The plot of the Our Gang silent comedy Fast Company is set in motion when the kids embark upon a swimming expedition. Along the way, Mickey Daniels exchanges clothes with a wealthy boy and takes the other kid's place in a swank hotel room. It isn't long before the rest of the gang arrives at the hotel, with their pet goat and monkey in tow. Originally slated for release during Our Gang's 1923-24 season, Fast Company was begun under the direction of Charles Parrott, better known by his screen name of Charley Chase. But when Chase was called away on business to the Hal Roach Studios' New York office, the uncompleted film was temporarily abandoned. As reported in Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann's book on "the Little Rascals," the film was completed in late 1924 by Robert F. McGowan. Fast Company finally reached the public on November 16, 1924; most available prints have been taken from an abbreviated TV version, retitled The Big Switch.
by Hal Erickson
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