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The shapely young lady in this photo is Darla Hood of Our Gang/Little Rascals fame. Wow! She didn't look like that when she appeared with Spanky and Alfalfa!
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Darla
Hood
Added: 16th November 2007
Views: 3354
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
 
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The final leading lady of the Our Gang comedies was Janet Burston. She joined the troupe in 1940 as a five-year-old during the MGM era and stayed until the series meekly ran its course in 1944. After Darla Hood left in 1942, Burston became the Gang's female lead by default. She is pictured here in a scene circa 1942. Note that Spanky McFarland is still part of the Gang, as is Billie (Buckwheat) Thomas. That's young Robert Blake (who acted under the name of Mickey Gubitosi) on Burston's right. In the final movies of the series, Janet was the romantic interest of Froggy Laughlin (standing between Spanky and Buckwheat). Fans of the series often criticize Burston for her over-the-top acting. "Oh, I was a ham!" she said in an interview late in her life. "But that's the way they wanted it--the hammier, the better!" Burston didn't have much of a film career after her Our Gang days ended. Married four times, she died of cancer in 1998 at the age of 63.
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Our
Gang
Janet
Burston
Added: 3rd December 2009
Views: 4763
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Our Gang She was a darling both on the show and years beyond. The way she died was typical of most of the cast. Theres lots of trivia here. Too much for me. They called it the curse our Gang.
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I
never
knew
Added: 10th February 2008
Views: 1817
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Posted By: Marty6697 |
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Darla Hood was the most famous of the Our Gang girls. Born in Oklahoma in 1931, Darla began auditioning for roles at age three. At age four she joined the Our Gang troupe, debuting in 'Our Gang Follies of 1936.' Darla's Oklahoma twang is noticeable in some of her early films. Darla's stint with the Our Gang series came during its heyday. Her character was both wholesome and coquettish. Alfalfa, Waldo, and Butch all vied for the pretty brunette's affections. She made the transition from the Hal Roach era of Our Gang to the MGM era. Her last Our Gang appearance came at age 11 in 'Benjamin Franklin Jr.' in 1943. Darla became a regular member of The Ken Murray Show during the 1950-51 TV season. She later reprised her Darla role in a spoof on a 1962 episode of The Jack Benny Program. (Jack played Alfalfa.) During the 1960s and 1970s she attended numerous cast reunions where she was a great favorite of young and old fans. In 1979 Darla was busy planning a 1980 Our Gang reunion when she entered the hospital for a minor surgical procedure. She contracted hepatitis--likely from a tainted blood transfusion--and died suddenly. She was just 47 years old.
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Our
Gang
Darla
Hood
Added: 28th November 2009
Views: 6090
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Tommy Bond had two careers as an Our Gang character. He appeared in 14 episodes as nice kid Tommy, and 13 episodes as the archetypal bully Butch. Bond was discovered by a Hal Roach talent scout at the age of five in 1931. The scout approached Tommy and his mother outside a Dallas theater opining that young Tommy had 'a great face' for the movies. Bond ventured to Hollywood, did well in his screen test, and was hired as an Our Gang member. His first stint as Tommy lasted until 1934. Two years later he resurfaced in the heyday of the Our Gang shorts as Butch, the terrifying neighborhood bully. Alfalfa was his most frequent target for abuse as the two rivalled for Darla's attentions. Bond had a versatile career beyond his Our Gang roles. He did voices for Warner Brothers cartoons and worked alongside Laurel and Hardy, Jimmy Stewart, Frank Morgan, and other notable Hollywood stars. Bond died of heart disease a few days after his 79th birthday in 2005.
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Our
Gang
Tommy
Butch
Bond
Added: 30th November 2009
Views: 1625
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Darwood Kaye played Waldo in the Our Gang shorts from 1937 to 1940. The bookish and officious Waldo was usually a minor character, although he also pursued the fair Darla. His first speaking part was in Hearts are Thumps (1937). His last was Waldo's Last Stand (1940). He had a few movie roles outside of the Our Gang series, including one alongside Lucille Ball. Following his acting days, Darwood became an ordained minister with the Seventh-Day Adventist church. He worked at various missions, including ones in Thailand. Sadly Darwood met a tragic end. On May 15, 2002, he was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking on a sidewalk near his home in Riverside, California. He was 72 years old.
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Our
Gang
Waldo
Darwood
Kaye
Added: 1st December 2009
Views: 1937
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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This is a colorized version (boo!) of the 1940 Our Gang comedy Waldo's Last Stand. In this one, the gang tries to increase the business at Waldo's struggling lemonade stand by putting on a floor show! This episode marked the final appearance of Waldo and the first appearance of Froggy. In the final number, one of the dancers is five-year-old Janet Burston, the girl who would replace Darla Hood as the lead female gang member until the series ran its course.
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Our
Gang
colorized
Waldos
Last
Stand
Added: 12th October 2012
Views: 2895
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Here's the other Our Gang comedy featuring the He-Man Woman-Haters Club. (Enjoy it before it gets yanked from the source website--again.) Alfalfa's friends make him pay for being Darla Hood's valentine.
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Hearts
Are
Thumps
Our
Gang
Added: 26th June 2013
Views: 1801
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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On October 30, 1962 the Jack Benny Program featured 31-year-old Darla Hood, who had been the prominent female character in the Our Gang comedy shorts from 1936 through 1943. When this show aired, Hood had a few minor hit records to her credit, was a nightclub singer, and was a mother of three. She performed one of her songs in the first half of the show--but this second half featured a wonderful parody of Our Gang titled 'My Gang' in which Jack played Alfalfa. Of course Darla Hood played...Darla Hood! Enjoy the fun!
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Jack
Benny
Show
Darla
Hood
Our
Gang
parody
Added: 7th September 2015
Views: 1875
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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