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The Little Rascals (film)
''The Little Rascals'' is a 1994 American family comedy film produced by Amblin Entertainment, and released by Universal Pictures on August 5, 1994. The film is an adaptation of Hal Roach's '' Our Gang'', a series of short films of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s (many of which were broadcast on television as ''The Little Rascals'') which centered on the adventures of a group of neighborhood children. Directed by Penelope Spheeris, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, the film presents several of the ''Our Gang'' characters in an updated setting, featuring re-interpretations of several of the original shorts. It is the first collaboration by Guay and Mazur, whose subsequent comedies were ''Liar Liar'' and '' Heartbreakers''. Another film based on '' Our Gang'', ''The Little Rascals Save the Day'', was released as a direct-to-video feature in 2014. Plot Spanky is the president of the "He-Man Woman ('woman' is misspelled as 'womun') Haters Club" with many scho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled ''The Decline of Western Civilization'', each covering an aspect of Los Angeles underground culture, and ''Wayne's World'', her highest-grossing film. Early life Spheeris was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her Greek-immigrant father owned the ''Magic Empire Shows'' carnival and was a side-show strong man. Her mother, of Irish heritage, was raised in Kansas and later worked as a ticket taker for the carnival. Her father was 40 years old and her mother was 19 when they began a relationship. Spheeris has three full siblings, plus a number of older half-siblings from her father's first marriage. She is a sister of singer Jimmie Spheeris and a first cousin of musician Chris Spheeris, and Greek- French director Costa Gavras, which she says has made her consid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liar Liar
''Liar Liar'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac, and written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur. It stars Jim Carrey as a lawyer who built his entire career on lying, but finds himself cursed to speak only the truth for a single day, during which he struggles to maintain his career and to reconcile with his ex-wife and son whom he alienated with his pathological lying. The film is the second of three collaborations between Carrey and Shadyac—the first being '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' and the third being ''Bruce Almighty''—the second of three collaborations between Guay and Mazur—the others being ''The Little Rascals'' and '' Heartbreakers''—and the first collaboration between Carrey and producer Brian Grazer. The film was released to critical and commercial success, grossing $302.7 million against a budget of $45 million and earning positive reviews from critics and audiences, who particularly praised Carrey's performance. At the 56th Golden Globe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darwood Kaye
Darwood Kenneth Smith (September 8, 1929 – May 15, 2002), also known as Darwood Kaye, was an American child actor most notable for his semi-regular role as the bookish rich kid Waldo in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1937 to 1940. As an adult, Smith became a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, ministering at several churches until his death in 2002. Kaye was "discovered" in 1935 while his family was on vacation in Hollywood, California; he was asked to come to the studios for a screen test, and made some uncredited appearances in films in 1936. ''Our Gang'' Kaye had a small role in Hal Roach's 1937 ''Our Gang'' comedy ''Glove Taps''. His first speaking part was in ''Hearts Are Thumps'', released the same year. In most of his ''Our Gang'' appearances, Kaye portrayed "Waldo", a rich kid with an officious, studious nature who competed with schoolmates "Alfalfa" Switzer and "Butch" Bond for the affections of little Darla Hood. Maltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidney Kibrick
Sidney Henry Kibrick (born July 2, 1928) is an American former child actor, most notable for appearing in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects film series, over a ten-year period from 1933 and 1943. Kibrick was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 2, 1928. He attended Mount Vernon Junior High. Kibrick made a brief non-dialogue appearance as an extra in the feature film ''Dead End'', observed as one of three or so children huddled together during one of the river dock scenes. He made his uncredited film debut in ''Out all Night'' (1933), and after a few more uncredited roles was cast in 1935 in ''Our Gang'', from 1937 to 1939, in that series he portrayed "Woim" (a vernacular pronunciation of "worm"), the sidekick of the neighborhood bully "Butch", played by Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods on ''Our Gang'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Bond
Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods on ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (first as "Tommy" and later as "Butch"). Also, he is noted for being the first actor to appear onscreen as "Superman's pal" Jimmy Olsen, having portrayed the character in the film serials ''Superman'' (1948) and ''Atom Man vs. Superman'' (1950). Biography Early years and ''Our Gang'' Born in Dallas, Texas, Bond got his start in 1931 at the age of 4 when a talent scout for Hal Roach studios approached him as he was leaving a Dallas cinema. Bond was hired at Hal Roach Studios for the ''Our Gang'' series in the summer of 1931 to begin work that upcoming fall, at around the same time as George "Spanky" McFarland was hired. Bond worked in ''Our Gang'' for three years, alternately appearing as a supporting character and a background actor. His sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eugene Gordon Lee
Eugene Gordon Lee (October 25, 1933 – October 16, 2005) was an American child actor, most notable for appearing in the ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies as Porky from 1935 to 1939. During his tenure in ''Our Gang'', Porky originated the catchphrase "O-tay!", though it is commonly attributed to fellow character Buckwheat, played by Billie Thomas Early life Eugene Lee was born in Fort Worth, Texas and was adopted. Career ''Our Gang'' Lee began performing in motion pictures in 1935, after producer Hal Roach noted how much the eighteen-month-old toddler looked like ''Our Gang'' star Spanky McFarland (who was also from Texas). The Lee family traveled from Texas to Culver City, California. Nicknamed "Porky" by the studio, Eugene Lee joined the cast as Spanky's little brother. Porky appeared in 42 ''Our Gang'' comedies over four years. Lee, McFarland, and ''Our Gang'' co-stars Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, and Darla Hood constituted what is today the mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Laughlin
William Robert Laughlin (July 5, 1932 – August 31, 1948) was an American child actor. He is best known for playing the character Froggy in the ''Our Gang'' short films in 1940–44, its final years of production. Early life Laughlin was born on July 5, 1932 in San Gabriel, California, to Robert Vine Laughlin (August 28, 1901 – September 30, 1972) and Charlotte C. Cruikshank (March 11, 1903 – June 4, 1992). According to ''Our Gang'' actor Robert Blake, Laughlin was "dearly loved". Career Laughlin rose to fame at the age of eight when he appeared in his first ''Our Gang'' film, ''The New Pupil'' as "Harold", in 1940. He worked in support of Alfalfa Switzer in his first three films and then replaced the now too old Switzer as the comic lead of the group with the 1941 films. His character was known for his strange, guttural voice, which was reminiscent of a frog's croak. Laughlin's last ''Our Gang'' short film was the last film of the series in 1944 called ''Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matthew Beard (American Actor)
Matthew Beard Jr. (January 1, 1925 – January 8, 1981) was an American actor. As a child actor, he was most famous for portraying the character of Stymie in the ''Our Gang'' short films from 1930 to 1935. The role was so high-profile that he adopted the name Stymie Beard, being credited as such in some later roles, such as his 1978 appearance in ''The Buddy Holly Story''. Early life Matthew Beard Jr. was born near Los Angeles, California. His father was Matthew Beard, and his mother was Johnnie Mae Beard (née Clay). His father was the founding pastor of Beloved Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles. ''Our Gang'' years Beard previously played baby parts in many films, then signed a five-year contract to play in ''Our Gang''. In contrast to Farina, the character he replaced, Stymie was a slick-tongued con-artist who always was self-assured, nonchalant, and ready with a sly comment as well as clever ideas to solve the problems he faced. Stymie could offer sound, common sense ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darla Hood
Darla Jean Hood (November 8, 1931 – June 13, 1979) was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the ''Our Gang'' series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of music teacher Elizabeth Davner, and James Claude Hood, who worked in a bank. ''Our Gang'' Hood's mother introduced her to singing and dancing at an early age, taking her to lessons in Oklahoma City. Just after her third birthday she was taken to New York City, where she was seen by Joe Rivkin, a casting director for Hal Roach Studios, who arranged a screen test. She was then taken to Culver City, California, to appear in the ''Our Gang'' movies. She played ''Darla'' in ''Our Gang'' except for her Our Gang debut in which her character's name was "Cookie". She made her debut at age four in the 1935 film ''Our Gang Follies of 1936'' and was soon given a role in ''The Bohemian Girl'' with Laurel and Hardy. From 1935 to 1941, she continued to play in ''Our Gang''. She ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer
Carl Dean Switzer (August 7, 1927 – January 21, 1959) was an American singer, child actor, dog breeder, and guide. He was best known for his role as Alfalfa in the short subjects series '' Our Gang''. Switzer began his career as a child actor in the mid-1930s appearing in the '' Our Gang'' short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters. After leaving the series in 1940, Switzer struggled to find substantial roles owing to typecasting. As an adult, he appeared mainly in bit parts and B-movies. He later became a dog breeder and hunting guide. Switzer married in 1954 and had one son before divorcing his wife in 1957. He was fatally shot by an acquaintance in a dispute over money in January 1959. Early life and family Switzer was born in Paris, Illinois, the youngest of four children born to Gladys Carrie Shanks (1904–1997) and George Frederick "Fred" Switzer (1905–1960). The eldest brother died in 1922. A sister ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George McFarland
George McFarland (October 2, 1928 – June 30, 1993) was an American actor most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in the ''Our Gang'' series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. The ''Our Gang'' shorts were later syndicated to television as ''The Little Rascals''. Early life McFarland was born in Dallas, Texas, on October 2, 1928, to Virginia Winifred (née Phillips) and Robert Emmett McFarland. He had three siblings: Thomas ("Tommy", who appeared in a few ''Our Gang'' episodes as "Dynamite"), Amanda, and Roderick ("Rod"). He attended Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Texas. Before joining the ''Our Gang'' comedies, "Sonny", as he was called by his family, modeled children's clothing for a Dallas department store and was also seen around the Dallas area on highway billboards and in print advertisements for Wonder Bread. This established Sonny early on in the local public's eye as an adorable child model and provided experience before cameras. Career ''Ou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soap Box Derby
The Soap Box Derby is a youth soapbox car racing program which has been run in the United States since 1933. World Championship finals are held each July at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. Cars competing in this and related events are unpowered, relying completely upon gravity to move. History In the wake of the first car races, local youth auto races took place in the US at a very early stage. In 1914 the motion picture Kid Auto Races at Venice starring Charlie Chaplin was shown in the cinemas. In 1933 Myron Scott, a photographer for Dayton, Ohio, newspaper Dayton Daily News, saw Robert A. Gravett and friends racing down a hill in Dayton Ohio and put together an impromptu race for 19 boys. There was so much interest that Scott arranged a bigger race, with prize money for August 19. "An amazing crowd of 362 kids showed up with homemade cars built of orange crates, sheet tin, wagon and baby-buggy wheels...." The following year, the first All-American race was held on August 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
