Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

"Thundering Fleas" is an "Our Gang" film from 90 years ago. The basics are the usual: It is silent, black-and-white and runs for slightly under 20 minutes. Writer an director have made many of these films, but this one here may have bigger names than usual in the cast as Charley Chase and Oliver Hardy appear as well. Unfortunately, they are only in here very briefly. Blink and you may miss them almost. The story is what the title says. The kids cause some trouble with their fleas and a poor dog pays the sacrifice. Overall, this was a pretty wild little movie, but it lacked the heart and comedy that some other "Our Gang" short films delivered. I do not recommend this one here. Nowhere near the best the series has to offer. The most interesting aspect may be the occasional animation, which is very unusual for the franchise.

As we well know fleas are not solitary creatures and the kids of Hal Roach's Our Gang Comedy Troupe have amassed quite a collection of the bugs. They can't resist being part from them for any length of time so they even bring them to a wedding they're invited to. Do I have to describe what happens when they get loose?This particular Hal Roach Our Gang short subject is noted for the presence of a pair of his adult comedy stars. Charley Chase is a wedding guest and Oliver Hardy plays a policeman. But these two are distinctly in support of the kids.Trying to spot them is half the fun of watching this short subject.

'Thundering Fleas' has been marketed on video as an Oliver Hardy and Charley Chase film. In fact, Hardy shows up only briefly (as a burly cop) but has some funny moments. Chase is glimpsed in only a tiny bit role, hiding behind what appears to be Chester Conklin's moustache. (From Chase's brief days at Mack Sennett's Keystone studio.) The best performance here is by James Finlayson: clean-shaven, but sporting an odd bit of lip-liner pencil that makes him look as if he's wearing Little Richard's moustache! Technically, this is an Our Gang comedy, starring some of my least favourite Hal Roach brats: ugly Mickey Daniels, hideous Joe Cobb and untalented Scooter Lowry. At least Mary Kornman and her sister Mildred are excellent here (as the bride's younger sister and flower girl), wearing prettier frocks and more elaborate hairstyles than usual. James Finlayson's son Alexander shows up as a boy in the wedding party. Long-time Laurel & Hardy nemesis Charlie Hall is seen briefly, but has almost nothing funny to do.Here's the plot: the kids collect some fleas, and then the fleas get loose at Martha Sleeper's posh wedding reception. There's one very unpleasant gag sequence early on, when the kids harvest fleas from the beard of a sleeping man, accidentally setting him on fire when their magnifying lens works as a burning-glass. I couldn't help being reminded of real-life occasions when juvenile delinquents have deliberately set fire to a tramp or homeless person as a 'joke'. In this movie, when the burning man jumps off a quay into the water, the scene is shot in a manner that emphasises the danger he's in, rather than playing for comedy. I just couldn't laugh.Several shots are badly framed. SPOILERS COMING. Near the end of this movie, there's a crude and unfunny animation sequence, depicting a flea that doesn't look remotely flea-like. This is followed by a gag that might have been funny if done properly. The fleas get loose near a statue of the Discobolus, and the statue comes alive and starts scratching himself. This gag MIGHT have been funny, except that I could clearly see the actor playing the statue (in body paint) fidgeting slightly before he was meant to start moving, so I knew that the 'statue' was alive all along.There's a lot of itching and scratching in this movie, but not much to laugh at. My rating: just 2 out of 10.

This is a very early Our Gang comedy, yet oddly when the film begins it says it stars James Finlayson and Charley Chase. Chase is barely in the movie at all and beneath a huge mustache it's hard to see that it's him. Finlayson does have a much larger role, but it's really the kids who are the star of this trifling comedy.The kids are somehow interested in collecting fleas for their own flea circus. At the same time, one of the gang's sisters is getting married so they all tag along for the free food. Unfortunately, they bring along a jar filled with fleas. Given the premise and title of the film, it's not a spoiler to say that the fleas get loose and cause the wedding to be a disaster--with everyone itching like crazy. Not exactly subtle humor and not terribly funny.In a small role, look for a pre-Laurel and Hardy solo performance by Oliver Hardy as a cop. It's not much to speak of, but if you're watching the film anyways, look for him.