At first, Switzer's show business career seemed bright, but itpeaked in 1942 with a part in the comedy There's One Born Every Minute. Spanky, played by Travis Tedford, is one of the main characters in the film and champions the "Women Haters Club." During the film, he becomes irritated with his best friend after he begins to. THOMAS: (As Buckwheat) My Mommy hit him on the head with a monkey wrench. After leaving the show and attending public school in Baltimore, he never grew taller than 47, and weighed over 300 pounds. We're. BIO:He appeared in 15 shorts and remained active in the entertainment business for most of his life. DEATH: September 15, 1951 at age 33 in a hotel fire that started when he fell asleep while smoking in bed. Although his life as Farina was over, Allen Hoskins would find meaning outside of stardom. DEATH:May 15, 2002 at age 72 from a hit and run accident. He went to school in La Puente, California. The first cast of "Our Gang" was made up almost entirely of non-actors and was also one of the first integrated casts in Hollywood to give equal prominence to black and white actors. He starred in the seriesBaretta(1975 to 1978) andHell Town(1985). Again, thats not what wed consider normal today, and eventually doctors were able to diagnose Chaney with a glandular disorder. During World War II and the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Navy, later becoming an electrical engineer with RCA. BIO:Appeared in 59 shorts, his career actually began in theBuster Brownfilm series. When he got treatment, he literally lost over 50% of his weight, and eventually dropped down to 110 pounds. BIO: Appeared in 19 shorts between 1925 and 1931. While battling alcohol and drug addictions, in 1966 he founded the Dick Moore and Associates public relations firm, which he ran until 2010. There were objections to what was in them. In 1951 she hosted a daily two-hour variety show on California TV station KTTV, which spanned over 10 years. Have seen Rocky IV 87 times. Laughlin had played Froggy in Our Gang shorts from 1940-1944. Prior to that, at six months of age she found herself working as a freelance baby for whatever production needed one. Only bit parts and low-budget serials followed. BEARD: (As Stymie) It might choke Artie, but it ain't going to choke Stymie. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. When was that and how did that play out? He was married once and had three kids. BIO:Appeared in 36 shorts, the money from which helped in supporting his family of 13 brothers and sisters. BIO:Appeared in seven shorts. LEE: Right, and that's what's so interesting is that "Our Gang" was walking this very fine line. In 1975, he was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, according to America ComesAlive. Buckwheat She was married to Martin Woll from 1950 until 2002, and they had four children. Etymology. Darla Hood played the love interest for Alfalfa from 1935 to 1941, and went on to have a successful career as a singer and performer, working on The Merv Griffin Show, Tell it to Groucho, and The Jack Benny Show, while doing voice over work for commercials, and having an altogether successful personal and professional life. Little is known about his life following the Little Rascals. Carl Switzer played Alfalfa, who is like the most famous of the Little Rascals. At the same time though - and this was remarkable - is that in the '60s, there were actually also southern stations that were boycotting "Little Rascals" - not because of the demeaning black stereotypes but because these images of interracial friendship were so inflammatory. Where stalwarts Spanky and Alfalfa struggled to bring the laughs as they neared obviously uncomfortable adolescence, Froggy simply had to open his mouth for instant comedic gold. BIO:He appeared in 10 shorts. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Even though the original shorts aired back in the 1930s and the 1940s, The Little Rascals included a modern setting starring an ensemble of child actors re-enacting some of the funniest gags of the source material. SIEGEL: That's the tune "Good Old Days" - the theme song of "Our Gang." These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Since then, hes kept a fairly low profile. Stiltz was never charged with a crime, with the homicide deemed to be self-defense, though some believe that it was murder. And it was only when I got older and started to look back on some of these films that I realized wow, well, there were some problematic racial stereotypes being used. Like it knew. Prior to that, she worked with comedian Harold Lloyd. Like, seriously, how can you get so worked up over a washer and dryer installation that it leads to straight up fucking murder? Um. While driving home from a New Years party, the Doty twins and their dates car was swept away by rain water. More recently, a couple of forgettable movies with the title "Little Rascals" were made in an attempt to revive the franchise that was originally called "Our Gang." the little rascals, originally known as Our Gang, have stirred up irresistible trouble ever since the short comedies debuted . BORN: October 11, 1914 in Rock Springs, Wyoming. As a teenager she appeared in Laurel & HardysBabes in Toylandand the 1934 production ofJane Eyre, which was followed by stage and radio shows that sometimes saw her performing seven times a day. He was the brother of Mickey Laughlin, who played Froggy in the series and died after getting struck by a speeding vehicle. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Hurray. He nonetheless did fine enjoyment working as a Technicolor film lab technician, which led to his learning editing and cutting. But well leave it to you once youve seen the evidence. Eventually he worked in real estate and as a television host in the 1970s. DEATH: October 25, 2001 of a heart attack at age 84. The only other acting he did was in the 1944 filmJohnny Doesnt Live Here Any More, where audiences heard his natural voice for the first time rather than the guttural sound of his Froggy character in the Little Rascals. Not only was Pal famous, but he was rich. The child actors would age out of the "Our Gang" comedies, and they'd be replaced. In total, he appeared in 78 shorts as Jackie, Roosie, Adelbert Wallingford and Cousin Percy. DEATH:Assumed to be one of the last surviving members of the cast (this as of 2017). LEE: Well, the movies began in 1922. :O, Pingback: EPISODE 204: THE CURSE OF THE LITTLE RASCALS CRACKPOP PODCAST, Your email address will not be published. By the end of his tenure, he was earning $350 per weekmuch more than his castmates. She was married twice and had two children. Universal, it seems, turned a chilly shoulder to the handful of surviving Our Gangers who . And so my sister and I would watch this and have no idea that these films were produced more than 50 years earlier, and that it was considered unusual - and even illegal in places - for black and white children to play together. I guess his father was going to make him a star [but] it never happened", Former Rascal Thomas "Buddy" MacDonald shared his memories of Bobby Hutchins with Laurel and Hardy.com'sRichard W. Bann in 2001. LEE: They did. Darla Jean Hood was Our Gang's undisputed sweetheart. BORN: September 18, 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey. As time went on, he scored pretty significant roles in films likeDanes Inferno, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Ali Baba and the Forty ThievesandKings Row. He managed to live until 2002, to the ripe age of 87. But when we started looking into the actors who played iconic characters such as Spanky and Buckwheat and Alfalfa, we discovered something a littleperturbing. Thisyeah, that got a bit gritty there didnt it? Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. SIEGEL: Julia Lee is the author of "Our Gang: A Racial History Of The Little Rascals.". DEATH:She died of natural causes on February 6, 2009 at age 82 following a long illness. SIEGEL: (Laughter) Author Julia Lee, who teaches English at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, dug deep into the lives of the African-American actors who performed in "Our Gang," and she's written a book about them. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As character) What made your papi's head swell? These are the tragic details of their troubled lives. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) There he is. They were considered saviors in many ways. MATTHEW BEARD: (As Stymie) My name is Stymie. As the debunkers at Snopes point out, given the number of cast members, the Little Rascals have had, on average, exceptionally long life spans. Little is known about her beyond the fact that she was married once, but had gotten a divorce. He was a part of the gang from 1940 until Our Gang stopped production in 1944, where he moved away from Los Angeles, and settled into a perfectly normal childhood. Rodney, instead of being buried close to June or with June, shares his burial niche with Charlie Montano, a man who is 17 yrs his junior. UPDATED 1/10/2023 The Little Rascals, which debuted on television in 1955, introduced a band of ragtag children to the world. BIO:Appeared in eight shorts. Farina was replaced in the cast by Matthew Beard or Stymie. LEE: So I grew up in Los Angeles. In a 2015 interview with NPR, Julia Lee, author of Our Gang: A Racial History of the Little Rascals, says, "this is the height of Jim Crow. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". He became a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in California, and in 1957 moved with his family to Thailand (them Siam), where he did missionary work. DEATH:December 8, 2009 at age 82. We didn't care that our folks -or even grandparents- had watched it. DEATH:May 5, 2014 at age 88 from Alzheimers disease. DEATH:September 24, 2005 at age 79 due to complications from heart disease. BORN: The original Pete was born in 1924, the second born in 1929. While visiting relatives in California with their family, six year-old Carl and older brother Harold caught the eye of producer Hal Roach. The Young Rascals aka The Rascals (the group dropped the Young from their name in early 1968 while continuing their streak of hits) were an American soul and rock group of the 1960s. BORN: June 29, 1925 in Compton, California. The kids were so distinct in personality and features that they all earned their own nicknames, from Spanky to Alfalfa. BIO:Appeared in seven shorts. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #7: (As character) OK. SIEGEL: There came a time when the black community - or certainly leaders of civil rights groups were really uncomfortable with the portrayals of African-American SIEGEL: Children. She died on June 13, 2001 in Victoria, British. He attempted suicide in 1962. Following that, he joined the Air Force in 1943. [4] \When the dog got lost chasing after a bear (damn, apparently he trained dogs to be badasses), Switzer offered a $35 (about $300 today) reward for its safe return. He became a successful physician in West Los Angeles. Pete the Pup (original, 1924 - June 1930; second Pete, September 9, 1929 - January 28, 1946) was a character in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies (later known as The Little Rascals) during the 1930s, otherwise known as "Pete, the dog with the ring around his eye", or simply "Petey". He was married three times and had one child. After high school graduation, she worked as a secretary at Republic Pictures, later becoming a senior clerk at UC-Berkeleys School of Journalism. For many of the formerly famous kids who brought a laugh-filled escape to Depression-era moviegoers, there was no happy ending. In an interview with E!, director George Sydney recounted Switzer's behavior. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. And, you know, Farina Hoskins - his real name was Sonny - he was actually a year and a half perhaps when he started on the series - could barely walk, could barely talk. The gang also made fun of the Ku Klux Klan in one short called "Lodge Night," and that created some pushback from some theater owners in regions where the Ku Klux Klan was very strong. In 1936, the gang got its own feature film. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalistJohn Woestendiek, Pal's contract with Hal Roach made him Our Gang's second highest paid actor. BIO: A short stint in the Marine Corps during World War II which ended when he broke his leg in boot camp led to drinking problems in his private life, which was sending him down a dark path. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #6: (As character) So two boys took your marbles away and hit you with tomatoes. Du Bois actually visited the Hal Roach lot in a trip to Los Angeles. Then he fell asleep on a hotel bed while smoking a cigarette and died in a fucking fire. Directed by Robert F. McGowan Cast Eugene 'Porky' Lee George 'Spanky' McFarland Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer Billie 'Buckwheat' Thomas Additional Crew Curly Twiford . UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #9: (As character) There he is. Despite his success in the Little Rascals, his role was suddenly substantially reduced, attributed to rumors about his controlling parents. Hes not on the list, because it was a more natural death than botched blood transfusion, but Billie Thomas, who played Buckwheat, would die the next year at 49 from a heart attack. The most famous (and oddest) Our Gang imposter was Bill English (pictured above). DEATH: July 24, 1989 of cancer at age 76. DEATH:October 16, 2005 at age 71 of lung and brain cancer. SIEGEL: And finally, the role of the black youngster on "Our Gang" was given to Billie Thomas who was known as "Buckwheat" and who spoke very little. Following a short stint in the Army, in 1951 he married Jean Verden, with whom he would eventually have four sons. (SOUNDBITE OF OUR GANG THEME SONG, "GOOD OLD DAYS"). Afterwards, he moved to Tacoma and joined the Air Force in 1943 after graduating High School, enrolling in the Aviation Cadet Program to become a pilot. What was the original name of the Little Rascals? BIO:Appeared in five shorts. It imported a lot from minstrelsy. UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters) It's Buckwheat. I wouldn't wash my feet for nobody. Bobby Hutchins played Wheezer, so named because of either his affinity for 90s and 00s Indie Rock or because on his first day on the studio he ran around so much that he began to wheeze. DEATH:November 23, 2016 at age 91 of natural causes. Um. Then at the age of 47 she required an appendectomy, which most of us know as a pretty routine and generally safe procedure.. She doesnt seem to have had a career beyond the Little Rascals. What happened to Mary Hendricks the mean little neighborhood girl with brunette or black pageboy (in the first picture at the top of the post??? According to TV historian Kevin S. Butler, Switzer's stunts bordered on the sadistic. Unfortunately, she got hepatitis from her blood transfusion during the operation, and died suddenly of heart failure almost immediately afterwards. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In 1955, Our Gang was originally called The Little Rascals, when the original Tex Avery MGM Cartoons TV series ended. Not much was reported about his life, though he did attend Darla Hoods funeral and stayed in touch with Bill Thomas. Like, a dispute, over washers and dryers. She was married four times. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. animal trainer/supplier See also Release Dates | Official Sites | Company Credits | Filming & Production | Technical Specs Getting Started | Contributor Zone Contribute to This Page 23-time National Whiskey Chugging Competition champions. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #4: (As character) Where art thou? Born in 1931, William Thomas Jr. played Buckwheat and was a background actor in The Little Rascals shorts starting at age three in 1934. No, no, seriously, thats what happened. And watching these kids be kids on-screen was revolutionary. However, this was far from the end of Our Gang. The NAACP supported the series and people like W.E.B. An unknown assailant, likely someone with a grudge against Lucenay, poisoned Pal in 1930. Jay R. Smith was a freckle-faced child actor who appeared in Our Gang films for a four year span in the 20s. In the 1950s, Bothwell managed to scam his way onto the popular TV game show To Tell the Truth. 225 Play trailer 2:25 5 Videos 77 Photos Comedy Family Television syndication package of the classic 1929-1938 shorts from the "Our Gang Comedies" movie series. Harold didnt look at that list, because when he was 42 he straight up murdered a client in a dispute. Chubby was played by Norman Chaney for 19 short films, as a replacement for Joe Cobb (who managed to more or less avoid the curse, living to 85 and dying of natural causes). Over the course of the fight (accounts of it vary, but if you go by whats in the police file, Switzer came at Stiltz with a knife, while Stiltz had a gun. BORN: Christmas Day 1916 in Buffalo, New York. Just clear tips and lifehacks for every day. One of the earliest was a man named Jack Bothwell, who claimed to have portrayed a nonexistent character named "Freckles." George Robert Philips McFarland (October 2, 1928 - June 30, 1993) [6] was an American actor most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. He didnt have as colorful of a post-child star time as Carl, but he still ended uplisten okay this one is pretty fucked up. BORN: December 27, 1915 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. BIO:Appeared in 51 shorts. Like, we know thats a bare minimum for just being basically decent humans, but in the 1920s it wasnt a given that you were going to be dealing with basically decent humans. BORN: July 2, 1928 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. What follows is your guide to each and every one of those kids, with their dates of birth, short biographies and cause of death. Pingback: An Incomplete List of Every Strange, Surprising, or Altogether Weird Names on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Part 3- Silly Names) | America Fun Fact of the Day. BIO: He appeared in 105 shorts (which is actually more than other member of the Little Rascals). The Original Little Rascals Cast Was Probably Cursed? Surviving cast member Robert Blake (credited as Mickey Gubitosi in the Our Gang shorts) became the latest "victim" when he was accused of involvement in the 2001 murder of his wife Bonnie Lee Bakely. He would go on to stage work in vaudeville and summer stock, and also made a number of television appearances. DEATH:January 21, 1959 at age 31 from a gunshot wound. In 2015 she was reportedly living on a remote ranch in Utah. Alfalfa is wooing Darla and his "He-Man-Woman-Hating" friends attempt to sabotage the relationship. In World War II he served i the U.S. Navy, he starred in the TV seriesThe Peoples ChoiceandHennesey, made numerous guest star appearances, became an executive at Sonys Screen Gems and was featured asDaily Planeteditor Perry White in the Christopher Reeve Superman films. He also happens to be the president of the "He-Man Woman Hater's Club," and best friends with . After seeing action in the Pacific during World War II, Hoskins became a licensed psychological technician noted for his work with the mentally disabled.