Who Killed Doc Robbin

A few years after M-G-M dropped the "Our Gang" series, producer Hal Roach made a half-hearted attempt to revive the format, with a new cast. "Who Killed Doc Robbin" is the second (and last) of these lame efforts, and one star is just about one too many for this piece of junk. If you are expecting to see anything even vaguely resembling "Our Gang", forget it. In "Who Killed Doc Robbin", a woefully untalented cast muddles its way through one of the most boring screenplays ever concocted, with the whole thing filmed in poor-quality color. It doesn't appear to be a comedy, because it isn't funny at all. Perhaps it was intended to be a mystery, but the only real mystery here is how a top-notch producer like Hal Roach could have become involved in this wretched piece of tripe. This film is not just bad, it's virtually unwatchable.

A few years after M-G-M dropped the "Our Gang" series, producer Hal Roach made a half-hearted attempt to revive the format, with a new cast. "Who Killed Doc Robbin" is the second (and last) of these lame efforts, and one star is just about one too many for this piece of junk. If you are expecting to see anything even vaguely resembling "Our Gang", forget it. In "Who Killed Doc Robbin", a woefully untalented cast muddles its way through one of the most boring screenplays ever concocted, with the whole thing filmed in poor-quality color. Although all the child actors are quite awful, Dale Belding and Ardda Lynnwood are the most annoying (however, it's pretty close, with honorable mention to Larry Olsen). None of the charm or sense of spontaneity which marked "Our Gang" is present in this crummy little potboiler, which literally defies description. It doesn't appear to be a comedy, because it isn't funny at all. Perhaps it was intended to be a mystery, but the only real mystery here is how a top-notch producer like Hal Roach could have become involved in this wretched project. This film is not just bad; it's virtually unwatchable.

The End. Could these be the most wonderful, joyous two words in the English language? They will be if you suffer through Who Killed Doc Robbin? You might very well call up all your friends, babbling "The End" and giggling hysterically when you are finally freed from the painful affliction of this film. It is hard to believe that Hal Roach, the man who gave us Our Gang (aka The Little Rascals), could go on to assemble the most annoying group of children the screen has ever seen. How an otherwise decent actor like George Zucco got caught up in this mess is a total mystery to me. And they actually bothered to shoot this 1948 dud in color - I guess they had to spend some money on something, since they obviously didn't spend a dime on the script.

In many ways, this movie is a blatant, incredibly misconceived knock-off of Our Gang; this is the kind of thing that should have made Hal Roach froth at the mouth - yet Hal Roach is the very man responsible for it. These kids nose their way into a murder trial, make a mockery of the courtroom, somehow get to give testimony in the case, and then set off to help their friend (the local fix-it guy who just happens to have built the equivalent of an atomic bomb in the back of his shop) avoid a murder rap. They end up trapped in something like a haunted house, where hilarity is supposed to ensue but doesn't - not by a long shot. The gang of bothersome kids includes Curley (sort of the anti-Spanky), Dudley the proto-nerd, a couple of sassy little girls, Speck, and a couple of horribly stereotyped black kids called - I kid you not - Dis and Dat. I have to single Speck (Dale Belding) out for special attention; he is sort of Alfalfa-like with all of his freckles, his extreme cowardice, and his propensity to faint a lot - but he is no Alfalfa. Speck is truly the most annoying child character I have ever seen; this kid probably had a charter membership in Overactors Anonymous by the time he turned a year old. Don't even get me started on Speck.

Maybe there is a child somewhere on this earth who would find humor in this film, but I wouldn't want to meet him/her. Who Killed Doc Robin? is just abysmal, stupid, and the very opposite of funny. The film also features a monkey - need I say more?

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