Cooper and co-star George “Spanky” McFarland (1932-1942) were the only two actors from the Our Gang/ The Little Rascals series to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cooper was the first child actor (and the youngest ever for many years) to receive an Academy Award nomination, as Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work in Skippy (1931) at age 9 he died in 2011 at age 89.
There were a few exceptions to this, notably actor Jackie Cooper (1929-1931), who went on to become an adult movie actor, television director, producer and executive. The characters portrayed by the child actors on the series, used the actor’s own names and/or nicknames.Īll of the child actors that appeared in the Our Gang/ The Little Rascals series were paid weekly salaries during their time on the show none of them ever received royalties from re-runs or syndication, and many of them ended up being typecast, making it difficult to find acting work as adults. when the series was being produced (1922-1944), this was liberal thinking for the times. Considering the racial discrimination prevalent in the U.S. The central themes of the Our Gang/ The Little Rascals series created by producer Hal Roach was that of a gang of poor ethnically diverse children of both sexes, banding together to “win” against rich kids, adults, and authority. The series has been in syndication since 1955 on television, enjoyed by the original big screen audience and television audience of baby boomers and seniors. The Our Gang series began in 1922 (the silent movie era), switched to “talkies” in 1929, and wrapped up production in 1944. The Little Rascals black & white comedy series, which began airing on television for the young baby boomer audience in 1955, was comprised of approximately 80 “talkie” episodes from the big-screen short film series Our Gang. Q2. What popular character from The Little Rascals/ Our Gang film and television series, was frequently parodied in Saturday Night Live sketches during the early 1980’s?Ĭarl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Darla Hood, and George “Spanky” McFarland (Photo: ) Which child actor from The Little Rascals/ Our Gang series went on to win an Emmy Award for his work on the 1975-1978 television series Baretta? The incident was ruled a justifiable homicide.Q1. The former Our Gang star died of massive internal bleeding at the age of 31. Switzer allegedly drew a knife, and Stiltz shot him. On January 21, 1959, an enraged and intoxicated Switzer and a friend drove to the Mission Hills, California, home of Moses "Bud" Stiltz, per History. Determined to collect a $50 debt over a lost hunting dog, Switzer assaulted Stiltz, who fled to his bedroom, returning moments later with a. What is certain is that Switzer's notoriously volatile temper had earned him no friends. A motive for the shooting was never determined. In 1958, an unidentified gunman shot Switzer in the arm. By the end of the decade, his luck was running out.
Working as a bartender, a fishing and big game hunting guide, and a dog breeder, Switzer's former fame was little more than a bitter memory. However, by this time, Switzer was earning his living far from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Switzer made his final film appearance in The Defiant Ones, directed by Stanley Kramer. These are the tragic details of their troubled lives. The specters of racism, drug abuse, and untimely death are just a few of the demons that haunted the young actors known as the Little Rascals. For many of the formerly famous kids who brought a laugh-filled escape to Depression-era moviegoers, there was no happy ending.
Yet, the story of Our Gang is no Hollywood fairy tale. The Rascal revival was on, and it continues this day. In 1954, the Our Gang shorts, repackaged as The Little Rascals, appeared on television for the first time, introducing a new generation of fans to the antics of America's favorite kiddie comedians. However, this was far from the end of Our Gang. The shorts would limp along at MGM until 1944, when studio execs pulled the plug on the long-in-the-tooth tykes. Released by MGM, the Civil War farce General Spanky was a flop. In 1936, the gang got its own feature film. Beginning in the silent era, Our Gang, originally called Hal Roach's Rascals, peaked with the advent of the talkies, making Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, and Darla household names. The brainchild of legendary comedy producer Hal Roach, the man behind Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase, Our Gang featured a diverse cast of regular kids, with much of the comedy coming from their natural performances. From 1922 to 1944, the Our Gang shorts delighted audiences with an idyllic and hilarious vision of childhood life.