Our Gang of Hal Roach's rascals - the real gang, individually and in person - descended on Kansas City at 7:30 o'clock today and could not wait until show time to begin playing their jokes.
The gang's special car on the Wabash railroad was no more than parked when Farina - his real name is Allen Farina Hoskins - seized delightedly upon a camera of a news photographer and gave orders to his companions to stand this way and that.
Freckles Hides in Berth.
Freckles, whose school name is Harry Spear, hid away in the corner of his berth so that his mother had to use a flashlight to find him. Mrs. Spear dragged him out by the seat of the pajamas while the others in the gang shrieked their delight.
Pete, the dog, stole a slipper which properly belonged upon the small foot of Jean Darling, and Joe Cobb mumbled sleepily from his berth that he wasn't ever going to get up again.
Then they all trooped up and down the aisle of their car until distracted mothers and fathers disrupted the parade and forced them into their street clothing.
Farina Leads Parade.
Then out onto the platform, Farina led the procession with the camera in his hands, then Mary Ann, Wheezer, Jean Darling, Freckles and Pete. Last of all came Joe Cobb, yawning and protesting.
Sleepy mothers and fathers were relieved when the gang was stowed safely away in taxicabs, after posing for a yawning picture under the direction of Ray Coffin, director of the gang.
"When do we eat?" was the first demand of the gang. Joe Cobb's demands for food were heard above all the rest. And after that they all wanted to know when their first appearance at the Midland theater was scheduled.
Gang Has Own Teacher.
"They seem to have no sense of fatigue," said Mrs. Fern Carter, the gang's school teacher. "They played last night in St. Louis and took a train at midnight and they're ready to go at it again this morning."
But perhaps you didn't know the gang has its own teacher with it. Yes, indeed. Mrs. Carter works under the direction of the school board of Hollywood and makes reports to the board each month. Perhaps this will not be happy news to members of the Kansas City gang.
There was not the reception for the gang today that they had on their way east about two months ago. But of course no one really knew just when they were coming or where their car would be.
This week's appearance at the Midland is the tenth successive week the gang has been out on the road.
Special note: When this article refers to the kids as the "real gang," it's to contrast them with the "Kansas City gang," mentioned later in the article. During the summer of 1928, numerous cities around the country made their own local Our Gang films featuring look-a-likes, all with the involvement of the Roach studio, and Kansas City was one of them.