Some people consider \u201cThe Kid from Borneo\u201d to be the most controversial short in the Our Gang series, but an argument can be made that it is the most misunderstood.
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For years, the film was kept out of the series\u2019 television syndication repackaging under the Little Rascals brand due to concerns that its contents would be perceived as racist. But its broadcast exclusion sparked a high level of curiosity about its alleged insensitivity \u2013 and doesn\u2019t that always happen with banned works? Not surprisingly, it became a popular offering on the midnight movie circuit where it was presented with other old-time Hollywood films that were deemed inappropriate for daytime television.<\/p>\n
But if viewed today without the suffocating burden of political correctness and wokeism, \u201cThe Kid from Borneo\u201d can be seen as a profound parody of racism. Yes, the title character is designed as the ultimate 1930s stereotype of African primitivism \u2013 which is ludicrous on its own terms since Borneo is in Indonesia, not Africa. However, the title character is a victim of circumstance and how he is treated offers subversive considerations on the intelligence of the majority White population.<\/p>\n
The plot of \u201cThe Kid from Borneo\u201d is a jumble of mistaken identities. Three small children (Dickie Moore, Spanky McFarland, and Dorothy DeBorba) are confused over their parents\u2019 squabbling about a visit to town from their Uncle George, whom they\u2019ve never met. The uncle is the mother\u2019s brother and he runs a sideshow \u2013 he sent a letter announcing his arrival with a photo of his latest exhibit, a so-called Wild Man from Borneo, but the father hates his brother-in-law and refuses to have him in the house. When the father is out of earshot, the mother explains to the children that the uncle is \u201cthe black sheep of the family\u201d and she recommends that the children go to the tent where he is setting up his sideshow.<\/p>\n
The initial misunderstanding comes when the children see the photo of the Wild Man \u2013 a dark-skinned figure with a bone in his nose, white war paint dotting his face and horned headgear \u2013 and then hear the expression \u201cblack sheep of the family.\u201d As a result, they assume the Wild Man is their uncle. <\/p>\n
The idea that their White mother would have a Black brother makes perfect sense to them \u2013 the children are the ultimate innocents and don\u2019t see the strict boundaries separating people by race. In retrospect, it is an even greater shock that this story was turned into a film at a time when any suggestion of an interracial family was forbidden by censors. <\/p>\n
The three children are joined by the other Our Gang members to see Uncle George at his sideshow. The uncle is never seen in the film, but we see one of his managers and a representative from the \u201clicense bureau\u201d who gives the viewer the first peek at the Wild Man. The manager explains that the fierce-looking Wild Man (who is named Bumbo) is \u201cperfectly harmless\u201d and \u201chas the mentality of a child seven years old.\u201d Bumbo is kept distracted by being fed candy, an act that he exclaims as \u201cYum! Yum! Eat \u2018em up!\u201d <\/p>\n
Some detractors of this film claim that Bumbo is being depicted as developmentally disabled. But if you stop and consider the situation, Borneo native Bumbo is not conversant in English and Uncle George\u2019s sideshow team do not speak Bumbo\u2019s language. Since it appears no one is teaching Bumbo English and he has no way of verbally communicating while on American soil, he is labeled as dumb. If anything, that\u2019s an indictment of the venal White men running the side show and not Bumbo.<\/p>\n
When the children come into the tent and see Bumbo, the shock is mutual. Obviously, the children from the gang were not expecting someone that looked like Bumbo, but it seems this is the first time that the surprised Bumbo encountered children since arriving in America. When Dickie explains to his friends that Bumbo is his Uncle George, no one questions how a White boy like Dickie could have a Black uncle. Even Stymie accepts the unlikely family ties but remarks, \u201cHe looks like a gorilla ape to me.\u201d Yes, it is a crass statement, but it could be seen an ironic one considering it is made by the gang\u2019s sole Black child.<\/p>\n
The fun ratchets up when Stymie pulls out a bag of candy and extracts a goodie for himself, Bumbo suddenly becomes animated due to his candy addiction and says, \u201cYum! Yum! Eat \u2018em up!\u201d And that sparks the bulk of the film, with the children mistaking Bumbo\u2019s declaration as a cry of impending cannibalism while Bumbo chases after the children in pursuit of the candy that has become a staple of his diet.<\/p>\n
The chase leads back to the home of Dickie, Spanky, and Dorothy, which the other gang members and Bumbo invade. Spanky tries to pacify Bumbo by feeding him the entire contents of the kitchen refrigerator, which Bumbo washes down with a jug of wine. Bumbo eventually takes refuge in a bedroom when the mother arrives. She is told Uncle George is upstairs in the bedroom, so she rushes up to greet her brother, only to dive out of the bedroom window in terror at the sight of Bumbo.<\/p>\n
The father arrives home a minute later and the children tell him about Uncle George being upstairs. The father is furious at his brother-in-law\u2019s presence, so he rolls up his sleeves and heads upstairs while threatening to punch Uncle George. Instead, he finds Bumbo, who chases the father around the bedroom and throws him out the window. For the films of the 1930s, it is extremely unusual for a Black man to assault a White man, which gives the zany gag a high level of audacity. <\/p>\n
The film ends with Spanky shooting a Roman candle at Bumbo\u2019s backside, sending him out the window. He lands on the ground with the father and mother and starts chasing them down the street. One could have expected Bumbo being subdued as the real Uncle George arrives to clear up the confusion, but instead we have an outrageous ending which is the perfect cap to a crazy romp.<\/p>\n
Much of the credit for the success of \u201cThe Kid from Borneo\u201d goes to director Robert F. McGowan, who directed many of the Our Gang films through the 1920s and into the early 1930s but never gained household name status for his output. The film is crisply paced and the comedy builds brilliantly before capping off with the wild finale. McGown did a marvelous job getting natural performances from his young actors, particularly five-year-old Spanky McFarland in laugh-out-loud star turn.<\/p>\n
As for Bumbo, he\u2019s played by an unbilled John Lester Johnson, a former boxer who gained prominence in 1916 when fought future heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey to a 10-round draw. Johnson appeared in small roles in several films during the 1930s and 1940s, but this is his best-known work and he is clearly enjoying himself while doing an outrageous burlesque of the primitive savage stereotype. He is very funny throughout the film, and his interaction with little Spanky when the child is patiently handing him everything in the refrigerator is a masterwork of comic interaction.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve never seen \u201cThe Kid from Borneo\u201d or haven\u2019t seen it in ages, give it a look and share your feelings about it.<\/p>\n