While Harold would eventually be relegated to the role of a background player, Carl, nicknamed "Alfalfa," eventually replaced Scotty Beckett as Spanky's sidekick. Lee retired and became analternative school educator at Broomfield High School inColorado. He was very proud of that series, says Maltin in that exclusive interview. The kids wer. On May 29, 1936, when he was only 21, Norman died of myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle. Laughlin rose to fame at the age of 8, joining Our Gang in 1940. [2], When sound came in at the end of the 1920s, McGowan modified his approach slightly, but scripts were not adhered to until McGowan left the series. Before he joined Our Gang, McFarland modeled childrens clothing for a Dallas department store. I was a curious kid, and I got a charge out of Stan Lauren, and he knew it. When I was a kid in the '70s (B.C.= Before Cable) they used to play THE LITTLE RASCALS on TV after school. These were released as "Famous Kid Comedies," as Official could not use "Our Gang". George Robert Phillips McFarland was born October 2, 1928, in Dallas. This led to rumors of an Our Gang/Little Rascals "curse", rumors further popularized by a 2002 E! In 2023, ClassicFlix will restore the "silent-era" Our Gang catalogue, with any available elements (some from this era are considered lost films)[74]. Sidney Kibrick, the younger brother of Leonard Kibrick, played Butch's crony, Woim. [47] It starred the voices of Patty Maloney as Darla; Peter Cullen as Petey and Officer Ed; Scott Menville as Spanky; Julie McWhirter Dees as Alfalfa, Porky and The Woim; Shavar Ross as Buckwheat, and B.J. All of us at DYR sincerely hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane to check out the original cast of The Little Rascals! 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. A struggling novice syndication agent named Charles King purchased the television rights to The Little Rascals in the bankruptcy proceedings and returned the shorts to television. "[15], Despite the stereotyping and racial gags, Our Gang's integrated cast caused it to be disliked by certain theater owners in the southern United States. second assistant director (as Ronnie Chong) Art Department . Maksymilian Faktorowicz, who foundedMax Factor & Company in Los Angeles, drew the circle. The film focused more on the adult leads (Phillips Holmes and Rosina Lawrence) than the children and was a box office disappointment. Just like a family. Porky or Buckwheat? In 2009, Warner Home Video released all 52 MGM Our Gang shorts in a compilation titled The Our Gang Collection: 19381942 (though it contains the 194344 shorts as well) for manufacture-on-demand (MOD) DVD and digital download. Meanwhile, the police are after a criminal named Red Mike, and the gang mistakenly thinks they're the ones being chased. They are grouped by the era during which they joined the series. She left the series in 1933 after making 24 pictures. Another 1930 short, Teacher's Pet, marked the first use of the Our Gang theme song, "Good Old Days", composed by Shield and featuring a notable saxophone solo. Dorothy graduated high school and became a clerk. Permalink. When Roach sold Our Gang to MGM, he retained the option to buy the rights to the Our Gang trademark, provided he produced no more children's comedies in the Our Gang vein. Most casual fans of Our Gang are particularly familiar with the 19361939 incarnation of the cast: Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat, and Porky, with recurring characters such as neighborhood bullies Butch and Woim and the bookworm Waldo. So I learned to disown Porky. The Our Gang Collection. Rounding out the popular Our Gang favorites were Spanky, Buckwheat, Stymie, and of course Petey, the dog. In 1930, Roach began production on The Boy Friends, a short-subject series which was essentially a teenaged version of Our Gang. The band had no connection with the actual Our Gang series. He was replaced by Mickey Gubitosi, better known asRobert Blake. His trademark was a bald head, crowned by an oversized derby hat. Cabin Fever acquired the rights to use the original Our Gang title cards and MGM logos, and for the first time in over 50 years, the Roach sound Our Gang comedies could be commercially exhibited in their original formats. Laughlins character Froggy was known for his strange, guttural voice, which sounded like a frogs croak thus a nickname was born. The Little Rascals, originally known as Our Gang, first debuted in 1922, chronicling a group of ragtag neighborhood kiddos and their adventures. The Little Rascals never left her after all those years, with Darla enthusing, I had a very happy childhood. He was able to turn his life around, though, and after rehabilitating, he appeared as a guest star on Sanford and Son and The Jeffersons, and had a recurring role on Good Times as Monty. In 1978, he appeared in The Buddy Holly Story as a member of the backstage crew at the Apollo Theatre, wearing his trademark bowler hat. [57] Another is Bill English, a grocery store employee who appeared on the October 5, 1990, episode of the ABC investigative television newsmagazine 20/20 claiming to have been Buckwheat. Unlike the mid-1920s period, McGowan sustained the quality of the series with the help of the several regular cast members and the Roach writing staff. [34] Casting his replacement was delayed until after the move to MGM, at which point MGM rehired McFarland.[35]. Robert McGowan, burned out from the stress of working with the child actors, had as early as 1931 tried to resign as producer/director of Our Gang. Its hard for a child actor to start working again. Even though it was a job, we had a pretty good time making those comedies. In an interview on Tom Snyder's The Tomorrow Show in 1974, Matthew Beard said of his time in the series that "I feel it was great. The video contained three previously released shorts and the previously unreleased silent short Dog Heaven; the VHS tape was also available in a gift set with a Pete plush doll.[60]. 235236. As part of a month-long tribute to Hal Roach Studios, Turner Classic Movies televised a 24-hour marathon of Roach Our Gang shorts both sound films and silents on January 45, 2011. Her mother introduced her to singing and dancing at an early age. He died on January 28, 1946. Menu. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. He later became Spankys best friend and graduated to the leader of the group. Some of the lines I had to say I didn't like, but I never look at it like that. On June 14, 2011, Vivendi Entertainment re-released seven of the eight DVD's from RHI/Genius Products' The Little Rascals The Complete Collection as individual releases. The company's licensing only lasted for a short period. Hopefully, this doesn't end wit. The only remittances were their weekly salaries during their time in the gang, ranging from $40 a week for newcomers to $200 or more weekly for stars like Farina, Spanky, and Alfalfa.[21]. The last few of the Roach comedies featured Alfalfa Switzer as the lead character; Spanky McFarland had departed from the series just before its sale to MGM. [67] The first ClassicFlix release, The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 1, was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 1, 2021, featuring the first eleven "talking" short subjects in the series from 1929 and 1930. A new kid moves into town and is soon bullying little Jackie. The pilots were not bought, but were notable for including Gary Coleman. From main characters to minor roles and cameos, these characters are a big part of what made the film so great. There is evidence[54] that Our Gang-style productions were filmed in small towns and cities around the country using local children actors in the 1920s and 1930s. Many also appeared in a group cameo appearance in the all-star comedy short The Stolen Jools (1931). Chubby: [to the teacher he has a crush on] You can call me Chubsy-Ubsy if you want to. On Oct. 16, 2005, at the age of 71, he lost his battle with lung and brain cancer. During the 1980s and 1990s, MGM released several non-comprehensive VHS tapes of its shorts, and a VHS of the feature General Spanky. As he related to film historian Leonard Maltin, it was tough adjusting to life once he was no longer a part of Our Gang. Alfalfa is the Little Rascal who had his hair sticking up. He was 16 as old as Billy Froggy Laughlin when he died. Syndication. The Little Rascals. McFarlands Aunt Dottie responded to an ad from Hal Roach Studios requesting photographs of cute kids, and he was cast as Spanky. For example, Norman Chaney ("Chubby"), Matthew Beard ("Stymie"), and Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas all won contests to become members of the gang: Chaney replaced Joe Cobb, Beard replaced Allen Hoskins ("Farina"), and Thomas replaced Beard. Mickey Daniels was one of the most Rascals to appear most frequently in Hal Roachs original Our Gang shorts, with between 70 and 80 appearances spanning 1932 to 1935. He was an actor, known for The Little Minister (1922), Roaring Roads (1935) and Uncle Tom's Uncle (1926). Meanwhile MGM's Our Gang series (1938-1944), is currently owned by Turner Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros.. New productions based on the shorts have been made over the years, including a 1994 feature film, The Little Rascals, released by Universal Pictures. The franchise began in 1922 as a silent short subject series produced by the Roach studio and released by Path Exchange. Hallmark colorized a few Our Gang shorts and released them across 8 VHS tapes. In later years, many adults falsely claimed to have been members of Our Gang. Carl's death. A slightly different version was later released on their third studio album, Groovin' . It first aired on ABC on September 25, 1982. Scripts were written for the shorts by the Hal Roach comedy writing staff, which included at various times Leo McCarey, Frank Capra, Walter Lantz, and Frank Tashlin, among others. [25] The first two entries of the season in fall 1933, Bedtime Worries and Wild Poses (which featured a cameo by Laurel and Hardy), focused on Spanky and his hapless parents, portrayed by Gay Seabrook and Emerson Treacy, in a family-oriented situation comedy format similar to the style later popular on television. After realizing that he had been watching the children bicker for 15 minutes, Roach thought a short film series about children just being themselves might be a success.[18]. In 2014, Universal Pictures released a direct-to-video film, The Little Rascals Save the Day. It was during this time that he acquired the circled eye. He signed on to release future products through the newly formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which released its first Our Gang comedy in September 1927. However, the dog ran off at some point, and either Stiltz or Switzer offered a reward for the return of the lost animal. He and his brother, Harold, became famous in their hometown for their musical talents. Carl Dean Switzer was born on Aug. 7, 1927, in Paris, Illinois. The scooter was given to Laughlin by his parents only two weeks prior to the accident. For more of these throwback videos, check out our YouTube Channel! An unsatisfied McGowan abruptly left after Wild Poses. Unlike many motion pictures featuring children and based in fantasy, producer/creator Hal Roach rooted Our Gang in real life: most of the children were poor, and the gang was often at odds with snobbish "rich kids," officious adults, parents, and other such adversaries.