The Kid from Borneo (1933)
Spanky
Stymie
Dickie
Well, folks, after that lunch chase, I’m keeping my sandwiches close and my coffee closer! The Kid from Borneo belongs to the original Our Gang series, the theatrical comedies many of us later discovered on television as The Little Rascals. It reached movie theaters on April 15, 1933, long before the gang became an afternoon television habit.
Directed by Robert F. McGowan for the Hal Roach organization and distributed by MGM, this two-reel comedy was the 122nd Our Gang release. Its appeal comes from a child’s misunderstanding snowballing into a household disaster. The adults supply an explanation; the children supply their own interpretation; and pretty soon, everybody needs running shoes.
Dickie, Dorothy, and Spanky are sent to visit their Uncle George at a sideshow. Instead, they mistake its attraction, Bumbo, for their relative. When Bumbo notices Stymie’s candy, his enthusiastic demands sound threatening to the frightened children. Their attempts to escape and manage their unexpected visitor turn a simple visit into a frantic chase.
George “Spanky” McFarland brings fearless curiosity and priceless reactions, while Matthew “Stymie” Beard supplies quick thinking and comic suspicion. Dickie Moore helps anchor the story as the children’s leader. Dorothy DeBorba, Wheezer Hutchins, and Tommy Bond also appear. Watch how the youngsters react to one another: the worried looks and sudden changes of confidence often sell a joke before anybody starts running.
Three things you might not know
1. Bumbo had a real boxing career.
John Lester Johnson, the actor playing Bumbo, was a professional boxer before becoming a familiar screen presence. In 1916, he fought future heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey in a ten-round bout generally recorded as a draw. Dempsey suffered broken ribs during the contest. That makes Johnson considerably more than a performer remembered for one outlandish costume: there was a serious athlete behind the slapstick.
2. Stymie’s famous hat had a comedy connection.
Beard’s oversized derby was a gift from Stan Laurel, another member of the Hal Roach comedy family. The hat became an instantly recognizable part of Stymie’s appearance. Laurel’s connection is a lovely reminder that these children worked within a studio community containing some of Hollywood’s finest comic performers. Stymie’s knowing expressions gave that borrowed bit of wardrobe a personality entirely his own.
3. The house wasn’t always a house.
The back porch where Spanky runs indoors was actually the rear of the Roach studio administration building, near its entrance gate. The production used seven shooting dates, January 9–16, 1933, with Sunday off. Clever locations and brisk scheduling helped turn an ordinary studio environment into the setting for an extraordinary mess. Look closely during the chase and imagine the office building hiding in plain sight.
There is another part of its history worth understanding: Bumbo’s characterization relies on racial and colonial stereotypes. The short was later removed from King World’s television package. That helps explain why some longtime Rascals viewers remember it less clearly. Today, we can appreciate the children’s timing while also recognizing the limitations of the material they were given.
Read Old School's introduction
Movie source
Our Gang collection, number 37 — original short (1933).
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