The specters of racism, drug abuse, and untimely death are just a few of
the demons that haunted the young actors who portrayed Our Gang, also known as The Little
Rascals. These are the tragic details of the troubled lives of the lovable child stars.
In segregated 1920s and 1930s America, Our Gang was revolutionary in promoting
an image of racial harmony. White children and Black children played and laughed together,
free from the complicated adult world.
In a 2015 interview with NPR,
Julia Lee, author of Our Gang: A Racial History of the Little Rascals, said:
"[...] this is the height of Jim Crow. You have the Ku Klux Klan undergoing a period
of resurgence. You have lynchings going around across the country. And so race relations were
at an incredible low, and yet you have this series that's so popular that shows Black and
White children playing together as if there's no such thing as race at all."
Nevertheless, the idea of a racially mixed cast of children interacting as equals was offensive
in much of the country, especially in the South. According to Lee, protests and angry letters
decrying the prevalence of Black children in the films were common. One early short,
1922's "Lodge Night," was particularly sticky. That film finds the gang poking fun at the Ku
Klux Klan – an unthinkable act in states where the racist organization still wielded political power.
Despite producer Hal Roach's approach to casting, many of the Our Gang shorts are rife with racial
stereotypes. Humor rooted in minstrelsy informs much of the comedy of The Little Rascals – and in
1971, the popular series faced a backlash spurred on by the civil rights movement.
Ultimately, some of the more objectionable material was removed for television broadcast.
Aside from producer Hal Roach, the man most responsible for making Our Gang a
runaway success was senior director Robert F. McGowan. A former Denver firefighter,
McGowan moved to California in 1913 with dreams of working in the film industry.
By 1922, the director was hard at work on the Our Gang comedies. Responsible for casting,
McGowan, along with co-director Tom McNamara, assembled a troupe of stock
characters that would serve as the formula for the series for the entirety of its run.
Our Gang was at its best under McGowan, who directed the series from 1922 to 1933.
Although he had an affinity for kids and was a natural at coaxing hilarious, natural performances
from his young cast, the job took a toll on the director, so he took a break. Under the
direction of McGowan's nephew, Anthony Mack, the comedies declined in quality. McGowan was
soon back at the helm of Our Gang, but the advent of sound would present him with new challenges.
"Here, you feed Petey. I'll go over there and try that house."
He left the series in 1933, returning for one last Our Gang short in 1936.
Although they were among the biggest stars of their day,
the Little Rascals saw virtually none of the wealth they generated during their TV revival.
With no contractual accommodations made for residual payments or image licensing in the
pre-television 1930s, most of the Our Gang kids were financially shut out as adults.
George "Spanky" McFarland worked tirelessly on behalf of himself
and the cast to secure payment for the use of their images, but to no avail.
"All right, step up kids for the greatest show in town.
I mean the greatest show in the whole world."
Despite his frustration, McFarland took a philosophical stance on the lack of residuals.
He told the authors of the 1977 book Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals:
"I have no regrets. Even though it was a job, we had a pretty good time making those comedies.
As a kid I had most everything I wanted, and we had a good life. When it was over it was over."
Only one year old when cast by Hal Roach, Allen "Farina" Hoskins appeared in 105 Our Gang comedies
between 1922 and 1931 – more than any other cast member. Literally growing up on film,
Hoskins was, for a time, Our Gang's most popular actor. By the end of his tenure,
he was earning $350 per week – much more than his castmates.
Although he was not Our Gang's first Black child actor – that honor goes to Ernie "Sunshine Sammy"
Morrison – he was Hollywood's first Black child star. Clad in a baggy shirt covered in patches
with hair knotted in a cluster of pigtails, Farina's image was rooted in racist stereotypes.
Hoskins aged out of Our Gang at 11, replaced by Mathew "Stymie" Beard.
As Hoskins grew up, the press of the day was particularly cruel.
Julia Lee, author of Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals,
writes that the end of the child star's career was viewed as a, quote, "form of death."
And one newspaper callously wrote:
"[Hoskins is] no longer cute, so he can't scrabble a dime out of Hollywood."
On July 26, 1980, Allen Hoskins died of cancer at the age of 59.
He had served in World War II and had been inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
Beloved for his off-key singing and ever-present cowlick, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer remains a favorite
of Little Rascals fans. While visiting relatives in California with their family,
six year-old Carl and older brother Harold caught the eye of producer Hal Roach.
After an impromptu performance of their musical act in the studio's commissary,
the brothers joined the famed kiddie troupe.
Outshining lead George "Spanky" McFarland, Alfalfa quickly became the troupe's star.
However, when the cameras were off, Switzer was nothing like his affable alter ego.
Apparently, he was a bully with a penchant for practical jokes,
often terrorizing the young cast, and not just with his off-key voice:
"Or leave a kiss within the cup and thou not ask for why."
Despite being a featured Our Gang performer, little is known about Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins.
Only eight when he left the series, the nature of his departure has long been
a topic of speculation among Our Gang fans. What is known is that Hutchins'
parents were intent on his becoming a star, perhaps mistreating him in the process.
Often cast as little brother to Jackie Cooper, Hutchins was distant between
takes. In an interview featured in the 1984 TV documentary Our Gang: Inside the Clubhouse, Cooper
revealed how Hutchins' parents created a barrier between their son and the rest of the kids.
"[He] was to be left alone. I guess his father was going to make him a star or something.
Obviously, it never happened like it did for Spanky and some of the other kids."
On May 17, 1945, Army Air Corps cadet Bobby Hutchins died when his B-26 Marauder collided
with another aircraft during his final training exercise. He was only 20 years old.
Although the kids came and went, the one constant of Our Gang was their beloved
four-legged pal, Petey. However, keen-eyed viewers will notice that there were actually several
different dogs portraying the canine Rascal over the years. Handled by dog trainer Harry Lucenay,
the first Pete the Pup was a black and white pit bull named Pal the Wonder Dog.
Pal's distinguishing feature, a marking resembling a partial circle around his
right eye, was filled in with dye to make a continuous ring. The distinctive ring would
make Pal one of the most recognized animal actors of his day. Not only was Pal famous,
but he was rich. Pal's contract with Hal Roach made him Our Gang's second highest paid actor.
Sadly, Pal's days as Petey were numbered. An unknown assailant,
likely someone with a grudge against Lucenay, poisoned Pal in 1930. Naturally,
the Rascals were crushed by the news. Pal was replaced by one of his offspring. The new Petey
was a literal mirror image of Pal, necessitating the migration of the famous ring to the other eye.
The dog played the role of Pete the Pup until 1932, when Harry Lucenay was fired.
In the decades since Our Gang ceased production, hundreds of imposters claiming to be former
Rascals have attempted to dupe an unwitting public. One of the earliest was a man named
Jack Bothwell, who claimed to have portrayed a nonexistent character named "Freckles."
In the 1950s, Bothwell managed to scam his way onto the popular TV game show To Tell the Truth.
"And over the next few years I played in nine of the famous
Our Gang comedies. You may remember me as Freckles."
The hoaxer continued his Rascals ruse for years,
making personal appearances and doing the talk show circuit until his death in 1967.
The most famous Our Gang imposter was Bill English.
English, an amiable and well-liked grocery bagger from Arizona, convinced the producers
of the ABC news program 20/20 that he was the original Buckwheat. The fake Buckwheat
was outed by none other than George "Spanky" McFarland, who informed ABC that Billie Thomas,
the only actor to ever portray the beloved Rascal, had passed away in 1980.
McFarland confronted a virtually incoherent English on the tabloid news show A Current Affair.
"Well I don't want to say anything to the man. Except the man, he is not who he says he is."
But the hoaxer refused to back away from his claims. 20/20 later apologized for the segment,
which resulted in the ouster of a producer and legal action from the Thomas estate.
Billy Laughlin was a late addition to Our Gang. Nicknamed "Froggy" for his comically
guttural and raspy voice, he joined the troupe in 1940 for 29 of the MGM shorts.
Laughlin, with his blond bowl cut and "Coke bottle" glasses,
provided the late-era Rascals shorts with some of their few truly funny moments. Where
stalwarts Spanky and Alfalfa struggled to bring the laughs as they neared obviously
uncomfortable adolescence, Froggy had to simply open his mouth for instant comedic gold.
"I don't have no money. And besides it's too hot in here."
When his stint with the Rascals was over, Laughlin made an appearance
in the 1944 romantic comedy Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Uncredited in the role,
Laughlin uses his natural voice for the first and only time on film.
"Someone stole my soap."
"Who are you?"
"Jerry Malone. And someone stole my soap."
Following Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore, 12-year-old Laughlin left show business
permanently. In August 1948, Laughlin was killed when the motorized scooter he
was riding with a friend collided with an oncoming truck. He was only 16 years old.
Alfalfa's violent end
After leaving Our Gang at 13, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer struggled
to recapture the success and fame the Hal Roach comedies had brought him. At first,
Switzer's show business career seemed bright, but it peaked in 1942 with a part in the comedy
There's One Born Every Minute. Only bit parts and low-budget serials followed.
Switzer made his final film appearance in The Defiant Ones, directed by Stanley Kramer. However,
by this time, Switzer was earning his living far from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
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. By the end of the decade,
his luck was running out. In 1958, an unidentified gunman shot Switzer in the arm.
A motive for the shooting was never determined.
What is certain is that Switzer's notoriously volatile temper had earned him no friends.
On January 21, 1959, at the age of 31, an enraged and intoxicated Switzer was
killed by a man and his .38-caliber revolver during a violent incident at the man's home.
The shooting was ruled a justifiable homicide.
Darla Jean Hood was Our Gang's undisputed sweetheart. With her apple cheeks and
angelic voice, she kept Alfalfa and the gang at constant odds as they vied for her attention.
Hood continued to work in entertainment after her time in Our Gang was over. In the 1940s,
she formed a vocal group that performed background music for many popular Hollywood productions.
Later, Hood made occasional guest appearances on TV, wrote songs,
had a successful nightclub act, and worked as a voice-over artist.
Active in the Our Gang fan community, Hood was in the process of organizing a Little Rascals
reunion when she fell ill with appendicitis. Following a routine appendectomy, Hood died
suddenly of congestive heart failure on June 13, 1979, at the age of 47. An autopsy determined that
a tainted blood transfusion had infected her with acute hepatitis, which caused her death.