The silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy Commencement Day made its first theatrical appearance on May 4, 1924. It's the last day of school, and the Our Gang kids prepare for the commencement exercises, which of course are designed more for the entertainment of the parents than the children. Despite being dressed in their best go-to-meeting clothes, the youngsters can't help but get into mischief; Mickey Daniels dukes it out with class bully "Snoozer," "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison has trouble keeping track of his younger siblings Allen "Farina" Hoskins and Jannie "Mango" Hoskins, and Joe Cobb is likewise pestered by his kid brother Jackie Condon. The commencement play starts off well enough, but things spiral downhill in a hurry thanks to an unexpected onslaught of sneeze-inducing pepper and the climactic invasion of a swarm of bees. And on top of everything else, little Farina gets stuck in the schoolhouse well. Most currently available copies of Commencement Day have been taken from the 13-minute TV abridgement, retitled Little Red Schoolhouse.
by Hal Erickson
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