Little Rascals - Alfalfa and Butch (how did the actors die?)
Dan Tropea
childhood TV and movie actors that had rather tragic adult lives.
Then i thought of the Little Rascals. Hard
to believe there is no info about this show on www.imdb.com.
I remember in the early 70s watching this show on tv. Hard
to believe these were movie shorts i always considered this more
of a tv show. Sad that Nickelodean does not carry this show i have
fond memories of watching this show and the antics the kids would
get into. These kids looked like they were having fun and didn't
really come across as the slick professional child actors of today.
Maybe my memories are based more on nostalgia then anything else.
Actually i am sure most from my generation (i am 32) have only seen
this on tv.
I know that the actors who played Alfalfa and Butch both died violent
deaths. But the circumstances of Alfalfa's death always seemed
inconsistant. I have read that it was a Mafia planned killing and i also
read it was a drug deal gone bad. Anyone know how he died.
Also did the actor who played Butch die in WW2? (What were their names
btw? I only remember their character names).
BTW while i am at it are the actors who played Spanky and Darla still
alive?
trickster
> <snip>
> I know that the actors who played Alfalfa and Butch both died violent deaths. But the circumstances of Alfalfa's death always seemed inconsistant. I have read that it was a Mafia planned killing and i also read it was a drug deal gone bad. Anyone know how he died.
<snip>
I don't remember what show I was watching maybe Mysteries and Scandals,
but Alfafa was a kid you didn't want to have around. He bullied the
adults and kids on the set. His family was real poor, so he worked to
support them-- add to that the he was a box office draw and he let
everyone know it, he was a kid way way out of control. When his voice
started to change, he got less and less roles. Later on during his
adult life his friend had to kill him in self defense.
Neo Jenna
<373C70...@cabletron.com>:
>
>With the recent death of Dana Plato it got me thinking about other
>childhood TV and movie actors that had rather tragic adult lives.
>
>Then i thought of the Little Rascals. Hard
>to believe there is no info about this show on www.imdb.com.
>I remember in the early 70s watching this show on tv. Hard
>to believe these were movie shorts i always considered this more
>of a tv show. Sad that Nickelodean does not carry this show i have
>fond memories of watching this show and the antics the kids would
>get into. These kids looked like they were having fun and didn't
>really come across as the slick professional child actors of today.
>Maybe my memories are based more on nostalgia then anything else.
>
>Actually i am sure most from my generation (i am 32) have only seen
>this on tv.
>
>I know that the actors who played Alfalfa and Butch both died violent
>deaths. But the circumstances of Alfalfa's death always seemed
>inconsistant. I have read that it was a Mafia planned killing and i also
>read it was a drug deal gone bad. Anyone know how he died.
>Also did the actor who played Butch die in WW2? (What were their names
>btw? I only remember their character names).
>
Alfafa was named Carl Switzer and I was just reading about him. He was shot by
a friend who claimed Alfafa owed him $50. Apparently, Alfafa didn't agree. He
jumped on him when he was drunk, and his friend shot him.
>BTW while i am at it are the actors who played Spanky and Darla still
>alive?
Both Darla Hood and Spanky McFarland are dead. I think she was around 50 when
she died and I believe he died a couple of years ago. They did talk shows
discussing the Our Gang times.
I don't know how Butch died. But I think "Weezer" died very young in the
second world war.
Jenna ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Why does it take a million sperm to fertilize one egg?
They refuse to stop and ask directions.
Slipstream
>alive?
I heard that the actress who played Darla is alive and that she lives in
Santa Monica, CA
Thats all I know though.
Onchangel
I know that the actors who played Alfalfa and Butch both died violent
deaths.
Actually Tommy Bond who played Butch is quite still alive.
Some people believe Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer was murdered while others see it as
self-defense on the other man's part.
Both Spanky and Darla have passed away.
To read more about the Little Rascals,
go here, http://www.ramseyltd.com/rascals/
Onchee
.
Dan Tropea
Was his friend aquited on self-defense or put in jail?
Russell Cress
the return of a lost coon dog.Basically he had a knife and the other guy
had a gun
Butch was played by Tommy Bond and he is still alive.He was interviewed
in the E! mysteries and scandals episode on Alfalfa.
Spanky died about 5 or 6 years ago shortly after apearing on Cheers.
Darla died in 1980 around the same time as Bockwheat.
Only Porky,Butch and Woim are still alive.
Dan Tropea wrote:
>
> With the recent death of Dana Plato it got me thinking about other
> childhood TV and movie actors that had rather tragic adult lives.
>
> Then i thought of the Little Rascals. Hard
> to believe there is no info about this show on www.imdb.com.
> I remember in the early 70s watching this show on tv. Hard
> to believe these were movie shorts i always considered this more
> of a tv show. Sad that Nickelodean does not carry this show i have
> fond memories of watching this show and the antics the kids would
> get into. These kids looked like they were having fun and didn't
> really come across as the slick professional child actors of today.
> Maybe my memories are based more on nostalgia then anything else.
>
> Actually i am sure most from my generation (i am 32) have only seen
> this on tv.
>
> I know that the actors who played Alfalfa and Butch both died violent
> deaths. But the circumstances of Alfalfa's death always seemed
> inconsistant. I have read that it was a Mafia planned killing and i also
> read it was a drug deal gone bad. Anyone know how he died.
> Also did the actor who played Butch die in WW2? (What were their names
> btw? I only remember their character names).
>
Paul Kunkel
says...
>alfalfa died in the 1950's in a dispute over a $50 reward offered for
>the return of a lost coon dog.Basically he had a knife and the other guy
>had a gun
> Butch was played by Tommy Bond and he is still alive.He was interviewed
>in the E! mysteries and scandals episode on Alfalfa.
> Spanky died about 5 or 6 years ago shortly after apearing on Cheers.
> Darla died in 1980 around the same time as Bockwheat.
> Only Porky,Butch and Woim are still alive.
Robert Blake is still alive, isn't he? And he is only 65 years old.
The "Our Gang" series had quite a long run, and they must have had many
cast members who were not so well known. There must be others around.
Kunkel
FitNFeisty
deaths. But the circumstances of Alfalfa's death always seemed
inconsistant. I have read that it was a Mafia planned killing and i also
read it was a drug deal gone bad. Anyone know how he died.
Also did the actor who played Butch die in WW2? (What were their names
btw? I only remember their character names).
>>
sideways baseball cap was involved with the mob as an adult, and was
subsequently shot and killed by them,IIRC.
As other posters have mentioned, Tommy (Butch) Bonds is still alive.
Gael McGear Sweeney
Scotty Beckett (the Jackie Coogan look-a-like) died of a drug overdose
in his twenties after many run-ins with the law and bad career luck.
Wheezer died in a training accident during WW II.
Chubby (the fat kid before Spanky) died in his teens (I think) from an
asthma attack brought on by obesity.
Stymie died during the Eighties, but he was a drug addict for many
years until "saved" by Synanon. He became a spokesman for them after
that.
But many Gang members are still alive besides Porky, Woim (who is a
successful businessman) and Tommy Bond (who had a long career as a
cameraman and director, as well as the original Jimmy Olsen in the
Superman serials). Don't forget Jackie Cooper -- he was the first big
breakout star of the sound-era Gang. And Robert Blake was in the
tail-end (and very awful) M-G-M era shorts. Dickie Moore, the "leading
man" Gangster after Jackie Cooper, made some pictures in the Forties,
including giving Shirley Temple her first screen kiss -- and is now
married to Jane Powell -- I think they met at some sort of reunion of
old stars in the Eighties and hooked up!
In article <373CA16E...@home.com>
Russell Cress <rcr...@home.com> writes:
> alfalfa died in the 1950's in a dispute over a $50 reward offered for
> the return of a lost coon dog.Basically he had a knife and the other guy
> had a gun
> Butch was played by Tommy Bond and he is still alive.He was interviewed
> in the E! mysteries and scandals episode on Alfalfa.
> Spanky died about 5 or 6 years ago shortly after apearing on Cheers.
> Darla died in 1980 around the same time as Bockwheat.
> Only Porky,Butch and Woim are still alive.
Gael
Visit My Gael McGear Homepage!
Home of The Poptarts and Knickers in a Twist
http://users.aol.com/gaelmcgear/gaelpage.html
Ask about The Poptarts CD: FRESH OUT OF THE TOASTER!
*To the Toppermost of the Poppermost!*
nos...@nospam.com
Yea, he was on QVC not too long ago, when they were selling Little Rascals
videos. Also, Jackie Cooper is still alive (as far as I know). He was the one
who always had a crush on Miss Crabtree. Stymie lived until about 1980 or
so. He appeared on Good Times and Sanford & Son quite a bit back in the late
70's. There's a really good book I bought a couple years ago by Leonard Maltin
and Richard W Bann, called "The Little Rascals, the Life and Times of Our
Gang" that is really good with info. It goes thru and lists all the shorts,
who was in them, and lists the actors at the end of the book, and what happened
to them. Althogugh I wish they had a short listing of each one telling when
they were born and died, just for quick reference, and maybe list each short
they were in.
Also, flipping thru the book, unless they've died recently, it looks like
a few more are still around: Porky, Waldo, Dickie Moore, Jerry Tucker, Dorothy,
Mary Ann (and when the book was written, her mother was even still alive!),
Jean Darling, Jay Smith, Johnny Downs, Andy Samuel, Joe Cobb.
Some of them I've never heard of, if they were on early episodes I've never
seen. I definitely recommend the book if you are a fan of these shows though.
Fred
k.a.g.
> >the return of a lost coon dog.Basically he had a knife and the other guy
> >had a gun
> > Butch was played by Tommy Bond and he is still alive.He was interviewed
> >in the E! mysteries and scandals episode on Alfalfa.
> > Spanky died about 5 or 6 years ago shortly after apearing on Cheers.
> > Darla died in 1980 around the same time as Bockwheat.
> > Only Porky,Butch and Woim are still alive.
Oh my-who is Woim??? What about Wheezer-i loved wheezer!
k.a.g.
FitNFeisty
k.a.g.>>
Woim(Brooklynese for Worm) was Butch's sidekick. Wheezer is dead, IIRC he dide
in a WWII training accident. He had some classic lines: "Taint enough I want
more". "Got to grease Wheezer".
>>
anita jamar
cute) is still alive. Here's a fantastic site on the Gang, it has bios of the most
famous of the Gang.
http://www.ramseyltd.com/rascals/
Lönnberg
years a popular toast-master and an avid golf player.
He was on the Academy Award Ceremony six or seven years ago when the then
100 years old Hal Roach was awarded a special honorary Oscar. I have read
that Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer died in a fight over a couple of dollars in
1959. His opponent pulled a knife on him...
Can I mention the word Oscar without having to put a registered trademark
symbol next to it? ;-)
Lars Gunnar
kal...@my-dejanews.com
"Lönnberg" <dege...@algonet.se> wrote:
> George "Spanky" MacFarland died a couple of years ago. He was in his
later
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jeez, I must really be tired. I read the above really fast as "pop-up
toaster"!
--== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==--
---Share what you know. Learn what you don't.---
gr...@aux.com
:> years a popular toast-master...
: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
: Jeez, I must really be tired. I read the above really fast as "pop-up
: toaster"!
My girlfriend and I were in a video store last night, and I
misread "Dennis the Menace" as "Penis the Menace" :P
gjw
>
> >BTW while i am at it are the actors who played Spanky and Darla still
> >alive?
>
> Santa Monica, CA
> Thats all I know though.
Darla Hood is NOT alive. You can see a photo of her grave at
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Buried2/HollywoodMemorial.shtml (about
halfway down the page). Click on the photo to see a bigger version.
UNCLE Agnt
role.
Joe Gandelman
gjw wrote in message <374777...@loop.com>...
Butch is definitely alive. He wrote a book some years ago. I met him at a
get together in June 1997 for the Way Out West tent of Sons of the Desert,
the Laurel and Hardy society. In fact, Tommy "Butch" Bond lives in
California and has travelled all over the country in a nostalgia role for
the video company that put out the Little Rascals set of tapes (these were
restored tapes). Cheers, JG
>