On
January 21, 1959, Carl Dean Switzer, the actor who as a child played
"Alfalfa" in the Our Gang comedy film series, dies at age 31
in a fight, allegedly about money, in a Mission Hills, California, home.
Alfalfa, the freckle-faced boy with a warbling singing voice and a cowlick
protruding from the top of his head, was Switzer's best-known role.Switzer was
born August 7, 1927, and as a child he often entertained people in his hometown
of Paris, Illinois, with his singing. On a trip to California to visit
relatives, Switzer's mother took Carl and his brother to the Hal Roach Studios,
a film and television production company that launched the careers of comedy
legends like Laurel and Hardy. The Switzer brothers were signed by Hal Roach
and Carl was cast as Alfalfa in the Our Gang series. The series revolved
around a group of ragtag children and their adventures. Along with Alfalfa,
other popular characters included Spanky, Buckwheat and Darla. Our Gang
was considered groundbreaking in that it featured white and black child actors
interacting equally. Switzer played Alfalfa from the mid-1930s to the early
1940s. In 1955, the Our Gang films were turned into a hugely popular TV
series called The Little Rascals; however, Switzer never received any
royalties from the show. After Our Gang, Switzer found small roles in
movies and on television, but his most successful days in Hollywood were behind
him. He made money working odd jobs, including stints as a hunting guide and
bartender, and had several run-ins with the police. On January 21, 1959,
Switzer and a friend went to the Mission Hills home of Moses "Bud"
Stiltz, to collect a debt Switzer believed he was owed. A fight broke out,
during which Stiltz shot and killed Switzer. A jury later ruled the incident
justifiable homicide.
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