# "Little Rascals" Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538 "2009-06-03T02:40:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/21 "2009-06-03T22:49:23Z")
I was watching the one where Wheezer hates his new baby brother (or sister), 'cause he’s getting all the attention. Wheezer)Mommy I’m hungry Mommy) I called you three times for breakfast you didn’t get up. So you’ll go without Daddy) But honey that’s harsh Mommy) If he’s hungry he can get it himself. So the next thing you know you see flames from the burning pancakes 4 year old wheezer is trying to cook, just inches from the actors face Then he decides to take it back to the hospital. So the nurse at the hosptial calls the mother and tells her and the mothers’ reaction is “Well fix Wheezer.” So the Wheezer comes home and the mother and his older sister are crying and Wheezer goes back to the hospital to get his baby brother bck and the nurse says “Sorry it’s too late, I sent hm back to heaven.” Can you imagine anyone now-a-days trying to screw with a kid’s mind that much. They’d be calling it pyschological child abuse They had another short where they have the kid actors ACTUALLY SMOKING a cigar. This was so funny. Can you imagine them letting a kid do that today. LOL There are a lot of racial elements in them but everyone is somehow stereotyped. All the girls are basically Mae West clones, and junior fluzzies. They have the fat kid, the dumb kid, the rich kid, the tough kid, the spoiled kid. And don’t forget that great club the “He-Man Women Hater’s Club.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/22 "2009-06-03T23:01:10Z")
About 5 years ago I bought a DVD collection and was pleasantly surprised at how well they held up. Our Gang and The Little Rascals was a huge part of my childhood (I’m 42,so they were still being shown in the early-mid 70s.) ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/23 "2009-06-03T23:18:35Z")
I read (years ago, sorry no cite) the Alfalfa was a little shit. One of the directors told him that as soon as he (Alfalfa) was 18 he was going to beat the shit out of him. Played practical jokes on the set, etc. He was finally shot to death trying to collect a gambling debt from his friend. (Sic’d his dogs on the guy, who shot him. Courts said self defense.) Again this is from memory, no cite. AND when Darla sang it was to me like fingernails on a chalk board. God it was awful! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/24 "2009-06-04T00:40:57Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > I read (years ago, sorry no cite) the Alfalfa was a little shit. Jerry Tucker, one of the lower-level gang members said pretty much that. Also, Alfalfa’s brother Harold, who also appeared occasionally as an extra, committed suicide. > [@Markxxx](#): > > They had another short where they have the kid actors ACTUALLY SMOKING a cigar. Maybe, maybe not. This actually happened twice. In [Free Eats (1932)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022915/), Tiny Lawrence, who played the larger fidget, was smoking a cigar. I suspect he was actually an adult. Similarly, in [Tiny Troubles (1939)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032039/) Jerry Maren, played a midget crook, who had disguised himself as a baby, that the gang had taken home after abandoning Alfalfa’s real little brother in the park. :eek: He was definitely an adult. > [@The New and Improved Superman](#): > > Rascal: But I DON’T WANNA learn how to read & write! > > Mother: Oh, don’t say that. If you go to school and work hard at your studies, why then one day maybe you could become the president when you grow up! Wouldn’t you like to be president? > > Rascal: No I DON’T wanna be president. I wanna be an AUTO MECHANIC. > > Mother: Whaaat? Now you look here! You aren’t going to be no auto mechanic ! You’re going to be the president _whether or you like it or not_! Now go on, get to school. > > Does that ring a bell with anybody? [Readin’ and Writin’ (1932)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023377/) [Breezy](http://www.spankysworld.ca/images/rascals/og-brisbane1.jpg), who had a brief, but memorable tenure as the de facto gang leader, was the underachiever. Pssst! Also it was actually “street car conductor” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/25 "2009-06-04T02:19:38Z")
Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer appeared in a small part in the John Wayne vehicles _The High And The Mighty_ and _Island in the Sky_. I believe his tag-line in the latter was ‘Whatever’s customary…’ ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/26 "2009-06-04T05:37:25Z")
“Learn that pome. Learn that pome. Learn that pome…” ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/27 "2009-07-08T18:35:53Z")
[Readin’ and Writin’ (1932)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023377/) [Breezy](http://www.spankysworld.ca/images/rascals/og-brisbane1.jpg), who had a brief, but memorable tenure as the de facto gang leader, was the underachiever. Pssst! Also it was actually “street car conductor” [/QUOTE] That’s right. And when a blacksmith asks Brisbane the same thing a little later on, Brisbane says, “Boy, do they pick up the nickels!” (Footnote:In a book by Art Linkletter, he ssaid that kids he asked did not want to become President someday. Little kids thought Washington or Lincoln was still in office. An older kid said, “Because no matter what happens, it’s all your fault!”) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/28 "2026-06-14T18:28:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve forgotten the episode, but Spanky is babysitting. One kid gets trapped under basket or something, and Spanky says, ‘See what you get for being smart!’ (I still use that line.) Found it. _[Forgotten Babies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDvEhDURC4U&start=735)_. I didn’t remember it correctly back in 2009. A little girl falls off a chair, and Spanky says, ‘Why, it’s good enough for you! That’s what _you_ get for being smart!’ The link is cued to the scene (12:15). It’s at the end where Spanky put all the kids in cages (and one in a commode). Another line I use from that one is, ‘Remarkable!’ ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/29 "2026-06-14T21:14:21Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Another line I use from that one is, ‘Remarkable!’ Same here. And the toddler who uttered that immortal line was Wheezer’s little brother. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/30 "2026-06-15T13:47:55Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > [Free Eats (1932)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022915/), Tiny Lawrence, who played the larger fidget, was smoking a cigar. I suspect he was actually an adult. Released in February '32 so [he was 18 at the time.](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38556128/lawrence_edward-steiner) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/31 "2026-06-15T13:52:31Z")
True, but at the time of that post he was unidentifed aside from the listed moniker. He wasn’t publicly identified and confirmed until about 10 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/32 "2026-06-15T14:03:10Z")
I seem to remember one kid being glued to the floor by the seat of his diapers. I’m glad somebody else remembers the “Chubsy-Wubsy” scene! I call one of my dogs that. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/33 "2026-06-15T14:46:45Z")
Those silent era Hal Roach Our Gang shorts are now in the public domain: ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/34 "2026-06-15T14:59:30Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > The action definitely took place in California, which ISTM was not as segregated as the rest of the nation. I have read that many of the shorts were not shown in some areas because of the kids going to school together, etc. You sure didn’t see any Mexican kids, though. > **[Mendez v. Westminster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendez_v._Westminster)** > > Mendez, et al v. Westminster School District of Orange County, et al, 64 F.Supp. 544 (S.D. Cal. 1946), aff'd, 161 F.2d 774 (9th Cir. 1947) (en banc), was a 1947 federal court case that challenged Mexican remedial schools in four districts in Orange County, California. In its ruling, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in an en banc decision, held that the forced segregation of Mexican American students into separate "Mexican schools" was unconstitutional because as US Me... ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/35 "2026-06-15T15:23:14Z")
It’s possible that silent bit part player Sing Joy/Sonny Boy Loy was Hispanic, although he played an Oriental. The available records on his life are at confusing and contradictory. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/36 "2026-06-15T15:28:44Z")
I was fond of the one where the gang, to raise money for something, held a variety show in somebody’s dad’s barn. Problem was, EVERYBODY except Froggie was in the show. He came to the show, but nothing they did was able to get him to buy a glass of lemonade (complimentary crackers, a space heater under his chair). _It’s too hot for lemonade._ ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/37 "2026-06-15T16:07:56Z")
My favorite is the one entitled _Second Childhood_. The gang interact with a rich, grumpy old lady who is a hypochondriac. They get her to get some exercise, sing at the piano, and take part in a chase around her house with the gang and her servants. They all end up falling into a fountain together and she is greatly invigorated and cheered up. Has anyone seen Spanky’s screen test? [Here it is](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxGtoftl0HM), and it’s weapons-grade cute. I think they re-used the footage later in one of the episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/38 "2026-06-15T16:14:26Z")
The grumpy old lady actually calls Alfalfa “Carl” (his real name) in that ep. In real life, she was losing her eyesight, and they did some really crafty camera work and editing to work around that. She also played Grandma Joad in the 1940 “Grapes of Wrath,” very different sort of role. Side trivia note about “The Grapes of Wrath:” The only time that grapes are mentioned is when Grandpa Joad talks about them. The actor’s name. . . Charlie Grapewin (Uncle Henry from “Wizard of Oz.”) ---
**Author:** ![alfonzos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alfonzos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alfonzos)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/39 "2026-06-21T21:56:16Z")
Nobody has mentioned his outstanding book yet so I will. _Our Gang: The Life and Times of The Little Rascals_ by Leonard Maltin. A great read. BTW, the writers at “Saturday Night Live” were wrong. “Otay” was said by Porky, not Buckwheat. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538/40 "2026-06-22T01:12:53Z")
Both said “O-tay,” but Porky said it first. Buckwheat also said in one ep “Otee-dotee.” He had a legitimate speech impediment when he was younger and would pronounce K sounds at T sounds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-rascals-thread/498538.md?page=3)