Darla/Alfalfa/Buckwheat/Chubby photo

[rascal88]

Hi all. I recently bought the book about Buckwheat written by his son and David W. Menefee. There's a photo in there of Darla, Alfalfa, Buckwheat and Chubby that really intrigues me. I tried finding some info about it online but couldn't come up with anything. Chubby left the Gang in 1931 and (I think) moved back to Baltimore, so I'm not sure when he would have been around the others. He would have been 21 when the photo was taken.

I'm thinking Darla's blond hair is because of her appearance in the 1936 film "The Bohemian Girl." It looks like Buckwheat is wearing the same outfit he wore in the 1936 short "The Lucky Corner." I'm guessing the photo was taken in the 2nd half of 1935, around the time Chubby's health started declining, but he looks like he did when he was with the Gang.

If anyone has any info or guesses about the circumstances around the photo, please share!

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[mtw12055]

Actually, that's not Chubby. That was another kid who was supposed to have been added to the Gang around 1936 as the new fat kid, but for whatever reason, wound up not being added. I can't recall the kid's name right now, but theluckycorner.com had some information on him in the past that seems to have vanished. Maybe somebody else remembers his name?

[rascal88]

Wow he looked a lot like Chubby, I'd never heard of that. Thanks for the info!

[zootmoney]

Nice Cubs uniform he is wearing.

[bigshotjones]

Is that the same kid in this pic:
s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm119/badger60/?action=view¤t=chub.jpg

[zootmoney]

I would say "No." And, unlike the caption reads, the other kid does not look anything like Farina.

[axlegrease]

Paul Dominick

[puddinntane]

Paul Dominick died in 2007. Here is an obituary that mentions he was a Cubs mascot and received a "Little Rascals" screen test.

www.memorialsolutions.com/sitemaker/sites/edward0/obit.cgi?user=paul-dominick

[mtw12055]

From Craig Calman's strongly recommended Hal Roach book:

November 19, 1935: Variety "Production on Jimmy Savo's starrer Alone Alas! [with a cast including Isabel Jewell, Leon Errol, 'Spanky,' 'Alfalfa,' 'Buckwheat,' 'Porky,' Paul Dominick, Edward Gargan and Robert Homans] was stopped by Hal Roach for a sweeping rewrite job after six days in work. Unless doctored satisfactorily, studio may scrap the picture and take $50,000 loss expended to date. Director Gus Meins, Harry McCoy, and studio writing staff will give the script a two weeks' going over. Cast is being kept intact."

Long story short, the Gang was set to appear in one of Roach's all star features, and Paul would have joined them for it. I guess it was never "doctored satisfactorily."

[tboneator64]

Oct 6, 2016 20:30:05 GMT -5 mtw12055 said:

From Craig Calman's strongly recommended Hal Roach book:

November 19, 1935: Variety "Production on Jimmy Savo's starrer Alone Alas! [with a cast including Isabel Jewell, Leon Errol, 'Spanky,' 'Alfalfa,' 'Buckwheat,' 'Porky,' Paul Dominick, Edward Gargan and Robert Homans] was stopped by Hal Roach for a sweeping rewrite job after six days in work. Unless doctored satisfactorily, studio may scrap the picture and take $50,000 loss expended to date. Director Gus Meins, Harry McCoy, and studio writing staff will give the script a two weeks' going over. Cast is being kept intact."

Long story short, the Gang was set to appear in one of Roach's all star features, and Paul would have joined them for it. I guess it was never "doctored satisfactorily."

That's too bad that All Star Feature never got off the ground, and the Hal Roach Studios obviously took a rather big hit on it!

By the way, our son shares Chubby lookalike Paul Dominick's Date of Birth!  Of course, also like Norman Chaney, Paul would have been one of the oldest new "Our Gang' recruits, had he been hired by Roach. In my opinion, it was simply the wrong time in the series for him, though I can certainly see why there was initial interest!  It's also nice to see that, unlike Norman, Paul lived a long life.  Hopefully, it was a happy one!

As a side note, hopefully Paul Dominick's Cubs can finally make it to a World Series after 71 years!  Of course, if our Toronto Blue Jays can also make it that far, that's who I'll be ultimately be pulling for!

CHEERS!

[Deleted]

I don't even know if the girl in the photo is actually Darla. She does have even shorter hair, which to me, is not reminiscent of Darla.

Plus, we do know that Darla and Chubby never did appear simultaneously in any of the Our Gang comedies. But it is totally uncertain if the obese boy really is Chubby, or the young girl really is Darla.

[tboneator64]

Oct 8, 2016 9:32:10 GMT -5 @darlajeanhoodfan said:

I don't even know if the girl in the photo is actually Darla. She does have even shorter hair, which to me, is not reminiscent of Darla.

Plus, we do know that Darla and Chubby never did appear simultaneously in any of the Our Gang comedies. But it is totally uncertain if the obese boy really is Chubby, or the young girl really is Darla.

It's been well established the obese boy is NOT Chubby, but a lookalike, Paul Dominick, who did a screen test with Roach.  Darla's unusual (For her!) shorter, blonde hairdo was employed for her appearance in THE BOHEMIAN GIRL (1936), in which she plays the fair haired Arline as a child.  The shooting of this Laurel & Hardy Feature just preceded Miss Hood's 'Our Gang' debut, which is why Darla is a blonde in her first few 'Our Gang' appearances.

Hope this clears things up!

CHEERS!