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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jan 9, 2011 2:24:21 GMT -5
I'm not sure who writes those introductions for Osbourne, but Blake definately was not a Roach find. From what Blake recalls, during the production of the MGM Our Gang short "Joy Scouts", the writers wanted Gary Jasguar (rather rudely referred to by Blake later on in life as "a little rummy") to speak dialogue, but had little luck. Director Edward Cahn apparently said "How are we going to get this kid to say these lines?". Blake, then an MGM extra being paid $1 a week just happened to be there and said, "I can say them". That does seem to have been a rather impolite way for Robert Blake to refer to Gary Jasgar. I've always liked Gary Jasgar and the sort of brotherly rapport that he had going with Leonard Landy, which flourished despite the lack of dialogue between the two. I never knew about the studio having such trouble getting Gary Jasgar to speak lines! He always did seem to be a silent type, in a way sort of reminiscent of early Eugene Lee, but I just figured that the character of Junior was designed to be like that. I wonder why it was that it was so hard for him to comply with the requirements of a speaking role.
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Post by mtw12055 on Jan 9, 2011 12:40:11 GMT -5
According to Maltin and Bann, Jasgar left the series before he even knew he was in films. My guess is that he was just too young to fully understand what they wanted him to do. I'm not sure how often he was called on the speak dialogue, but the original script for "Three Men in a Tub" has a good handful of dialogue intended for Gary. John Collum wound up with some of his dialogue, while the rest was evidently never filmed.
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Post by mtw12055 on Jan 16, 2011 19:06:09 GMT -5
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Post by myhomeo on Oct 18, 2011 19:39:15 GMT -5
Hafta pull this out for an update: On THE LATE LATE SHOW, a talk show, host Craig Ferguson is talking about his past and mentions, "our gang, the boys I ran with..." Then it suddenly hits him what he just said. "Yes, folks, I was in Our Gang." Strikes a pose. "Call me Spanky!"
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Post by dchord568 on Oct 25, 2011 14:00:42 GMT -5
This sort of fits this topic in a roundabout way.
I recall in the 1970s seeing a movie in which, during a brief early scene, one of the main characters says hello to a fellow standing on a street corner, addressing him as "Stymie." And it was evident to me, before I ever saw the credits at the end, that in fact it WAS Matthew "Stymie" Beard portraying this character.
I had to look it up on imdb.com, and this must have been "It's Good to Be Alive," a 1974 TV movie that was a biography of Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Ray Campanella.
This was the first time Stymie had appeared in a film since an uncredited role in 1953. I know he battled drug addiction for many years; perhaps this was his first work since conquering it.
Could this be a unique example of an Our Gang actor portraying, decades later, the same character that brought him fame in the series, but in a completely different context?
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Post by ymymeatemup on Oct 25, 2011 15:25:38 GMT -5
Could this be a unique example of an Our Gang actor portraying, decades later, the same character that brought him fame in the series, but in a completely different context? That's strange that they actually named the character "Stymie" for that TV movie. He clearly wasn't playing himself since it was set in the somewhat distant past. I think an earlier instance of this would be when Spanky hosted a local "Little Rascals" show and dressed up as "Spanky," presumably playing the character from the series rather than himself.
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Post by dchord568 on Oct 25, 2011 16:08:33 GMT -5
That's strange that they actually named the character "Stymie" for that TV movie. He clearly wasn't playing himself since it was set in the somewhat distant past. Well, I'm not sure how "distant" it was. I don't recall when the scene in question was supposedly taking place. For all I know, it could have happened in the midst of Roy Campenella's major league career, which ran from 1948-1957. So it might not have been that far off from real chronology. The whole scene was kind of a throwaway, but I just remember really getting a kick out of the producers opting to use Stymie's "real" name for his character.
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Post by rascalwatcher on Oct 27, 2011 12:03:42 GMT -5
I didn't go back through all of the posts here to see if this one was mentioned, but in an episode of Night Court, there was some hillbilly couple that Dan sarcastically referred to as Darla and Alfalfa.
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Post by bigshotjones on Oct 27, 2011 23:20:58 GMT -5
I've seen the Campanella movie somewhat recently, and basically, as Campanella (played by Paul Winfield) is leaving his liquor store, he sees a chap, and just says something like "Hi, Stymie." I don't recall whether or not Stymie has a line. I seem to recall Stymie standing around some kind of fire, like a fire in a barrel or something to keep himself warm.
And about Jasgur (note the correct spelling), who was the nephew of Max Yasgur of Woodstock fame), his daughter said he got the job originally because of his deadpan expression.
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Post by classixrbest on Oct 28, 2011 7:45:13 GMT -5
This is more of an interesting celebrity tidbit rather than "pop culture", but... didn't Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman use Alfalfa's version of "I'm in the Mood for Love" as their wedding song?
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Post by myhomeo on Dec 1, 2011 19:54:31 GMT -5
Another 'Late Late Show' reference: Craig Ferguson was having some trouble with his hair and kept asking if it was sticking up. "Is it an Alfalfa thing, then?" He and robot skeleton sidekick Chloe Bandearas --You heard me-- then got into a run about a grown-up "Sexy Alfalfa After Dark."
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Post by myhomeo on Feb 6, 2012 20:09:31 GMT -5
New one, from an old source. One of the set decorations on PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE is a postcard spinner rack, and one of the postcards has a portrait of Alfalfa.
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Post by littlerascal4891 on May 22, 2012 23:39:53 GMT -5
Anyone remember the show "Brotherly Love" with the Lawrence brothers (probably not, it only lasted two seasons)? Anyway, someone offered his kid brother to clean the bathroom for a quarter, and his friend was appalled. He goes, "What? A quarter is a lot of money to a kid!" Then the friend says, "Yeah, if you're Spanky!" Haha! Couldn't help but think of this topic.
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Post by mtw12055 on May 28, 2012 16:33:35 GMT -5
In the episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, where Mike and the bots watch the Mexican children's film SANTA CLAUS, at one point, Santa says something along the lines of, "Now where are those little rascals". Anybody who has watched enough of MST3K should expect for that to be a cue for a Little Rascals reference. The particular reference here is that Tom Servo starts humming "The Good Old Days" theme.
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Post by myhomeo on May 29, 2012 18:56:20 GMT -5
Another: Local car dealership has started running commercials built around the concept of people impersonating 'classic comedy teams' working at the dealership. One set has 'The Three Stooges', while another has grown up versions of The Rascals. I recognized attempts at Alfalfa, Porky, Darla, and Buckwheat, who does the 'O-tay' line.
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