Watch Bear Shooters For Free

the audience applauded

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"Bear Shooters" is a 20-minute live action short film from 1930, so this one is already over 85 years old. It is a black-and-white sound film and if you read the names McGowan, Roach and Walker you maybe realize already that here we have another film about Our Gang / Little Rascals. Chubby, Wheezer and Farina are on board among others and Jackie Cooper is in it as well. And of course the biggest animal actor from its era is on board too. I am talking about Pete the Pup. In general these rascals short films were pretty animal-focused. You read in the title that the gang goes bear hunting and they encounter a gorilla on the way and are basically trying to be safe from the big ape all the time. Admittedly, there was very little story here for a film, even if it only runs for a third of an hour. And the comedy was hardly convincing either. This must be one of the worst Rascals films I have seen. Then again, I am generally not too big on them and I don't think their work has aged that well. The cuteness aspect is eventually all there is to these films. And of course, by today's standards, this simply isn't enough. Thumbs-down from me. Don't watch. Oh yeah and don't be fooled by the photo. No Laurel or Hardy in here, just the kids.

This Hal Roach comedy short, Bear Shooters, is the ninety-eighth in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series and the tenth talkie. In this one, Spud can't go on a hunting trip with Jackie, Farina, and Chubby because he has to watch little brother Wheezer who has coughing jags. He tries to palm him off to sister Mary Ann who only agrees if she's allowed to go on the trip. So off they all go into the woods...I liked the gag of Wheezer accidentally getting Limburger cheese spread on him by Chubby and some of the reaction shots that entailed but otherwise, I thought this was one of the more underwhelming shorts in the series. The climax involving what happens at the end wasn't as hilarious as I had hoped so on that note, Bear Shooters is worth a look at least once.

Released just prior to the time many experts feel the Our Gang series really hit it's stride, this is a pretty entertaining little number that is fondly remembered from watching it on TV during my childhood. The gang, including one time only member Leon Janney, wants to go camping and shoot a lot of bears. Janney must take along kid brother Weezer who has the croup. Lot's of fun situations arise as the gang reaches it's camp site. There are also a couple of moonshiners there who try to scare off the kids but as we know, these resourceful youngsters have no fear in fighting off the enemy and quickly turn the tables on the moonshiners in very funny fashion. All in all a pretty satisfying short that benefits from nice outdoor scenery.

Bear Shooters (1930) *** (out of 4) The gang decides to go campy and once out there they run into a crazed gorilla who they mistake for a bear. What the gang doesn't know is that they're camping on a criminal's hideout. This is certainly one of the better films from this early period and one that thankfully added a music score to help move things along. There are countless funny scenes here with all the children really getting to shine at one point or another. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for movies with gorillas as I've yet to figure out why so many older films featured them but I thought the ending had some hilarious moments. When the kids capture the "bear" and start shooting him with everything they can get their hands on, this comes off very funny. Another great gag is Chubby and his limburger cheese that he greases Wheezer with. Farina also has a nice little scene where he's fishing and Pete might steal the show with his reaction to the cheese.