Plot: While most of his friends take in the latest western adventure on the big screen, Alfalfa misses all the action, as he is outside waiting on Darla. After all, she is his girl and she happens to have his ticket, so he waits for her arrival. Muggsy tries to persuade him to join her for the movie, but Alfalfa is resolute, at least until Darla finally shows up and has Butch on her arm. Has Alfalfa missed the movie and his chance with Darla, or does he have another trick up his sleeve?

Entertainment Value: This theatrical short is about eleven minutes of fun, with the Our Gang crew in fine form. The story is simple, with Alfalfa clashing with Butch over the affections of Darla, a common, but effective narrative for this series. I liked having the western movie woven into the story, especially how the Our Gang group is worked into the on screen events at times. The short captures kids being kids, which sounds easy enough, but movies often fail to hit the mark in that regard. But the Our Gang films are able to have that natural texture, even when the stories veer a little into the fantastic or absurd. I had fun with The Little Ranger, from the madcap finale to the old school movie experience to the fun performances.

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