School Begins

1928 0h 20m EN

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 1

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

One of a handful of currently unavailable Hal Roach/MGM “Our Gang” silent films, School Begins was a series of gags built around the unenviable ritual of returning to school during the first week of September. School begins and some gang members are forging notes from their mother wanting out. Then too-young Wheezer parades by the school with escaped circus seals following him, causing a disturbance.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Joe Cobb
Joe
Jean Darling
Jean
Allen 'Farina' Hoskins
Farina
Bobby 'Wheezer' Hutchins
Wheezer
Mary Ann Jackson
Mary Ann
Harry Spear
Harry
Jimmy Farren
Kid Sitting Behind Harry
Billy Schuler
Kid

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert A. McGowan
Writers: Robert A. McGowan
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 20-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

98 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Our Gang: The Roach/MGM silents (1927–1929)" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert A. McGowan, shot by Art Lloyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard C. Currier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Joe Cobb and Jean Darling and Allen 'Farina' Hoskins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0234674 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert A. McGowan directs. Art Lloyd behind the camera. Richard C. Currier cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 20-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
298 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Our Gang: The Roach/MGM silents (1927–1929)" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Robert A. McGowan, shot by Art Lloyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Richard C. Currier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Joe Cobb and Jean Darling and Allen 'Farina' Hoskins carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0234674 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Art Lloyd
Editing: Richard C. Currier
Runtime: 20 min · 0h 20m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: School Begins (1928)

Part of

Our Gang: The Roach/MGM silents (1927–1929)

These silent Our Gang shorts were produced by Hal Roach Studios and distributed to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. All films are two reels (20 minutes) long, except Spook Spoofing, which is three reels (30 minutes) long.