The Death of Darla in 2008

[Hard-boiled Harry]

Yeah that's right one of the girls who played Darla in Our Gang passed away on April 2nd 2008. Her name was Mollie Mae Gottschalck Barron and she played in the “Little Rascals” films for a year while the other actress who played “Darla” (Minnie Ruth) was on sick leave. When Minnie returned to the “Little Rascals”, Mollie and she tried to play the two together as twin sisters. Later Mollie became ill with chicken pox and she lost her hearing and her acting career came to an end. She suffered a broken heart courtesy of Alfalfa. As a 5 year old child she was well known as the character "Darla" and her favorite memory was playing Alfalfa’s girlfriend and having him sing to her in that special way of his. She said Alfalfa’s cowlick was held in place with a lot of wax so it wouldn’t droop. Mollie, a native of Brooklyn, New York played “Darla” in two “Little Rascals” films, including “The Haunting Ghost” and several short films during mid 1920′s died on April 2, 2008, she was 87 years old.

So she was 87, died in 2008, I guess that means she was born in 1921. She played Darla when she was aged 5, which I guess was 1926, and she was Alfalfa's girlfriend the year before he was born. I also find it very interesting that he sang to her in silent movies.

I made this up didn't I? Nope... I just love the bizarre stuff you come across online

Click here to read about the death of one of the Darlas

[mtw12055]

You're right, this story is complete nonsense. The REAL Darla is my next door neighbor. She was with the Gang for over 400 shorts between 1930 and 1933. She replaced the original Darla, who was with the Gang from 1917 to 1929. She had some great stories to tell about her days in the Gang, like how the kid playing Buckwheat (who was actually a white kid in blackface) had to keep going back into makeup, as the black paint on his face would come off easily. And how Alfalfa became Elton John's manager. And how she and Spanky (who was actually a 30 year old midget) used to help the director hide his liquor bottles from Hal Roach while on the job.

(Please don't take any of this story seriously).

[Hard-boiled Harry]

I apologize for my mistake, it seems that Mollie Mae Gottschalck Barron wasn't actually Darla at all! I know this might come as a shock but it seems that she was an imposter. It turns out that the real Darla was of course the pretty little blonde bombshell who appeared alongside Farina, Jackie Condon, Joe Cobb and the rest in the late 1920s. Yeah that's right the real Darla was of course Mrs Shirley Cherington. It must be true cos it says so on the back of her photograph.





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