Lonely rich boy Joe Cobb wants a baby brother more than anything, but his parents are too busy and self-involved to discuss the matter. Sensing that Joe needs a few friends his own age, the family nursemaid (Anita Garvin) takes him to visit the Our Gang kids, whose latest money-making venture is an elaborate baby-minding -- and baby-washing -- operation. Upon learning that Joe is willing to pay good money for a kid brother, the crafty Allen "Farina" Hoskins "borrows" a black infant and paints it white -- a deception that literally comes out in the wash. When the black child's mother arrives, her anger makes it clear to the kids that they'd better get going while the going is good. Despite all indications to the contrary, the story ends happily -- or at least satisfactorily. Originally released in June of 1927, the silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy Baby Brother still delivers plenty of laughs, even though several of the infants are clearly uncomfortable and unhappy during the baby-washing sequence. Fringe benefits include a brief cameo by Oliver Hardy as the nursemaid's roguish boyfriend and the first Our Gang appearance by Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
