Robert F. McGowan

Directing

Robert F. McGowan

Born — Died

1882-07-11 — 1955-01-27

Place of birth

Denver, Colorado, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

42 titles

Robert Francis McGowan (July 11, 1882 – January 27, 1955) was an American film director and producer, best known as the senior director of the Our Gang short subjects film series from 1922 until 1933. McGowan died of cancer in Santa Monica, California, on January 27, 1955, at the age of 72. His nephew, screenwriter and director Robert A. McGowan, died five months later. From Wikipedia.

Known for

Telling Whoppers poster
7.5

Farina and Joe fib to the gang that they've beaten up the neighborhood bully. Later, they hear he's been murdered and think they'll get the blame.

Telling Whoppers

1926

Free Wheeling poster
7.6

Stymie takes Dickie for a ride in his runaway car and cures his stiff neck.

Free Wheeling

1932

The Little Rascals: The Best of Our Gang Collection (In Color) poster
NR

Spanky, Buckwheat, Porky and all of the Little Rascals at their hilarious best! All films in this fantastic collection have been fully-restored and are presented here in beautiful COLOR! 1. Fly My Kite, 2. A Lad an' a Lamp, 3. Kid From Borneo, 4. Hi Neighbor, 5. Hide and Shriek

The Little Rascals: The Best of Our Gang Collection (In Color)

2008

Baby Clothes poster
6.6

Mr. and Mrs. Weedle are desperate to find two babies, for their rich uncle has sent them money for years thinking they have children. Now that he’s coming into town, the couple must find a pair of babies as soon as possible. The Our Gang kids are ready for the job, but a 27-year old midget is also in the running for the job and he doesn’t play fairly.

Baby Clothes

1926

Choo-Choo! poster
7.0

The gang trades places with a group of orphans about to take a train ride.

Choo-Choo!

1932

Boxing Gloves poster
6.1

The Rascals have a boxing arena that could pack them in if they could find fighters who would actually mix it up. Harry and Farina notice a rivalry between two very large young kids, Joe and Chubby, that would fill the bill if only the two heavyweights would put aside their gentle natures. Farina gets an idea: tell each of the lads that the other will take a dive in the second round. So the fight begins and the stands are filled; but will the combatants actually throw a punch? Ernie has one more trick up his sleeve to get the fists flying and the crowd on its feet. Sweet science indeed.

Boxing Gloves

1929

Film credits

Behind the camera

Telling Whoppers poster
7.5

Farina and Joe fib to the gang that they've beaten up the neighborhood bully. Later, they hear he's been murdered and think they'll get the blame.

Telling Whoppers

1926

Free Wheeling poster
7.6

Stymie takes Dickie for a ride in his runaway car and cures his stiff neck.

Free Wheeling

1932

The Little Rascals: The Best of Our Gang Collection (In Color) poster
NR

Spanky, Buckwheat, Porky and all of the Little Rascals at their hilarious best! All films in this fantastic collection have been fully-restored and are presented here in beautiful COLOR! 1. Fly My Kite, 2. A Lad an' a Lamp, 3. Kid From Borneo, 4. Hi Neighbor, 5. Hide and Shriek

The Little Rascals: The Best of Our Gang Collection (In Color)

2008

Baby Clothes poster
6.6

Mr. and Mrs. Weedle are desperate to find two babies, for their rich uncle has sent them money for years thinking they have children. Now that he’s coming into town, the couple must find a pair of babies as soon as possible. The Our Gang kids are ready for the job, but a 27-year old midget is also in the running for the job and he doesn’t play fairly.

Baby Clothes

1926

Choo-Choo! poster
7.0

The gang trades places with a group of orphans about to take a train ride.

Choo-Choo!

1932

Choo-Choo! poster
7.0

The gang trades places with a group of orphans about to take a train ride.

Choo-Choo!

1932

Boxing Gloves poster
6.1

The Rascals have a boxing arena that could pack them in if they could find fighters who would actually mix it up. Harry and Farina notice a rivalry between two very large young kids, Joe and Chubby, that would fill the bill if only the two heavyweights would put aside their gentle natures. Farina gets an idea: tell each of the lads that the other will take a dive in the second round. So the fight begins and the stands are filled; but will the combatants actually throw a punch? Ernie has one more trick up his sleeve to get the fists flying and the crowd on its feet. Sweet science indeed.

Boxing Gloves

1929

Our Gang poster
6.6

An unethical merchant moves into town and steals customers from the widowed owner of an established store; the gang steps in to help.

Our Gang

1922

Dogs of War! poster
5.8

The gang wages war using old vegetables as munitions. Later, they ruin a movie in progress when they double-expose the film.

Dogs of War!

1923

Heebee Jeebees poster
9.0

A hypnotist comes to town and puts the gang in animal-like trances. Now that the spell is off, the gang returns back to their usual roles. But then while at an afternoon tea social , the spell returned, ruining a perfectly good afternoon.

Heebee Jeebees

1927

The First Seven Years poster
5.8

Jackie gets in a duel over the affections of Mary Ann.

The First Seven Years

1930

The First Seven Years poster
5.8

Jackie gets in a duel over the affections of Mary Ann.

The First Seven Years

1930

The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 1 poster
NR

The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 1 contains the first 11 Our Gang sound shorts produced by Roach at the dawn of the “talkie era": Small Talk to A Tough Winter—with each short newly scanned and restored from original Hal Roach 35mm film elements.

The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 1

2021

Who Killed Doc Robbin? poster
4.2

A group of people find themselves trapped in a creepy mansion, complete with secret passageways, a mad doctor and a murderous gorilla.

Who Killed Doc Robbin?

1948

Shivering Spooks poster
7.5

The kids are playing baseball when a man dressed in Middle-Eastern clothing comes out and tells them to be quiet. They join Mary, Farina, and Scooter in the gang's hide-out while Mary is reading ghost stories. While on the other side of the wall, the Arab-looking man is cheating people out of their money by staging a fake séance using state-of-the-art special effects. The cave entrance for the gang's hide-out collapses, so they light candles and dig into the wall, entering into the house. The "suckers" find out they are being cheated and run to get the cops to book the guys. The guys find out that the kids are in the house, and one dresses up in a ghost costume and chases the kids throughout the house.

Shivering Spooks

1926

The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5 poster
NR

The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5 contains the next 12 Our Gang sound shorts produced by the Hal Roach Studios: Anniversary Trouble (1935) to Arbor Day (1936)—with each short newly scanned and restored from the original Hal Roach 35mm film elements.

The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5

2022

The Old Swimmin' Hole poster
7.0

Teenager Betty Elliott has decided to take over the business and social affairs of her father Doc Elliott. She thinks her father should marry the widowed mother, Julie Harper, of her boyfriend Chris Harper. Doc has been a real friend and father to Chris, who, under his guidance, has learned to take care of all the sick animals in town, but lack of money keeps the widow from sending Chris on to finish high school and medical training is out of the question. Wealthy Grandpa Harper sends his attorney Baker to tell Mrs. Harper that all of Jimmy's dreams could be realized if the widow, whom the grandfather dislikes, would give up custody of her son. The lawyer also begins to court Julie and this throws a kink in Betty's plans to see her father and the widow get married. Written by Les Adams

The Old Swimmin' Hole

1940

The Pooch poster
6.8

The gang tries to save Petey from the dogcatcher.

The Pooch

1932

The Pooch poster
6.8

The gang tries to save Petey from the dogcatcher.

The Pooch

1932

Twin Beds poster
7.0

A young husband just wants to spend a quiet evening at home with his wife, but her collection of zany friends make hash of his hopes.

Twin Beds

1920

July Days poster
6.5

The gang is trying just about anything to pass the time during their summer vacation. As usual, Mickey and Jack are trying to win the affections of Mary. In the interim, the village blacksmith, "Dad" Anderson, receives a lucrative contract to produce a creation of his: a sail-propelled scooter. The gang is lucky enough to get a hold of a few of these scooters, and happily sail down the city streets.

July Days

1923

The Best of The Little Rascals in 3D poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Best of The Little Rascals in 3D

2012

Jubilo, Jr. poster
6.9

A young boy, determined to make money enough to buy his mother a birthday present, finds a variety of odd jobs and finally starts up a makeshift circus.

Jubilo, Jr.

1924

Haunted House poster
5.2

Teenagers try to clear a friend accused of murder.

Haunted House

1940

Teacher's Pet poster
6.8

Jackie prepares a series of elaborate jokes for his new teacher.

Teacher's Pet

1930

Stage Fright poster
6.9

Author Fawn Ochletree stages a charity performance of her latest play, a Romanesque epic. The gang and other neighborhood kids are forced into starring in the play, much to the chagrin of the gang. They are completely unable to remember their lines, and struggle with maintaing their composure during the more serious moments of the melodrama. Finally, Jackie sets off a slew of firecrackers as the finale, scaring all involved.

Stage Fright

1923

Hook and Ladder poster
7.6

The gang, while playing firemen, come upon a real fire.

Hook and Ladder

1932

Hook and Ladder poster
7.6

The gang, while playing firemen, come upon a real fire.

Hook and Ladder

1932

Shiver My Timbers poster
7.2

The Gang plays hooky from school so they can listen to the tall tales of a friendly sea captain.

Shiver My Timbers

1931

School Begins poster
8.0

One of a handful of currently unavailable Hal Roach/MGM “Our Gang” silent films, School Begins was a series of gags built around the unenviable ritual of returning to school during the first week of September. School begins and some gang members are forging notes from their mother wanting out. Then too-young Wheezer parades by the school with escaped circus seals following him, causing a disturbance.

School Begins

1928

No artwork available
NR

French language version of A TOUGH WINTER with a new cast.

Temps d'Hiver

1930

Seeing the World poster
7.1

In this Our Gang film, James Finlayson plays the gang's schoolteacher who takes the kids to Europe after winning a local contest. He takes them on a tour of Naples, Pompeii, Rome, the Vatican, Venice, London, and finally Paris, where problems arise on top of the Eiffel Tower.

Seeing the World

1927

The Buccaneers poster
6.6

This Our Gang short has the group playing pirates and building a ship to sail in. Once the ship hits water it sinks but they end up on another boat when the dog unties the rope and the kids head off to sea where they must be rescued by the Navy.

The Buccaneers

1924

Small Talk poster
6.0

The gang are all orphans, hoping to be adopted by nice families where "spinach is not on the menu". Wheezer, the youngest child, gets adopted by a wealthy couple, while his older sister Mary Ann does not. The gang all comes to visit Wheezer in his new home, setting off an alarm that causes the police and the fire department to come over. At that time, Wheezer's new mother and father decide to adopt Mary Ann as well. The couple's friends all each adopt a child as well; even Farina is adopted by the maid at Wheezer's new home.

Small Talk

1929

Small Talk poster
6.0

The gang are all orphans, hoping to be adopted by nice families where "spinach is not on the menu". Wheezer, the youngest child, gets adopted by a wealthy couple, while his older sister Mary Ann does not. The gang all comes to visit Wheezer in his new home, setting off an alarm that causes the police and the fire department to come over. At that time, Wheezer's new mother and father decide to adopt Mary Ann as well. The couple's friends all each adopt a child as well; even Farina is adopted by the maid at Wheezer's new home.

Small Talk

1929

When the Wind Blows poster
6.7

Jackie throws his schoolbook out the window in disgust, but then climbs outside to retrieve it. Finding himself locked out, he tries various means of getting back inside without his parents finding out. When his parents mistake his noises for a burglar, a local policeman is called, but he seems incompetent to catch either the phony burglar or the real one who has shown up in the meantime

When the Wind Blows

1930

A Lad an' a Lamp poster
6.9

The gang finds what they think is a magic lamp.

A Lad an' a Lamp

1932

Your Own Back Yard poster
6.5

Your Own Back Yard is a 1925 American short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 43rd Our Gang short subject released. Farina is having a very bad day, especially by his friends-very cruel playing nasty tricks, etc. Heeding his mother's advice to stay "in your own back yard," he does just that, feeding jumping beans to his chickens.

Your Own Back Yard

1925

Sons of the Legion poster
7.5

Sons of The Legion is a film about a group of young men looking to start a squadron in their Legion Post. However, because the boy's father wrongfully received a dishonorable discharge after World War I, his father cannot join the Legion and in turn his son cannot join the squadron [wikipedia]

Sons of the Legion

1938

Thundering Fleas poster
6.0

The kids from Our Gang have to attend a wedding, and they bring along their flea collection--which gets loose.

Thundering Fleas

1926