Filmmaker Produces Christian Version of 'The Little Rascals'

|TOP|Filmmaker Gregory Schmidt, a member of St. Boniface Parish in Iowa, is involved in producing a children's movie series that endorses moral values and offers learning opportunities.

"It's like a Christian version of 'The Little Rascals' - the 'Our Gang' comedy kids," he explained in a telephone interview with The Witness, the official publication of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. "People from all faiths can see there's something of value for their kids."

Schmidt added, "I have a lot of theater production background, which has been good training, but my real interest is moviemaking and video production," Schmidt said. "That's where I'm at now with the Bueno Gang project. The future for me is more music and movies."

With an extensive film background, Schmidt is currently head of Teacher Productions— and also directs a group of children ages 6-10, known as the Bueno Gang.

|AD|"Our Gang," or "The Little Rascals," to which Schmidt referred was the long-lived series of short comedy films in the 1920s and '30s about a troupe of neighborhood children and the adventures they had together.

Bueno Gang recently completed its second movie, "The Good Dentist," which relates to fear issues and helps young viewers overcome any apprehension about going to the dentist.

The first video, "All God's Children," dealt with ethnic diversity. The next project will be a compact disc featuring a variety of praise and worship songs.

"The Bueno Gang came from me being around a lot of kids in church," Schmidt explained. "I met a lot of cute, fun kids from a lot of churches in northern Iowa. I put them through a two-year training session."

The company's name comes from the concept of Jesus as teacher. "I always felt that I was going to be involved in religious media or educational media," Schmidt said.