He claims that Switzer was drunk at the time of the incident and a knife was also found conveniently placed on Switzers person at the crime scene, which was later discovered as a penknife. Thanks Eddie! Stiltz told him he was \"crazy\" and to get the hell out of his house at which point all massive holy hell apparently broke loose. What happened to Alfalfa of the Little Rascals At this point, Switzer seemed to realize things were out of control. Learn how your comment data is processed. Stiltz wasn't interested in paying, and a fight broke out. Darla Hood became his co-star and romance interest on screen. For another, Tom Corrigan, Stiltzs stepson, told a different version of what happened on that Wednesday night in Los Angeles. The classic show Little Rascals is perhaps the earliest series with curse claims against it, with tragedy befalling many cast members. Stiltz had no choice but to shoot and kill Alfalfa. The former child actor bled out and was dead when he reached the hospital. The Life and Tragic Death of Alfalfa | Little Rascal's Carl Switzer's Producer/creator Hal Roach re-bundled 79 of the shorts to make The Little Rascals TV series, which is still broadcast today. What a sad ending to someone who made us laugh and laugh and laugh. In 1996, Hall was nominated for a YoungStar award (Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Made For TV Movie) for his work as Eddie Munster in the Fox telefilm The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas, and he voiced a little boy in Disney's Hercules in 1997. He also did some acting for television. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Stiltz retreated to his bedroom and returned holding a .38-caliber revolver, but Switzer immediately grabbed the gun away from him, resulting in a shot being fired that hit the ceiling. His friend survived the accident, but Laughlin succumbed to his injuries in the hospital six hours later. A man found the dog, brought it back to Switzer, to which he paid the man the $35 reward and $15 worth of drinks. As the narrator says, The circumstances left behind many questions that still haunt his memory. The narrator invites us to Come walk with me to that night over sixty years ago and separate fact from myth of child star Carl Alfalfa Switzer., Spanky and Alfalfa at the Hal Roach Studios in 1935. He was sentenced to a years probation and ordered to pay a $225 fine. Switzer and Stiltz struggled for the gun and it went off. You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time youre reading this). Piott broke a glass-domed clock over Stiltzs head whose eye swelled shut. By the end of the year, Alfalfa was one of the main characters while Harolds Slim and Deadpan faded into the background. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons) Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer was perhaps the most famous little rascal of the entire gang. Before one particular hunting expedition, Switzer borrowed a hunting dog from a friend, Moses \"Bud\" Stiltz. Another co-star says that Alfie put an open switchblade in his pocket and tricked Darla into putting her hand in his pocket on the pretense that he had a ring for her from a Crackerjack box. Like many of his Little Rascals co-stars, Carl Switzer more popularly known as Alfalfa had a really difficult time transitioning from child star to more adult roles. In the studio caf, six-year-old Carl and his eight-year-old brother, Harold, performed an impromptu song-and-dance number. I have a biography for him in the worksit's going to answer a lot of questions, and extinguish the lies and false conspiracies that have been spread for so many years. Alfalfa became famous for singing off-key and sporting the cowlick hairstyle. Hall was recently, an increasingly difficult endeavor seemingly for espousing his creepy religious views, including those involving, belief that married men and women are obligated to have sexual intercourse with their spouse when their spouse demands it, In another tweet, he apparently bragged about, enforcing corporal punishment on his children beginning at the age of 10 months, He also wrote a bunch of homophobic garbage I don. But by 1937, Carls Alfalfa had become the more popular of the two. Well, we shot Tommy, enough of this, he remembers Switzer saying before Switzer and Piott started to retreat. After an extensive search, his body was found on October 5, 2002, in a desert near Las Vegas. [1] Following Rascals, Hall appeared in John Landis's The Stupids and the soccer comedy The Big Green. It had been found by crime scene investigators under his body, but with no blade exposed. Pal had appeared in several films before Our Gang. It used to drive him crazy.". Bug Hall played Alfalfa, arguably the most famous of the Rascals. Please do not email me with private information. Spanky was also putting on more weight and he just didn't look like he fit in the movies. Bug Hall on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in 1994. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy. The single, violent act ended Switzers short life at just 32 years old (8/7/27-1/21/59). At the time Our Gang was filmed, television was still in its infancy, and many considered it to be a temporary novelty. There are a lot of famous movie roles that are widely considered to becursed, from Superman toTerminators John Connor to any and all characters that were played by Charlie Sheen. [] Carl Switzer spent five years portraying the very popular role of Alfalfa in 75 films. A jury later ruled the incident justifiable homicide, and the man who killed Switzer was not charged. By the 1950s, Switzer was still acting part-time, but his life was falling apart. Piott said a brief struggle ensued and Stiltz brandished a gun and shot Switzer, who was unarmed at the time, in the groin. At auditions, according to Darla, "They used to say to him, 'Hey Alfie, sing off-key for us.' Carl Switzer, 12, ended his run as a notable Little Rascal whenthe Our Gang short films series ended in 1940. You probably known him better as Alfalfa in the Our Gang comedies, later released on television as The Little Rascals. Although for years it was assumed that the death of Alfalfa was his own fault, Tom disagrees. They had a son together but divorced in 1957. During the inquest regarding Switzers death, it was revealed that what was originally reported as a hunting knife was in fact merely a penknife. I never saw Switzer in anything but the shorts. Brandon Hall, nicknamed "Bug" by his family, was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 4, 1985. Whatever Happened To Alfalfa From The Little Rascals? - Looper She typically played the love interest of Butch or Alfalfa. After his Our Gang days ended in 1940, Switzer appeared (often uncredited) in small parts in nearly sixty films, including My Favorite Blonde (1942), The Human Comedy (1943), Going My Way (1944), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), State of the Union (1948), Pat and Mike (1952). Ironically, Alfalfa thought he actually had a great voice. Shirts available in sizes S to 10XL: The coroner's jury ruled the death as a justifiable homicide. Carl Switzer (Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images) Carl Switzer was a beloved child actor thanks to his role as Alfalfa in The Little Rascals shorts. Three stories have come forth about the shooting. Carl Dean "Alfalfa" Switzer, who was born in Paris, Illinois, on August 7, 1927, is best remembered as "Alfalfa" on The Little Rascals (originally known as Our Gang)--Spanky's skinny, freckle-faced sidekick with the irrepressible cowlick, and off-key singing voice. While we may never fully know who was at fault here, its eerie that Switzers death was not widely covered in the news due to Cecil B. DeMilles death being on the same day. It's a problem that's plagued young performers since pretty much the advent of movies, but Carl would try to make the best of the hand he was dealt though it would all ultimately have a tragic end . The lights exploded and filled the studio with a tremendous stench. Sign up for the newsletter today. The death of Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer is still a very murky chapter in Hollywood history. Please SHARE this article if you remember The Little Rascals! The Murder of 'Little Rascals' Star Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer The Tragic 1959 Death Of The Little Rascals' Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer The dog was lost and Switzer offered a $35 reward for its return. His older brother, Harold Switzer, was also in the original show. Jack Piotts version of events was different, telling investigators that he and Switzer went to collect a debt from Stiltz, when an argument broke out. I feel sorry children who didnt get to experience what we did. Following the shooting, Corrigan claims a now-deceased Los Angeles Police Department detective, Pat Pow, interviewed him and asked him if he would testify before a judge. []. Producer Hal Roach saw the duos performance. Hood went onto have a successful singing career after her time on Our Gang. It was discovered that Hood had contracted acute hepatitis from a blood transfusion given to her during the operation. He was in the direct-to-DVD film Skipped Parts, released in 2000, with Mischa Barton. The series started in the early 1920s, and by the 1950s, Our Gangshort films were turned into the hugely popular television series called The Little Rascals. . 6XL T-Shirts | 7XL T-Shirts | 8XL T-Shirts9XL T-Shirts | 10XL T-Shirts And, channel 9 KHJ was playing the old Our Gang comedies that had been repackaged and renamed for television as The Little Rascals. Switzer paid the man $35 and bought him $15 worth of drinks from the bar. Carl's life Carl Switzer is interred at theHollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. ACTORS WHO RUINED THEIR CAREER IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. During this time, she underwent an appendectomy. (LogOut/ Bug Hall. Among his more notable clients were Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (Switzers godparents), and James Stewart. He died in this accident, at only 20 years old. He agreed but was never called. But I, d like to suggest another, even more potentially ill-fated role: Alfalfa from, The child actor who originally played Alfalfa back in the 1930s, Switzer ended up dying in, well, one of the worst ways imaginable. Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer - Wikipedia He and Piott started to leave. These black-and-white films enjoyed a whole new life in television in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, and even now the classic shorts are seen by countless new generations on video and DVD (Image left: Wikipedia)Producer Hal Roach (who also produced the classic Laurel and Hardy films) produced dozens of Little Rascals and Our Gang comedy shorts throughout the depression years of the 1930s. Chubby -- 300-pound Norman Chaney died at age 22 following an operation. He died on January 21, 1959, the victim of a killer's bullet as he and another man argued over a lost hunting dog.In 1935 Switzer was added to the already successful Our Gang comedy series when he was only seven years old. The truthful will always be persecuted. In 1940, he left the show at age 12 and appeared in minor roles in movie classics such as Its a Wonderful Life and The Ten Commandments. If something I have written seems to coincide with your situation, it is a coincidence. The rear projection system and the lights (with a thousand watts per bulb) were taking a long time to set up, so Alfie decided to use his time by going behind the screen and peeing on the bulbs. In 2013, Hall converted to Traditionalist Catholicism; later leaving Hollywood in 2020. Beginning in the silent era, Our Gang, originally called Hal Roach's Rascals, peaked with the advent of the talkies, making Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, and Darla household names. Otherwise, he threatened to kick the door in. Switzer had a fleeting cameo in the 1954 musical film White Christmas where his picture was used to depict an Army buddy (named Freckle-Faced Haynes) of lead characters (Wallace and Davis) played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye and also the brother of the female leads (the Haynes Sisters) played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. He also wrote a bunch of homophobic garbage I dont care to repeat. The marriage only lasted four months, but did result in the birth of a son whose name was a well-kept secret. Harold was eight years old, and Alfalfa was six. In 1980, Hood was integral in organizing a Little Rascals reunion. Specialty T-Shirts: There are no implied messages to anyone. He also had a run-in with the law. He was the son of actor Ray Crash Corrigan and Bud Stiltzs stepson. "Another time, "Alfie put an open switchblade in his pocket and tricked Darla into into putting her hand in his pocket on the pretense that he had a ring for her from a Crackerjack box. Carl Switzer, who portrayed the lovable but dorky Alfalfa in the "Our Gang"/"Little Rascals" shorts, worked various odd jobs and had run-ins with the law as an adult, as History reports. Eventually, Switzer found himselfdrunkenly fightingsomeone over a dispute involving reward money for a lost dog, which only ended when the other guyfatally shot Switzer in the groin.Yeah, he was straight-upRobocop-ed to death. "He didn't have to kill him," he said of his stepfather. My favorite was Petey, the circle eyed dog. Barbara Newland. The character is called Froggy because of his deep, frog-like voice, which was done by Laughlin although many viewers thought another actor overdubbed it. Check out NeatoShop's large selection of T-shirts Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Often uncredited, Switzer appeared in small parts in nearly sixty films, includingMy Favorite Blonde(1942),The Human Comedy(1943),Going My Way(1944),Its a Wonderful Life(1946),State of the Union(1948),Pat and Mike(1952). One of the most iconic films of the 1990s is the 1994 family comedy The Little Rascals. Several days later on January 21, 1959, Switzer and his friend Jack Piott decided that Stiltz owed Switzer the $50 paid to the man who found the dog. Carl Switzer: The Truth About Alfalfa's Death - George Pallas For one thing, the hunting knife turned out to be a penknife. The Life and Death of Alfalfa - Midnight Oil Studios Switzer paid the man $35 and bought him $15 worth of drinks from the bar. An additional program on television that evening on KTLA channel 5 was Art Laboe playing the top music hits of the day. Spanky, one of the leading members of the gang, spoke of Alfalfas most dangerous prank on-set: We were filming one day and the scene called for the kids to show their own movie on a process screen. Visit Eddie at his website. Hes buried in the Hollywood ForeverCemetery. If you think comics cant offend any more, Segura has some jokes for you, Somehow, it makes perfect sense that the prop comic was there, She went from theater to SNL' faster than you can say, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!, Jameela Jamil, Jason Mendoza, DArcy Carden and more had the best forking reunion at Dansons domain. Switzer slid down a wall with a surprised look on his face. Alfie once put fish hooks in Spankys back pockets and poor Spanky had to have stitches placed on his tush, she says. Alfalfa and Spanky From 'The Little Rascals' Remake Movie Reunite 20 It was then that Stiltz fired a second shot. Stiltz opened the door and Alfalfa said, "I want my fifty bucks and I want it now!" Those were some pretty mean tricks to play on the other kids. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. There was also apparently a threat of violence from Switzer which prompted Stiltz to reach for the gun, to which both men struggled to gain control of. Were The Little Rascals Cursed? The Grim Demise Of Eight Child Stars Although the self-defense verdict tied up Switzers death with a nice, neat bow, there were problems with it. In 1967, he killed a customer in a dispute. Marc Hoover: Carl Switzer, childhood star's death Harold Switzer (left) and his brother Carl Switzer (right) (Photo Credit: Josemalaga/ Wikimedia Commons). They would later know that while the freckle-faced little boy sang on their television sets, his adult-self was bing shot to death in one of their neighbors homes on Columbus Avenue. We hope you like what you see! Tom left with his mother and the other children, coming back into the house just as the fatal shot went off that killed Switzer. His final film role was in 1958s The Defiant Ones and on the television series The Roy Rogers Show, where he was called upon to reprise his off-key Alfalfa-like singing. Required fields are marked *. What Alfalfa From 'Little Rascals' Movie Looks Like 20 Years Later the Our Gang shorts were part of my life in the 1950s. Some posts are updated and the original date will be posted at the bottom of the article.
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