Mischief Makers (TV series)


Mischief Makers was a children's television series created by National Telepix that debuted on television syndication in 1960. The fifteen-minute series consisted of shortened Our Gang silent shorts that were originally released through Pathé, as well as various shorts from rival series including Mickey McGuire, Buster Brown, and others. Films from Hal Roach's all animal series the Dippy Doo Dads were also occasionally shown. The series ended production in 1961, but continued to be aired by certain local television stations well into the 1970s, and even during the 80's in Latin America.

The Series

The series mainly featured shorts from Hal Roach's Our Gang series, but shorts from other series were also sometimes shown. Each episode ran about fifteen minutes, with the featured short only being about twelve minutes in length.
The shorts were always given a new, relatively simple title. Most of what was deleted from the shorts were from the first half of the film, though some of the first half were retained in the episodes. The deleted footage sometimes wound up in other episodes, known as 'hybrid episodes'; these contained clips from more than one short. The original inter-titles were usually cut, though a few episodes did retain some of the titles. To compensate for the absence of the titles, most episodes were narrated by two kids who are identified as 'Bobby' and 'Bunny'. Bunny typically used the catchphrase "Skeedly Skeedly!". Carnival-like music and rather inappropriate sound effects were also added onto the films.

Theme

The animated opening and closing theme featured a song titled "Hip, Hip, Hooray". It was written by Jack Saunders and Phyllis Brandell Saunders. An instrumental version of this song was among the several soundtrack tunes added onto the silent films.
The animation was produced by Gene Deitch. It featured four animated characters in front of a picket fence doing various activities. The animated characters were a fat kid with a beanie hat, a freckled-face boy, and a dog with a ring around his eye.

Narration

Most episodes were narrated by two kids identified as 'Bobby' and 'Bunny'. The way the two interact with each other makes it seem plausible that the two are intended to be siblings, with Bobby being the older of the two. When narrating an episode, they typically leave very little space in between their comments. Today, most fans of the Our Gang series who have come across narrated Mischief Makers episodes find the narration to be rather irritating.
The writers for the narration sometimes gave rather odd names to some of the kids in the shorts. Others however were identified by their familiar names. Our Gang members Mickey, Mary, Ernie, Farina, Jackie, and Johnny all had their familiar names retained. Meanwhile, Joe Cobb was called 'Joey', Jack Davis was referred to as 'Rocky', and Jay R. Smith was called 'Freckles'.

Episode List

Currently Incomplete
indicates hybrid episode with more than one short used.
Episode TitleOriginal short
1. Galloping GhostsShootin' Injuns
2. Treasure HuntBuried Treasure
3. Private EyesThe Mysterious Mystery
4. Monkey MagicChicken Feed
5. Mary's DreamMary, Queen of Tots
6. Carnival TimeBoys Will Be Joys
7. Ride Em' CowboyWar Feathers
8. All AboardOfficial Officers
9. Little OfficersThe Sun Down Limited
10. Animal HuntersIt's a Bear
11. Movie MakersPlayin' Hookey
12. Runnaway TaxiOne Wild Ride
13. Big FightThe Champeen
14. Warm UpOlympic Games
15. The Big FireThe Fourth Alarm
16. Fourth of JulyThe Glorious Fourth
17. A Double BirthdayTen Years Old
18. A Crazy DreamSeein' Things
19. Little HeroesYoung Sherlocks
20. The Rich UncleBaby Clothes
21. County FairThe Big Show
22. Puppy LoveJuly Days
23. The Haunted HouseShivering Spooks
24. The PiratesThe Buccaneers
25. Rockaby BabyBaby Brother
26. Spring FeverCircus Fever
27. Little JockeysDerby Day
28. The Baby ShowCradle Robbers
29. Little Red SchoolhouseCommencement Day
30. Grandma Knows BestAsk Grandma
31. Boarding SchoolBoys to Board
32. Shoeshine ShopEvery Man For Himself
33. A Birthday PresentDog Days
34. Little OrphansBring Home the Turkey
35. The Barber ShopBig Business
36. Show BusinessFilm Unknown
37. Dog CatchersLove My Dog
38. The Secret MeetingLodge Night
39. Sweet RevengeTired Business Men
40. The Big AdventureThe Big Town
41. Operation: Tonsills!No Noise
42. The Lucky ShoemakerThe Cobbler
43. The OutingOne Terrible Day
44. The Beauty ParlorThe Love Bug
45. The Music LessonSaturday Morning
46. The Flea CircusThundering Fleas
47. The Big BullyTelling Whoppers
48. A Roamin' HolidaySeeing the World
49. Little FiremenFire Fighters
50. The Little LeagueGiants vs. Yanks
51. Mickey’s New HomeHigh Society
52. The Big SwitchFast Company
53. Hollywood U.S.A.Dogs of War
Playin' Hookey
54. Farina’s FriendMonkey Business
55. Happy HolidayGood Cheer
56. BattlegroundDogs of War
57. Stage StruckBetter Movies
58. The CureTire Trouble
59. Sparky the StarFilm Unknown
60. The Brave ChimpFilm Unknown
61. The Rival ClinicNo Noise
Unknown Hey Fellas short
62. The Rival CircusFilm Unknown
63. Sparky Tags AlongFilm Unknown
64. Quiet SundaySunday Calm
65. Railroad RivalsFilm Unknown
66. The School PlayStage Fright
67. Sparky's PicnicBuster's Picnic
68. Ernie’s Adventure*High Tide
Young Sherlocks
69. Wild NorthwestFilm Unknown
70. Monkey MischiefFilm Unknown
71. The Monkey StoryFilm Unknown
72. An Average Day*Playin' Hookey
Telling Whoppers
Love My Dog
Ten Years Old
73. Sparky Rides HighFilm Unknown
74. Sparky at SchoolFilm Unknown
75. Summer DazeKnockout Buster
76. Sparky and the TutorBuster's Skyrocket
77. Football RivalsFilm Unknown
78. Back to SchoolMickey in School
79. Let Me DreamFilm Unknown
80. Play Ball!*Fast Company
The Cobbler
Official Officers
The Champeen
High Society

Episode production numbers for the following titles are still unknown.
After the cancellation of Mischief Makers, National Telepix produced Comedy Capers, a spin-off series consisting of various comedy films produced by Hal Roach and Mack Sennett. Top billing for the series went to Laurel and Hardy, Ben Turpin, Harry Langdon, Billy Bevan, and The Keystone Kops. Other films shown starred Will Rogers, Charley Chase, Snub Pollard, Billy West, Larry Semon, Clyde Cook, and Mabel Normand, among others.
The beginning to the opening theme immediately recognized the series as a spin-off of Mischief Makers, as the singers of the theme song mention "The Mischief Makers present...". Although actual Our Gang shorts were not featured on Comedy Capers, the opening theme featured clips from Our Gang shorts Official Officers and Playin' Hookey.