18 September 2020

Published September 16, 2020 by rochellewisoff

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PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

BIG RASCALS

“I was a baby when Mr. Roach hired me,” says George McFarland. “They still call me Spanky.”

Ernie grins. “I was one of the first back in the days before talkies. Sunshine Sammy, that was me.”

“I was Butch. The bully in the gang.” Tommy Bond adds with a twinkle in his eye, “Guess I had the scowl for it.”

Matthew Beard strokes his bald head, looking very much like little Stymie. “We was just kids. We went to school and played together. Black or white didn’t matter. Hal Roach loved kids.”

“Great times,” says Ernie. “I’d do it again.”

***

Tommy “Butch” Bond
Ernest “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison
Matthew “Stymie” Beard
Hal Roach

*Some may remember the “Our Gang Comedy”  or, as it later became known in syndication “The Little Rascals.” Some may not. For a bit of a lengthy history CLICK HERE. 

74 comments on “18 September 2020”

  • Well, that was the image anyway. As always with Old Hollywood, the truth was much darker. There was a wooden box they kept on set where they’d lock up misbehaving kids. One of the ways Hal kept pressure on them was to make sure there was always a new cute kid waiting in the wings. There’s also the question of race, as Farina, Stymie, and Buckwheat were all played as broad stereotypes. Good piece. I encourage your readers to dig a little deeper into Hal Roach studios. Some great (and horrifying) stories there!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Dear Josh,

      The interview I based my story on were the ones who had fond memories of Our Gang and Mr. Roach. Granted there are horror stories. And some of us love to dig deep into the behind the scenes stories, don’t we? 😉 Thank you.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

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      Reply ↓

  • There were reruns of the show for the longest time on TBS, which is where I first recall seeing it. It’s so nice to know that there was a time when child actors were treated as something more than commodities. Stanley Kubrick was the same way, very protective towards the child actors he worked with in The Shining.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Na’ama Y’karah,

      Enjoy the journey. Many of the episodes have either been banned or edited due to racist material. But the kids were talented and adorable. I don’t imagine they would’ve had Our Gang in your side of the world. 😉

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

      • Yeah … we had some shows (usually with a few years delay from airing in the US): Little House in the Prairie, The 6 million dollar man; North and West, Dallas, All in the house, Archie Bunker, The Time Tunnel, Magnum, etc. Also British ones and Australian ones. But absolutely not ALL made … let alone that there was only one channel … ;D

        Liked by 1 person

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  • Querida Rochelle,
    I LOVED The Little Rascals. Gosh, this brought back so many memories. Alfalfa was
    my favorite. I thought it was so cute the way he would sing to Darla. Thanks for the memory, mi amiga. I suppose it would be difficult to understand if one has never experienced the show. Have a fun day ….
    Abrazos y Carino,
    Isadora 😎

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  • I’ve only seen the 90s remake, but I learned a lot about “Our Gang/The Little Rascals” when you did your story on Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer. Always educational, our Rochelle.

    This is what I always think of when I think “The Little Rascals:”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  • I watched The Little Rascals as a kid, when there was only black & white TV. I had no idea that the show was already a classic at the time. 1932??? Wow. I loved the show, the kids, and their dog as well. He was better than Lassie any day!

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