Clown Princes

The gang stages a circus in order to raise money for Porky's rent.

There are a few hints of the MGM films to come. First, we open on a crying Gang member, which became a popular MGM Our Gang motif. In this instance, Porky doesn't pull it off terribly convincingly, but we can be thankful it isn't the whiny Mickey who we're supposed to root for. Second, Darla's gone overboard into overacting land with her lion tamer routine, sounding like she's shouting her lines off a cue card. Finally, the circus itself is a little too elaborate; there sure were a lot of kids willing to donate their services! However, it's still good fun. The main four kids are still charming, as well as Shirley "Muggsy" Coates. Spanky and Leonard are funny as the "swell acrobats" and it's always amusing to see Clarence Wilson do his crotchety mean old man routine. It could probably rate pretty well against a Roach short, so that can't be too bad.