The Little Rascals is a
1994 comedy film produced by
Amblin Entertainment, and released by
Universal Pictures on August 5, 1994. The film is an adaptation of
Hal Roach's
Our Gang, a series of
short films of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s (later broadcast on television as
The Little Rascals) which centered around the adventures of a group of neighborhood
children. The film, with a screenplay by Paul Guay, Stephen Mazur, and
Penelope Spheeris — who also directed — presents several of the
Our Gang characters in an updated setting, and features re-interpretations of several of the original shorts. It was the first collaboration by Guay & Mazur, whose subsequent comedies were
Liar Liar and
Heartbreakers. The film grossed a worldwide total of $67,308,282
Plot summary
Spanky (
Travis Tedford) is the president of the "He-Man Women Haters Club" with many school-aged boys from around the neighborhood as members. His best friend, Alfalfa, has been chosen as the driver for the club's prize-winning undefeated go-kart, "The Blur", in the annual
Soap Box Derby style race. However, when the announcement is made, Alfalfa is nowhere to be found.
The boys catch Alfalfa in the company of Darla -- "a girl!" The club's members try their hardest to break the two apart, eventually causing their beloved clubhouse to burn down. Darla is mistakenly led to believe Alfalfa feels ashamed of her, so she turns her attentions to Waldo, the new kid whose father (played by
Donald Trump) is an oil tycoon. Spanky, Stymie and friends judge Alfalfa's punishment to be left guarding the go-kart day and night until the day of the race. Until that day comes, Alfalfa makes many attempts to woo back Darla including a visit to her ballet rehearsal, an undelivered love letter, and through serenade.