc.

The kids decide to put on a circus at the local hotel. Seeing various pets and other domestic animals dressed up like circus animals was very cute--particularly the dachshund dressed as a seal! However, the animals all get loose and terrorize the hotel guests--including a drunk played by Oliver Hardy.

Barnum & Ringling, Inc.

1928

6.8

Fair and Muddy

Fair and Muddy

Living in an orphanage, the gang has to deal with Amanda, a child-hating spinster. To receive a bequest from a rich uncle, she must acquire a child. Thinking suspicion, the gang causes all kinds of havoc toward her including a mud battle.

Fair and Muddy

1928

8.0

Crazy House

Crazy House

Crazy House is a 1928 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 76th Our Gang short that was released. It was the final appearance of Jackie Condon, who was with the gang since the pilot episode of Our Gang in 1922.

Crazy House

1928

7.2

Growing Pains

Growing Pains

Mary Ann has a liking toward Wheezer. Her mother tells her that if she gives him cod liver oil, he can become a giant. A circus giant comes to board, learns the plan and substitutes for Wheezer.

Growing Pains

1928

8.0

The Ol' Gray Hoss

The Ol' Gray Hoss

This story revolves around an old man who feels alone in the world aside from the gang who keeps him company and his old horse. He runs a horse and buggy business, but he has new competition: an auto taxi. The gang helps him to maintain his job by sabotaging the other man's.

The Ol' Gray Hoss

1928

6.3

The Spanking Age

The Spanking Age

Mary Ann Jackson and Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins are the children of a widowed inventor who are forced to endure the cruelties of their stepmother and stepsister. The kids get even by rigging a few clever contraptions of their own. In the end the father sells a patent worth millions. Before that, the Our Gang kids bring out out the old "alum" gag, along with several other tried-and-true comedy bits.

The Spanking Age

1928

6.0

Fast Freight

Fast Freight

Fast Freight is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film. It was the 85th Our Gang short that was released. The gang takes a tramp's train ride and end up taking shelter in a haunter house.

Fast Freight

1929

8.5

Election Day

Election Day

This film revolves around Election Day, a day on which Jay R. and Joe are fighting to get votes. They warn the kids that they'll be socked in the jaw if they don't vote for them, but the kids are just trying to go about their business, namely Farina. His mother wants him to deliver laundry to her clients, but he can't go anywhere without being harassed by the gang. To escape them, he dons several costumes including that as an older woman, a dancer, and a scarecrow.

Election Day

1929

7.0

Noisy Noises

Noisy Noises

Joe Cobb is suffering through a toothache as well as having to babysit his little brother Rupert who won't stop crying. Every effort to calm Rupert is undone by an immediate commotion to wake him up. Joe rocks him to sleep, but then the neighbor starts playing his bass fiddle. Joe then rocks the cradle so hard it falls apart, and he trips and stumbles moving Rupert to the baby carriage, which subsequently rolls down hill through traffic with Rupert and a neighbor's monkey enjoying the ride.

Noisy Noises

1929

7.8

The Holy Terror

The Holy Terror

Mary Ann is becoming a serious problem to the other gang members and Joe was given the job of training and controlling her behavior.

The Holy Terror

1929

7.0

Wiggle Your Ears

Wiggle Your Ears

This is a really strange, but thought provoking film. Here, beloved Mary literally lets Harry Spear kick her behind, spend her money on him, and forces her to push his kiddie car, all so that she could get the occasional joy of watching Harry "Wiggle His Ears." Armchair Freudians and double-entendre fans will quickly get the "joke" here. He quickly dumps Mary for pintsized blonde bombshell Jean Darling. What happens? You'll see.

Wiggle Your Ears

1929

6.8

Little Mother

Little Mother

Little Mother is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Little Mother was the 87th Our Gang short to be released. A silent film, it followed Our Gang's first sound film, Small Talk, on the release schedule.

Little Mother

1929

6.8

Cat, Dog & Co.

Cat, Dog & Co.

Farina, Joe, and friends use dogs to power their "roadsters," but following a lesson from the head of the Be Kind to Animals Society, they make it their cause to rescue animals from bad treatment. Joe even manages to find patience for a nagging flea that persists in biting him. Meanwhile, Wheezer, who has been tormenting animals with his games, dreams that the animals have turned the tables on him.

Cat, Dog & Co.

1929

6.7

Saturday's Lesson

Saturday's Lesson

A man dressed as the devil scares the gang into minding their mothers.

Saturday's Lesson

1929

7.0

Recommended

Police

Police

Charlie is released from prison and immediately swindled by a fake parson. A fellow ex-convict convinces Charlie to help burglarize a house.

Police

1916

6.3

Convict 13

Convict 13

A young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak.

Convict 13

1920

6.7

Big Business

Big Business

Stan and Ollie play door-to-door Christmas tree salesmen in California. They end up getting into an escalating feud with grumpy would-be customer James Finlayson, with his home and their car being destroyed in the melee.

Big Business

1929

6.6

The Frozen North

The Frozen North

A mix of guns and mistaken identity leads to chaos in this satirical parody of William S. Hart's melodramatic westerns, finding Buster in the frozen north - "the last stop on the subway".

The Frozen North

1922

6.2

Why Worry?

Why Worry?

A hypochondriac vacations in the tropics for the fresh air - and finds himself in the middle of a revolution instead.

Why Worry?

1923

6.5

Back Stage

Back Stage

Roscoe and Buster give a bullying Strongman the what-for, but after the performance troupe quits it's up to Fatty and Buster to keep the show going.

Back Stage

1919

6.3

The Finishing Touch

The Finishing Touch

Stan and Ollie are hired to build a house in just one day. When they are done, a bird lands on the house and it collapses. Naturally, the owner wants his money back.

The Finishing Touch

1928

6.9

A Night in the Show

A Night in the Show

Mr. Pest tries several theatre seats before winding up in front in a fight with the conductor. He is thrown out. In the lobby he pushes a fat lady into a fountain and returns to sit down by Edna. Mr. Rowdy, in the gallery, pours beer down on Mr. Pest and Edna. He attacks patrons, a harem dancer, the singers Dot and Dash, and a fire-eater.

A Night in the Show

1915

6.2

The New Janitor

The New Janitor

The hero, a janitor played by Chaplin, is fired from work for accidentally knocking his bucket of water out the window and onto his boss the chief banker (Tandy). Meanwhile, one of the junior managers (Dillon) is being threatened with exposure by his bookie for gambling debts unpaid. Thus the manager decides to steal from the company.

The New Janitor

1914

6.2

My Wife's Relations

My Wife's Relations

Buster and a woman are mistakenly married and her initially unfriendly family begins to treat him nicely when they come to believe he has a large inheritance awaiting him.

My Wife's Relations

1922

6.2

Shanghaied

Shanghaied

A shipowner intends to scuttle his ship on its last voyage to get the insurance money. Charlie, a tramp in love with the owner's daughter, is grabbed by the captain and promises to help him shanghai some seamen. The daughter stows away to follow Charlie. Charlie assists in the galley and attempts to serve food during a gale.

Shanghaied

1915

5.9

Mabel's Married Life

Mabel's Married Life

Mabel goes home after being humiliated by a masher whom her husband won't fight. The husband goes off to a bar and gets drunk.

Mabel's Married Life

1914

5.8

Similar Movies

Klebolin Sticks to Everything

A couple of kids lay their hands on a pot of very strong glue and proceed to wreak havoc.

Klebolin Sticks to Everything

1909

3.9

The Reapers

The Reapers

While Death walks the earth collecting souls, her granddaughter Winona can't be bothered carrying on the family business.

The Reapers

2019

9.0

Te busco en todos

Te busco en todos

Merche rents his only son's room to Günther, a german youngster. She'll start to see him as a possibility to refill some empty spaces in her life.

Te busco en todos

2018

Toot Sweet!

Toot Sweet!

Ham is interested in a girl named Marie and wants to impress her. First he buys a car and then he takes her out to a swanky nightclub. During the course of this disastrous date Ham realizes that Marie isn't the nice girl he thought she was: she only went out with him to make her real boyfriend jealous. The boyfriend is a dancer at the club, and when she sees him kissing his dance partner she becomes enraged and smashes up the place, while poor Ham is stuck with the bill.

Toot Sweet!

1929

8.0

Приятного аппетита

Приятного аппетита

The cafe is almost empty. A customer tries in vain to choose a meal to his liking. The barmaid and two waitresses are discussing a recent radio program in which a retired waiter talks about the plight of his colleagues in the old days. The customer is nervous: borscht is impossible to eat, crayfish is already peckless, milk is sour, beer is warm.... The disappointed customer, leaving, says that he was the one who spoke on the radio. The waitresses apologize: they thought it was an ordinary customer, but now they will serve him in no time. The man refuses and in a peculiar way - by verse and personal example - gives a lesson in cultural service.

Приятного аппетита

1961

8.0

Clothes & Blow

Clothes & Blow

An American voice-over artist in London finds himself questioning his life of hookups and emotional avoidance when he receives an unexpected visit from his mother.

Clothes & Blow

2018

1.0

The Package

It's just a plain brown package, but everyone wants it. A classic MacGuffin in an existential Noir about role, identity, and desire.

The Package

2016

Wonderwall Guy

Wonderwall Guy

Wonderwall Guy brings his guitar to a party to impress girls and just won’t leave. A group of the fed up partygoers band together to try and get him out of there, but something unexpected happens…

Wonderwall Guy

2024

10.0

Big Noise Hank

Big Noise Hank

Hank Rouser, "Big Noise Hank," as a daring stranger had called him, was mad clear through. Julius Jones had faithfully promised to return that $500 after thirty days, and now it was long past due, and not even a line from Mr. Jones. So after a little friendly persuasion, in which Hank's six-shooter was brought into prominence, the bar was effectively cleared of its patrons, despite the protests of the barkeeper, and the bully sat down to dispatch a few terse sentences to his tardy friend, upon the receipt of which, Julius, with the aid of Caleb, his old family servant, quickly packed his traveling bag and started on a little journey, which he wrote to H. Rouser, would surely keep him away several months. (Moving Picture World)

Big Noise Hank

1911

Riders of the Purple Cows

Riders of the Purple Cows

When a gang of outlaws put Andy Clyde's ranch house under siege, daughter Alice Day recruits college heart throb Ralph Graves to save daddy.

Riders of the Purple Cows

1924

10.0

Honest Injun

Honest Injun

Johnny Arthur has been ordered to spend a year out west to toughen him up, so he and butler George Davis head out. The cowboys at the ranch don't like him, so Johnny and they play practical jokes on each other. However, when Virginia Vance is kidnapped, it turns out to be real desperadoes.

Honest Injun

1926

8.0

Whoa, Emma!

When wild horse Emma (Trixie the Horse) keeps opening the gates and freeing horses, ranch owner Molly (Molly Malone) hires Jimmie (Jimmie Adams) to deal with the problem. When he tames Emma, however, jealous ranch hands tie him up and kidnap Molly, so it's Emma to the rescue!

Whoa, Emma!

1926

9.0

PickFlick Assistant

Hi! I'm your PickFlick Assistant. Ask me about movies, TV shows, OTT sources, or anything about PickFlick.

Powered by CopilotKit