"Curse" of Our Gang

Back in 1922, a series of shorts began and ran until 1944, totaling over 220 and 1 feature film. They featured children who were in real life poor and who were encouraged to not "act" but to be themselves, bringing their own personalities to the screen. There were many child actors who were in these shorts, but a select few became regulars. The casting was more like a contest with parents usually signing their kids up in the hopes that their child would become a star. The show in some ways was far ahead of its time, and in some ways was just as racially discriminating as any other media at the time. Besides the typical racial humor (which at the time was acceptable, and now is not tolerated), the Our Gang shorts featured girls and boys with equal status roles, as well as children of different races on equal status, which one could interpret as children being colorblind. The typical nemesis for the children were adults and sometimes other children. The series was canceled in 1944, but gained new life in the 1950's when 80 of the shorts with sound were syndicated in TV.

In 2002, an E! True Hollywood Story episode popularized a myth that had been circulating for awhile anyways, but with such a recognized outlet of pop culture such as E! reporting on such a phenomenon, then it must be true. Right? Well, as with all things, it depends on how you look at it. An email surfaced not long afterwards naming the actors who'd met unfortunate ends. This has to be legitimate, right? No.

The myth goes that there was a kind of "curse" for the members of the cast of Our Gang. Supposedly a number of actors from the series met with untimely and unusual deaths. But the problem is with all statistics: you can shape them to say whatever you want them to say. In the popular belief, many members died tragically and early. This claim is debatable for a number of reasons. One has to look at the average life expectancy for someone born of that time, as well as understand the percentages of events that happened to the actors.

Of the 29 actors who appeared in 15 shorts or more, there are some significant points that come to light. Firstly, the 29 names in this list are: Sunshine Sammy, Jackie (John Condon), Farina, Mickey (Richard Daniels Jr.), Jackie (John H. Davis), Mary, Joe, Andy, Johnny, Jay, Jean, Wheezer, Harry, Mary Ann, Chubby, Jackie Cooper, Echo, Stymie, Jerry Tucker, Spanky, Butch, Scotty, Buckwheat, Alfalfa, Porky, Darla, Waldo, Mickey (Robert Blake), and Froggy. Of these names, 55% reached at least 72 years of age. Of these names, 76% reached the average life expectancy for people born at their time. Of these names, 83% reached what we consider middle age (mid 40's), which is important because at the time of their birth, the average life expectancy was in the 50's. The part that everyone focuses on is that of these names, three were victims of homicides, two died in accidents, one comitted suicide, two died prematurely of medical problems, and two had problems with substance abuse. Overall, the stats aren't uncommon for how life works out for people; there are always a few that won't make it to old age and a few that will pass away early as well as have troubled lives.

However, since we are fascinated by what goes wrong (which is why we slow down to look at a car crash), here are some of the fates of former Our Gang members that didn't exactly go to plan, and which most of the myths are based on:

• Froggy - killed at age 16 when his bicycle was hit from behind by a truck
• Waldo - killed by a hit and run driver at age 72
• Darla - died of hepetitis at age 47
• Alfalfa - shot and killed at age 31 over a $50 dispute
• Buckwheat - died of a heart attack at age 49
• Scotty - had problems with alcohol and drugs, and committed suicide of a barbituate overdose at age 38
• Chubby - always had a glandular problem and died from complications with it, either at age 18 or 22 (depending on which source you use)
• Wheezer - joined the Army Air Corps but died at age 20 when his plane crashed
• Jay - at age 87 was stabbed to death by a homeless man whom he had befriended
• Mickey (Richard Daniels Jr.) - spent the last three years of his life working as a taxi driver and dying in a hotel room in San Diego of cirrhosis of the liver at age 55
• Mickey (Robert Blake) - he is still alive, but he is the Robert Blake who went on to have a successful career, but was arrested in 2002 for the murder of his wife

Breezy Brisbane is often included with the list of those with troubled lives, but he couldn't be considered a regular since he was only in eight shorts. If you included every child actor that made an appearance in the Our Gang series, it would go on to prove more that there was nothing unusual about the outcomes of the actors. However, Breezy Brisbane committed suicide two weeks short of his 65th birthday because he was depressed about his forced retirement.

Another piece of information that people try to use to "prove the curse exists" is the fact that the magazine Photoplay in 1930 reported that Pete the Pup had been fatally poisoned. However, that's a claim that can't be proven since there were many dogs used in the lifespan of the series, and sometimes several dogs used in the same short. So, there may have been one of the Pete the Pups that was poisoned, but it's impossible to say that the Pete the Pup was poisoned.

One can't really accurately make the claim that there was a curse for the actors because the statistics show a relatively normal cross section of life, even though it is a small sample group used. The one indisputable fact remains that the actors (like most actors of that era) did not receive any royalties for their work. They were paid $40 for new actors up to $200 for the regulars for their services, and that was it. When the shorts went into syndication, the actors saw none of that money because their contracts didn't foresee the use of television. Even future posters, banners, videos, comic books, pictures, and anything else that had their likenesses on them did not contribute any royalties to the actors. So if you want to believe in any curses, believe in the curse of the lack of money that went to the actors. But if you will believe in that, remember: most actors of that era (most notably the Three Stooges) fell into the same boat. These shorts were shown in theaters, and when they were discontinued, they found a new home on television which didn't exist when these shorts began running.

Expendablenlightenment Postscript:

1. The Our Gang shorts began in 1922, before there was sound in movies. These shorts were silent until 1928, when they were made with sound effects and music synchronized to the film, which was delivered with the film on a phonograph disc. In 1929, the first Our Gang short was made with sound.
2. Hal Roach, the creator of Our Gang, produced the shorts at his studio and distributed by Pathé from 1922 to 1927. In 1927, MGM began distributing the shorts, and in 1938, Roach sold Our Gang to MGM, who continued to make the shorts until 1944. After the series was canceled, Roach attempted to repurchase the Our Gang shorts and re-release them. In 1949, MGM sold to Roach the rights for the shorts between 1927-1938; however, he was not allowed to use the MGM name, the MGM lions, or use the name "Our Gang". Roach came up with a new title for the 80 shorts with sound: "The Little Rascals". The reissued shorts appeared in theaters again in 1951, and in syndication on TV in 1955. A renewed interest in the shorts erupted, and MGM saw the popularity as an opportunity. MGM reissued their own 1939-1944 Our Gang shorts for syndication in 1956. TV stations bought packages of Little Rascals and Our Gang (sometimes one or the other, and sometimes both). The two separate TV packages then went on to compete against each other in syndication through the 1980's. The Little Rascals name overshadowed the Our Gang name, however, because many stations purchased the rights to show both series, but put them both under the banner of "The Little Rascals", which some could argue happened because that name was the first on the TV. And in case you're wondering what happened the silent Our Gang shorts from 1922-1927 before MGM became involved, they were sold to several distributors who distributed them under names like "The Mischief Makers" and "Those Lovable Scallawags with Their Gangs".

Bet you didn't know that!