One of the great ironies of the Little Rascals/Our Gang comedies was that in the majority of the shorts Alfalfa was presented as a crooner (ala Bing Crosby) who made the girls swoon. In reality, his squeaky grating voice in no way resembled a crooner.
But Carl Switzer was a great young comic actor who tragically lost his life at age 32 as the result of a shooting. There are conflicting reports surrounding the circumstances, but the official ruling was homicide.
2. Buckwheat
Answer: William "Billie" Thomas
A Los Angeles native, Billie Thomas appeared in "The Little Rascals" shorts from 1934 to 1944. While some were offended by Buckwheat's character, labeling it as a black stereotype, Billie was always quick to point out that all the actors were treated equally and that the socialization of black and white children portrayed in the films was ahead of its time.
3. Stymie
Answer: Matthew Beard
The son of a Church of God minister, Matthew Beard was one of 14 children. He was given the nickname "Stymie" by Robert McGowan, who directed many of the films, saying that Matthew's constant curiosity "stymied" him. The derby hat he wore was a gift to him from Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame. Matthew's brother Bobbie also appeared in a few of the films as Stymie's younger brother "Cotton".
4. Spanky
Answer: George McFarland
George "Spanky" McFarland was born on October 2, 1928 in Dallas, Texas. Spanky was one of the most popular children in the comedies. His was the lead character in the only full length feature film made that featured the "Gang". It was called "General Spanky".
The lead singer of the 60s pop group, "Spanky and Our Gang", was named Elaine McFarland and assumed the nickname "Spanky" in tribute to the popular child star.
5. Butch
Answer: Tommy Bond
Tommy Bond originally appeared as a normal, nice child in his early appearances in the "Our Gang" films, but later was cast as the prototypical child bully "Butch". His autobiography "Darn Right It's Butch" was so titled from a line in one of the films in which Butch was disguised as "The Masked Marvel" for a wrestling match with arch-rival Alfalfa who thought his opponent was to be someone else in a rigged match.
In his pre-Butch days Tommy was also one of the "Five Little Peppers", a popular film series in the 1930s.
6. Farina
Answer: Allen Hoskins
Allen Clayton "Farina" Hoskins began his role in the "Our Gang" comedies when the short films were still silent. By the time he was 11 he was "aged out" of the films. During his tenure in the "Our Gang" he earned between 350 and 500 dollars a week--an incredible sum in those days!
7. Miss Crabtree
Answer: June Marlowe
Shame on you if you missed this one since "Miss Crabtree" is the only female character I included in this quiz! Played by the beautiful June Marlowe, Miss Crabtree probably couldn't have gotten away with the physical affection she showed her pupils if she were teaching today. Two of the writers of "The Simpsons" paid tribute to the Miss Crabtree character by naming one of the cartoon's characters "Edna Krabappel".
8. Chubby
Answer: Norman Chaney
Norman "Chubby" Chaney appeared in 19 of the "Our Gang" shorts. After leaving the series he returned to his hometown of Baltimore and attended public school, but his continued weight gain while maintaining his height of only 4 feet 7 inches created health issues that eventually put him in the hospital with a glandular condition.
After being treated his weight dropped from over 300 pounds to 140 pounds. He tragically passed away at the age of 21.
9. Porky
Answer: Eugene Lee
Eugene "Porky" Lee was born in Fort Worth, Texas on October 25, 1933. After years of downplaying his childhood acting career he began to embrace it and make public appearances, signing autographs and photos for fans of the shorts. He died at age 71, just days before his 72nd birthday.
10. Mickey Gubitosi
Answer: Robert Blake
Mickey Gubitosi was actually Robert Blake's birth name. He portrayed "Mickey" in 40 of the "Our Gang" shorts from 1939 to 1944. After serving in the Army he attended acting school. In 1959 he was offered the role of Little Joe Cartwright on the "Bonanza" series, but turned it down.
A frequent, quirky guest on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson, he achieved his greatest success as Tony Baretta on the "Baretta" TV series, a role which earned him an Emmy nomination.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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