"Hide and Shriek" (1938) and "Little Miss Pinkerton" (1943)

<p>If you've ever wondered what it'd be like to see the Little Rascals go up against two vicious murderers ... then seek psychiatric help immediately!</p><p><em>Mystery to Me </em>returns this week with a double-feature of two short films from the <em>Our Gang </em>series—&nbsp;alias <em>The Little Rascals </em>or <em>Hal Roach's Rascals. </em>Both shorts play with the detective genre. One is your average silly <em>Our Gang </em>fare. The other has actual death and an extended shoot-out scene.</p><p><em>Hide and Shriek</em> is a short film that was released on June 18, 1938. It was directed by Gordon Douglas, and is the last ever <em>Our Gang</em> flick to feature the participation of creator Hal Roach. It stars Carl Switzer as Alfalfa — alias X-10 — Billie Thomas as Buckwheat — alias X-6 1/2 — Eugene Lee as Porky — alias X-6 — and Darla Hood as Darla. In this story, Alfalfa recruits his friends to his new detective agency ... but a jaunt in a haunted house soon proves that mystery-solving can be a bone-chilling profession. This was the 168th <em>Our Gang</em> film.</p><p><em>Little Miss Pinkerton</em> is a 1943 <em>Our Gang</em> film directed by Herbert Glazer, starring Billie Thomas as Buckwheat, Billy Laughlin as Froggy, Janet Burston as Janet, and Robert Blake as Mickey.&nbsp;It was released on September 18, 1943. This was the 216th entry in the <em>Our Gang</em> series. In this film, the kids witness a brutal murder and get taken hostage. No, really! That's the plot.</p><p>Listen to the gang discuss Dashiell Hammett, the Pinkertons, the trailer for <em>The Batman</em>, and aging Áine’s frail health.</p><p>Follow us on the usual social media suspects:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mystery-to-Me-Podcast-105987494771196" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/mystery_to_me_" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mysterytomepodcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ins