The Spanking Age

This one has Mary Ann Jackson and Wheezer dealing with Evil Stepmother Lyle Tayo. She takes her own daughter, Jean Darling, to a swell party, leaving the others to mind the house and answer the door. So the three of them -- did I mention Pete the Pup? -- decide to throw a party and invite the Gang.

I always find the episodes in the series where the kids are just being kids the most enjoyable, and in this one, watching Mary Ann and Wheezer go about their nonsensical business in a perfectly serious manner is a lot of fun Mary Ann had come to Roach from the Sennett studio, where she was the child in the Smith Family series (a couple would be released after this short). Bobby 'Wheezer' Hutchins, on the other hand, was a Roach veteran, having been a member of the Rascals since the age of 2 -- that was 1927, the year before this movie, and he had been the star of THE OLD WALLOP. So they were both seasoned veterans.

And Pete? Pete was the best dog on the movie screen. Enjoy.