Silent Little Rascals (Our Gang) Shorts Coming to Blu-ray! - Blu-ray Forum

ClassicFlix · 06-16-2022, 09:11 PM

With the release this week of The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 6, we have completed the restoration project on the 80 Hal Roach Little Rascal (Our Gang) sound shorts which started over two years ago, and can now turn our full attention to restoring and releasing on Blu-ray and DVD as many of the 88 silent Our Gang films which survive.

PROJECT GOALS
We already have over 60 Our Gang silent films scanned and expect to eventually restore and release between 50 - 60 shorts from 35mm and pristine 16mm elements on both Blu-ray and DVD. The remaining 20 or so shorts which survive only in fragments or on very poor 16mm, 9.5mm or 8mm elements will be released solely on DVD as most are in very rough shape. There's also a chance we'll include them as bonus features on one or more of the Blu-ray Volumes, instead of just on DVD.

TIMELINE
We had initially anticipated releasing some of the silents in the fall of 2022, but due to the complexity of tracking down, piecing together and restoring the silents, as well as the up front cost associated with the project, the first Volume is schedule for November 2024.

A side note: 4 restored Our Gang silents were included as bonus features in The Little Rascals - The Complete Collection (Centennial Edition) released in November 2022.

RELEASES ALREADY ANNOUNCED

The Little Rascals - The Restored Silents, Volume 1 - 11/19/2024

Stay tuned for more updates on this thread.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

ClassicFlix · 06-16-2022, 09:14 PM

Some previous clips we posted of RAW SCANS...

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

ClassicFlix · 06-16-2022, 09:15 PM

A clip of a RAW SCAN just posted today...

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

Areyakiddin · 06-16-2022, 09:18 PM

Will there be new musical scores created for these silent shorts or will existing period recordings be used like in the clip above?

ClassicFlix · 06-16-2022, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Areyakiddin

Will there be new musical scores created for these silent shorts or will existing period recordings be used like in the clip above?

Yes, there will be new musical scores.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

Froggy0705 · 06-17-2022, 03:49 AM

I got all 6 volumes of these shorts now. But your mentioned classicflix that some silents will be a bonus on the box set...however will these be available in the individual volumes?

ClassicFlix · 06-18-2022, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Froggy0705

I got all 6 volumes of these shorts now. But your mentioned classicflix that some silents will be a bonus on the box set...however will these be available in the individual volumes?

Yes, the 3 or 4 silent shorts which will be bonus features in the "Complete Collection" of the 80 sound shorts coming later this year will be made available in the stand alone silent volumes/sets.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

Freeza · 06-17-2022, 11:41 AM

Any chance of an SD on blu-ray release of the 'weathered' silents? Perhaps as a bonus disc to accompany any possible box collection released once the restored shorts volumes are at retail?

ClassicFlix · 06-18-2022, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freeza

Any chance of an SD on blu-ray release of the 'weathered' silents? Perhaps as a bonus disc to accompany any possible box collection released once the restored shorts volumes are at retail?

No, it's much too costly. All shorts not deemed "HD worthy" from 16mm will be released on DVD.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

WaverBoy · 07-27-2022, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClassicFlix

No, it's much too costly. All shorts not deemed "HD worthy" from 16mm will be released on DVD.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

The 16mm shorts would still benefit from HD, surely? I beg you on bended knees to reconsider your decision to not put all of the Our Gang silents out on Blu in chronological order. A complete Blu-ray set of the existing silents would be infinitely preferable.

I’m betting you could drum up quite a bit of funds through a Kickstarter (NOT Indiegogo). It’s Our Gang, after all, and ClassicFlix has a fantastic track record.

ClassicFlix · 07-27-2022, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

The 16mm shorts would still benefit from HD, surely? I beg you on bended knees to reconsider your decision to not put all of the Our Gang silents out on Blu in chronological order. A complete Blu-ray set of the existing silents would be infinitely preferable.

I’m betting you could drum up quite a bit of funds through a Kickstarter (NOT Indiegogo). It’s Our Gang, after all, and ClassicFlix has a fantastic track record.

We have already scanned several from 16. Some are likely to be on BD, but the majority won't as they are just too muddy. Spending the extra money on restoration, authoring and replication doesn't make sense.

The way it now stands, we'll likely put out a Volume or two of BD and DVD releases, then 2 - 3 volumes of only DVD releases.

We already tried crowdfunding the sound shorts and that didn't work out so well, so these'll have to be released piecemeal like the sound ones eventually were.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

Vilya · 07-27-2022, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClassicFlix

We already tried crowdfunding the sound shorts and that didn't work out so well, so these'll have to be released piecemeal like the sound ones eventually were.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

I'll buy' em! Serve 'em up!

WaverBoy · 07-28-2022, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClassicFlix

We have already scanned several from 16. Some are likely to be on BD, but the majority won't as they are just too muddy. Spending the extra money on restoration, authoring and replication doesn't make sense.

The way it now stands, we'll likely put out a Volume or two of BD and DVD releases, then 2 - 3 volumes of only DVD releases.

We already tried crowdfunding the sound shorts and that didn't work out so well, so these'll have to be released piecemeal like the sound ones eventually were.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

By complete I didn’t mean releasing them all at once, I meant an (eventually) complete set of Blu-ray volumes in chronological order like the sound shorts. I know the last crowdfunding venture didn’t work out so well but I think that was probably because the IndieGogo platform isn’t nearly as well known or accepted as Kickstarter. And, there are a bunch of rabid silent film fans that have backed many a successful silent film Blu-ray release Kickstarter. Posting the notice on Nitrateville is the key, and there are also several popular silent film Facebook groups. And the Our Gang films are famous. Anyway, I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask/suggest/beg/grovel/etc.

ZzZzZzZ · 06-17-2022, 06:22 PM

Love the Our Gang silent shorts.

ClassicFlix · 07-08-2022, 07:05 PM

Independence Day may be over, but The Gang doesn't let that stop them...

As we continue to gather materials for releasing Our Gang's silent shorts on Blu-ray and DVD, we're glad to be able to share this clip of a 4K raw scan from 1927's The Glorious Fourth (with Dutch intertitles).

It will also be restored in 4K.

ENJOY!

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

ZzZzZzZ · 07-09-2022, 08:10 PM

Some of these are gonna look terrific

whiteberry · 07-09-2022, 08:27 PM

A 4K scan of a silent Our Gang short?

ClassicFlix · 07-13-2022, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whiteberry

A 4K scan of a silent Our Gang short?

Yep! Most of the over 30 scans so far are 2K, but we've got 3 in 4K at this point in the project. Not only will they look very on good on BD/DVD, but we expect to eventually offer them for theatrical presentations.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

ClassicFlix · 07-20-2022, 08:02 PM

We just posted clips of a raw scan of the 1928 silent Our Gang short Barnum & Ringling, Inc.

The main title card is missing, and all the intertitles are only "flashes", but the clips (one from each reel) show the relatively nice shape this later short is in.

Look for Oliver Hardy and Roach regular Dorothy Coburn in brief cameos.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

Don Corleone · 07-27-2022, 03:34 PM

Im curious. How many silent shorts survived. Some say 80 or 88. I also heard as many as 60 plus are lost forever. Again just curious. I have the first 4 volumes and will get the last 2 soon. Thanks for all the hard work that you do classic flix

07-09-2022, 08:27 PM	#17
whiteberry Blu-ray Knight Top contributor Member since:Jun 2013	A 4K scan of a silent Our Gang short? Last edited by whiteberry; 07-09-2022 at 08:53 PM.

06-16-2022, 09:18 PM	#4
Areyakiddin Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Apr 2022 4K collection:136 Blu-ray collection:1451 DVD collection:74 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:20	Will there be new musical scores created for these silent shorts or will existing period recordings be used like in the clip above?

06-17-2022, 03:49 AM	#6
Froggy0705 Active Member Member since:Jun 2020 Location:Fort Collins, Colorado	I got all 6 volumes of these shorts now. But your mentioned classicflix that some silents will be a bonus on the box set...however will these be available in the individual volumes?

06-17-2022, 11:41 AM	#8
Freeza Expert Member Member since:Oct 2010 4K collection:674 Blu-ray collection:8460	Any chance of an SD on blu-ray release of the 'weathered' silents? Perhaps as a bonus disc to accompany any possible box collection released once the restored shorts volumes are at retail?

06-17-2022, 06:22 PM	#14
ZzZzZzZ Member Member since:Jan 2021	Love the Our Gang silent shorts.

07-09-2022, 08:10 PM	#16
ZzZzZzZ Member Member since:Jan 2021	Some of these are gonna look terrific

07-27-2022, 03:34 PM	#20
Don Corleone Power Member Member since:Apr 2011 Location:Connecticut Blu-ray collection:269 Trading Score:534	Im curious. How many silent shorts survived. Some say 80 or 88. I also heard as many as 60 plus are lost forever. Again just curious. I have the first 4 volumes and will get the last 2 soon. Thanks for all the hard work that you do classic flix

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