This M-G-M comedy short, Robot Wrecks, is the two hundred first entry in the "Our Gang" series and the one hundred thirteenth talkie. After the gang watch a robot demonstrate doing work at a store display, they decide to make their own to do the same thing. It doesn't work, however, and Slicker cons them by selling them some "invisible rays". The robot does do what it's ordered to do but only because Boxcar is in it, unbeknownst to the gang. Okay, while this was another "let's-teach-the-kids-a-lesson" ep of OG, I found much of it pretty funny like when Spanky raises his voice when the robot doesn't reply right away to his question or when the camera is undercranked when the robot goes "haywire". Also, Billy Bletcher not only reprises his role as Froggy's father, he also does the masculine voice of the mother as well! So on that note, Robot Wrecks is at the least worth a look.

Kids see a robot demonstrated and decide to build their own. When it fails to work, one of the other kids trick them into believing that he can make it work.Amusing but clichéd story is well done, but I really wished that it didn't hit every one of the familiar gags for a story like this. You've seen all of this before and while its well done the, the familiarity drains the humor from the affair and makes it so that you watch and smile instead of laugh. You won't hate it, but odds are you'll wish it was better. Worth a look if you run across it but its not something you'll want to search out on its own.

Robot Wrecks should have been a great Our Gang entry--- the basic idea of building kid's robot slave in the days soon after the World of Tomorrow sounds pretty cool. Alas, sounds can be deceiving. Robot Wrecks blows the premise by bastardizing the robot by stuffing it with Billy Ray "Boxcar" Smith and allegedly fueling it with "invisible rays" and then selling it to one of their usual foes, Freddie "Slicker" Walburn (who's atypically gullible here). Voices are obviously dubbed, the acting is excruciating to watch and the only remotely funny aspect is that the writers could get even kids to recite the dialog (blame Hal Law and Robert A. McGowan). Sadly, future MGM Our Gangs would rival this deplorable production. If I could give this less than 0 stars I would.

ROBOT WRECKS is a mediocre entry in the "Our Gang" series, made during the declining years of the once excellent short comedies. The aging "second generation" cast members look awkward, particularly Spanky McFarland, who is really too old to portray a kid. The plot is according to a well-worn formula, with the gang building their own backyard version of something they have seen. It's all familiar, with predictable results. The studio was trying to introduce another new generation of child actors to the series during this time period, but the originality of the characters seen in the earlier films just wasn't there. The best examples of the earlier films (1930's era) featured the gang doing their thing without any adult presence in evidence. The 1940's films are full of adult characters, and their presence is a big detraction. If you want to catch the true peak of the series, watch the films made from 1929 through the mid 1930's, and don't bother with later series entries.