Here’s What Happened To The Kids From ‘The Little Rascals’ 2020

William Thomas Jr. was born on March 12, 1931, in Los Angeles. Thomas first appeared in the 1934 Our Gang shorts as a background player. The “Buckwheat” character was originally a female, portrayed by Matthew “Stymie” Beard’s younger sister, Carlena.

But the Buckwheat character slowly morphed into a boy. Thomas initially played Buckwheat — speech impediment and all — as a girl dressed as the stereotypical African-American “pickaninny.” He wore bowed pigtails, a large hand-me-down sweater, and oversized boots. That portrayal would be deemed quite controversial in the years to come.

After he left the film shorts, Thomas enlisted in the U.S. Army when he was just 23 years old. He was honorably discharged from active duty, receiving a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. Although Thomas was somewhat in demand for film and stage roles, he opted for a behind-the-scenes job as a film lab technician with Technicolor.

In a 1980 interview, he explained, “After the Army, I wasn’t really interested in the hassle of performing. Even the big stars had to chase around and audition; it seemed like a rat race to me, with no security.” Of being part of The Little Rascals, he added, “I enjoyed it. We had a lot of fun together. Just like a family. We went to school together, played together, laughed together. It was great.”

He died of a heart attack in his Los Angeles apartment on Oct. 10, 1980, 46 years to the day after his mother brought him to audition at Hal Roach Studios.

2. George ‘Spanky’ McFarland

George Robert Phillips McFarland was born October 2, 1928, in Dallas. Before he joined Our Gang, McFarland modeled children’s clothing for a Dallas department store. He also was famously seen on Dallas highway billboards and in print advertisements for Wonder Bread.

McFarland’s Aunt Dottie responded to an ad from Hal Roach Studios requesting photographs of “cute kids,” and he was cast as Spanky. The nickname is said to have come from his mother, who urged him not to misbehave in Roach’s office. He had a habit of grabbing things and, in doing so, his mother warned, “Spanky, mustn’t touch!” In later years, he was affectionately called “Spank.”

In the series, Spanky was known as the president of the “He-Man Women Hater’s Club.” At 24, McFarland left showbiz and joined the United States Air Force. Like William Thomas, he couldn’t get out from under the Spanky stereotype and worked odd jobs at a soft drink plant, a hamburger stand, and a popsicle factory. He became an avid speaker about his days as a part of The Little Rascals.

“I had a ball,” he has said in regards to playing Spanky. “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. I wouldn’t take a million dollars for the experience, and I wouldn’t take a penny to do it again.”

His final television performance was in 1993, playing himself in the opening of the Cheers episode “Woody Gets An Election.” He died shortly thereafter, in June of that year, of a heart attack. He was 64. He was posthumously honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in January 1994.

3. Matthew ‘Stymie’ Beard

Matthew Beard Jr. was born on January 1, 1925, in Los Angeles. Beard was cast as a baby in many films before signing a five-year contract to play “Stymie” in Our Gang. The character was originally named “Hercules” until Our Gang director Robert McGowan renamed him Stymie, as he was always “stymied” by little Beard’s curious wanderings around the studio.

His trademark was a bald head, crowned by an oversized derby hat. The hat was gifted to him by comedian Stan Laurel, who had also worked under Our Gang creator Hal Roach in shorts and filmed in which he teamed up with Oliver Hardy (hence Laurel & Hardy). He reflected, “I took to him from the start. Lots of times our sets would be next to Laurel & Hardy’s on the same stage. They would watch us shoot and we would watch them shoot. I was a curious kid, and I got a charge out of Stan Lauren, and he knew it. I used to follow him around the lot, he’d buy me ice cream and one day he said, ‘Well, give this kid a derby.’ That’s why it never fit me; it belonged to Stan Laurel.”

After Beard left the series at the tender age of 10, he went on to score some minor roles in such feature films as Captain Blood (1935) and The Return of Frank James (1940) with fellow child star and Our Gang alum Jackie Cooper. By the time he was in high school, he had retired from acting.

Unfortunately, Beard eventually became addicted to heroin. He was able to turn his life around, though, and after rehabilitating, he appeared as a guest star on Sanford and Son and The Jeffersons, and had a recurring role on Good Times as “Monty.” In 1978, he appeared in The Buddy Holly Story as a member of the backstage crew at the Apollo Theatre, wearing his trademark bowler hat. Beard maintained his sobriety, giving lectures on drug-abuse awareness.

He had a stroke on Jan. 3, 1981, sustained head injuries from falling down a flight of stairs, and succumbed to pneumonia five days later. He was 56. He was buried with the famous derby hat he wore all his life, back from his Stymie days.

4. Billy ‘Froggy’ Laughlin

William Robert Laughlin was born on July 5, 1932, in San Gabriel, California. Laughlin rose to fame at the age of 8, joining Our Gang in 1940. Laughlin’s character Froggy was known for his strange, guttural voice, which sounded like a frog’s croak — thus a nickname was born. Laughlin did the voice himself. When Our Gang stopped production in 1944, Laughlin appeared in Johnny Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1944), then left show business to enjoy his teenage years.

While out delivering newspapers on the back of his friend’s scooter — near his home in La Puente, California — Laughlin was fatally struck by a speeding truck. He died on Aug. 31, 1948. The scooter was given to Laughlin by his parents only two weeks prior to the accident. He was only 16, the youngest to die of any of the Our Gang actors.

5. The Little Rascals – Eugene ‘Porky’ Lee

6. Mickey ‘Mickey’ Gubitosi

Mickey Daniels was one of the most Rascals to appear most frequently in Hal Roach’s original Our Gang shorts, with between 70 and 80 appearances spanning 1932 to 1935. According to IMDB, Daniels was living pretty large during his time on the show, making $37 per week when he started and up to $175 per week when he left (or more than $2,500 in today’s dollars).

Unfortunately, Daniels’ career never took off after the shorts He reportedly married and divorced, and had one daughter, but died alone in a hotel room in 1970 while working as a taxi driver.

8. Petey the Dog

9. Darla Hood

Darla Hood was born on November 8, 1931, in Leedey, Oklahoma. Her mother introduced her to singing and dancing at an early age. For her third birthday they went to New York to seek fame and fortune in the arts. Joe Rivkin, a casting director for Hal Roach Studios, cast her in the role of Darla in the Our Gang shorts. Darla is mostly remembered for her coquettishness, as she often was the object of affection for Alfalfa, Butch, and Waldo.

After outgrowing Our Gang, Hood continued her education in high school, where she organized a vocal group called the Enchanters. Rivkin, who discovered her as a child, cast her in The Bat — her last film role — in 1959. It was her first and last adult role in a movie, and she played a secretary alongside Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead.

The Little Rascals never left her after all those years, with Darla enthusing, “I had a very happy childhood. It may sound like a strange life, but since it was my life for as long as I can remember, I loved it.”

While she was busy organizing the 1980 Little Rascals reunion for the Los Angeles chapter of the Sons of the Desert, she underwent an appendectomy. She didn’t make it and died suddenly of heart failure on June 13, 1979, at age 47.

10. Mary Ann Jackson