Stuck with babysitting their younger siblings, the Our Gang kids decide to profit from their obligations by entering the infants in a local "beautiful baby contest." But when it comes time to award the prize for fattest baby, it is seven-year-old Joe Cobb who dons the bonnet and the Dr. Dentons. Meanwhile, the gang's mothers angrily search for their missing babies, blaming a band of gypsies for "kidnapping" the kids. Before this mess can be straightened out, the film fragments into a series of unrelated gags, including a lengthy slow-motion sequence involving a broken bottle of pungent ammonia. Originally released on June 1, 1924, the silent, two-reel Cradle Robbers would be memorable if only for its clever opening gag, which was repeated nine years later in the Our Gang talkie Forgotten Babies.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
