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Post by mtw12055 on Jan 17, 2011 20:50:42 GMT -5
Right now, figuring out what happened to Scooter Lowry seems offly similar to how the Laurel and Hardy fans are trying to figure out what happened to that David Leland kid from "Nothing But Trouble". He wasn't the best actor, but I'd prefer him in the 'boy King' role over Mickey Gubitosi.
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jan 17, 2011 22:06:57 GMT -5
I wouldn't put 100% faith in Wikipedia pages anyway, since they can be edited by anyone. That's certainly true. I get the sense, though, that this particular list is pretty accurate. No one here has stepped forward yet to say that anyone put forth as alive on the list has in fact died, and judging by the names that make up the thirty-four, I'd say that some people with deep knowledge have been involved in the writing of the article. The only ones that I had to add based on the information volunteered in this thread were Vincent Graeff and Jackie Horner. If Ernie Weckbaugh was ever on the list it appears that he was removed in a timely fashion following his passing in October, so it looks as if the list is receiving maintenance on a regular basis. Personally speaking, I've had good experiences with Wikipedia. I wouldn't recommend citing it as absolute fact unless what's being quoted comes from a Featured Article, but at the very least the information in its pages can act as a solid guide. Comparing what is written on Wikipedia with the knowledge of those who definitely know what they're talking about is probably the best way to separate the wheat from the chaff, as far as accuracy in its articles goes. In fact, that was my chief goal in starting this thread. |
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Post by rhapsody on Jan 17, 2011 23:50:10 GMT -5
I don't have access to any of the cool sites, but I did find an "Elmer C. Lowry" in the 1920 and 1930 census born "about 1920." It lists him living in Nassau County, which is on Long Island. The SSDI lists an "Elmer C. Lowry" born Dec. 26, 1919, dying in 1991, reasonably close to the DOB you found. Might these all be the same person? I don't think the Elmer C. Lowry who died in 1991 is the same person as Scooter. I ruled him out because, although his birth date is about right, he's a Jr. buried in the same cemetery in Pennsylvania as Elmer C. Lowry Sr., who died in 1967. See SSDI for Sr's vitals and findagrave for both of their graves in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Aston. From news articles we know Scooter's father died in the 1920's, so if Sr. doesn't fit, Jr. likely doesn't either. |
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jan 18, 2011 22:14:16 GMT -5
Earlier in this thread it was suggested that Peggy Ahern might be the oldest living Gangster, at age ninety-three. If she is the oldest, then that leads me to wonder who is the youngest surviving player from the Our Gang films. It's not easy to locate reliable birth info for everyone who has appeared in the series, but here are the birth dates that I've found for the thirty-four on Wikipedia's list, in chronologically descending order of age:
Billy Naylor: September 22, 1916
Peggy Ahern: March 9, 1917
Lassie Lou Ahern: June 25, 1920
Jean Darling: August 23, 1922
Jackie Cooper: September 15, 1922
Edith Fellows: May 20, 1923
Donnie Smith: September 17, 1924
Mildred Kornman: July 10, 1925
Dickie Moore: September 12, 1925
Jerry Tucker: November 1, 1925
Jackie Lynn Taylor: June 29, 1926
Dickie Jones: February 25, 1927
Joy Wurgaft: September 19, 1927
Philip Hurlic: December 20, 1927
Sidney Kibrick: July 2, 1928
Peggy Lynch: May 11, 1929
Payne Johnson: June 2, 1930
Annie Ross: July 25, 1930
Marianne Edwards: December 4, 1930
Laura June Kenny: June 8, 1931
Darryl Hickman: July 28, 1931
Patsy Barry: June 30, 1932
Leonard Landy: July 2, 1933 (IMDB) or July 3 (Our Gang wikia wiki)
Mickey Gubitosi: September 18, 1933
Dwayne Hickman: May 18, 1934
Clyde Willson: May 7, 1935
Is there anything on the above list that looks wrong at first glance?
I was unable to find birth date information for Jack Hanlon, Valerie Lee, Hugh Chapman, Patsy Britten, or Dickie Jackson.
Priscilla Montgomery's year of birth is listed on the Our Gang wikia wiki as possibly being 1928, but it's just an estimate. Leon Tyler's birth year is given as 1932 in more than one place, but I was unable to find out more than that. Thanks to the information cited by BigShotJones, we also have 1933 as the probable birth year for Jackie Horner.
If the twenty-six for whom I found birth dates have all had their information accurately recorded, then Billy Naylor emerges as the probable oldest living Gangster, currently aged ninety-four. Clyde Willson would be the youngest, aged seventy-five. Of course, those conclusions don't take into account the five actors for whom I couldn't find birth date information.
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Post by RJH on Jan 19, 2011 3:16:46 GMT -5
IMDb says Peggy Lynch was born on May 11, 1929, changed her name to Margaret Kelly in 1948, and is still alive.
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jan 19, 2011 3:28:48 GMT -5
Ah, there we go. It was Peggy Lynch's name change that threw me in searching for her date of birth. Her IMDB bio says that Eddie Cantor decided to give Peggy Lynch the stage name Margaret Kerry when she started playing the part of his character's daughter in the musical, If You Knew Susie.
I find it interesting what the bio also says about her being the live-action model for the movements of Tinkerbell in Disney's Peter Pan.
I'll edit my last post to include the birth date information for Peggy Lynch.
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Post by bigshotjones on Jan 19, 2011 9:21:05 GMT -5
I don't know the exact date, but Google News Archives leads me to belive that Jackie Horner was probably born in 1933.
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jan 20, 2011 1:08:48 GMT -5
I don't know the exact date, but Google News Archives leads me to belive that Jackie Horner was probably born in 1933. I'll update my post to incorporate that estimate. Thanks for the information. Now, for something that I've been wondering about lately: Is there a chance that Clyde Willson might still be living? I haven't found any kind of death date for him online, and judging by his physical appearance in the three Our Gang shorts for which he's been credited, I'd guess that he might potentially be even younger than Mickey Gubitosi. I don't know why I didn't think to try this before, but I just now looked up Clyde Willson on Wikipedia, and he actually has his own article, albeit a stub. The article says that he was born on May 7, 1935, and reports that he is currently a "retired biochemist". If this is right, then it seems that he is likely the new youngest surviving Gangster. Does all of that sound to be in order, or does anyone have pertinent information that would challenge the accuracy of the article? Pending such information, I think that I'll go ahead and add him to the list of living Our Gang players, which would swell that number to thirty-five. |
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Post by bigshotjones on Jan 20, 2011 10:23:09 GMT -5
Now, for something that I've been wondering about lately: Is there a chance that Clyde Willson might still be living? As they say in Panama, "Isthmus be the guy:" alameda.peralta.edu/apps/comm.asp?Q=P1725(Thank you, Uh-Huh.) He also has a profile on LinkedIn. |
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jan 20, 2011 15:00:52 GMT -5
It's good to have a well-sourced Wikipedia article! The page for Clyde Willson on the College of Alameda website was a big part of the reason why I was willing to so quickly accept his birth date information as solid fact. It seems, though, that he's not fully retired from his teaching position at the school. As written on the profile page, "Now semi-retired, Clyde continues to enjoy teaching chemistry (part-time) at the College of Alameda."
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Jan 25, 2011 15:01:54 GMT -5
By the way, did that post ever lead to any further information about Donnie Smith? This question was revived for a short time in 2007 in the following thread: littlerascals.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=458&page=1 Looking back through what was contained in the original 2005 post, it strikes me that nothing gender specific was mentioned; as a result, unless some indication was given elsewhere, we can't even be sure if Stardanceraz would be a son or daughter to Donnie Smith. A September 17, 1924 date of birth is currently assigned to Donnie Smith on IMDB (though not on the Our Gang Wikia Wiki), but other than that there is still precious little information available about him. |
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Feb 1, 2011 2:57:02 GMT -5
Lately, I've been wondering if George or Malcolm Crosby might still be eligible for inclusion on the list of surviving Our Gang actors. I've tried to learn something about their time in the cinema by investigating on the internet, but there is virtually no trace of their careers at all. An occasional perfunctory acknowledgement of their small roles in Clown Princes and Captain Spanky's Show Boat (only George in that one) seems to be all that is available.
Judging by how George Crosby looked in Captain Spanky's Show Boat, I would extrapolate that he might have been a year older than Mickey Gubitosi. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they were the same age, though. It's harder to tell for George's older brother Malcolm in Clown Princes, but my sense is that he wasn't any more than three years older than George, and probably not even that much.
If my estimates are approximately correct, then if George Crosby were alive today he would still be in his seventies, and Malcolm might be about eighty. It's reasonable enough to think that they could both still be around at that age, but does anyone here have the necessary information to confirm the vital status of the Crosby brothers, either way?
The other Gangster whose current subsistence I've been recently wondering about is Dickie De Nuet. As in the case of the Crosbys, there isn't exactly a wealth of information about him on the internet, but we do have a little bit to work with, here. IMDB and the Our Gang Wikia Wiki agree that Dickie De Nuet's birth date is November 30, 1931, which would mean that his seventy-ninth birthday anniversary only recently passed. I can't find any sign on the internet of his being deceased. Might the general online silence about Dickie De Nuet just be an instance of an actor disappearing from the public eye because he hasn't been in a movie since 1937? Or is there some indication I've overlooked that would lead us to believe that he is no longer living?
I don't know if there are sure answers to these questions available, but I'll appreciate hearing responses from anyone who might be able to shine a little bit of light on the situation as it stands.
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Post by jimcapt on Feb 12, 2011 14:25:20 GMT -5
I just ran into a guy at a car meet who said he played Alfalfa before Carl Spitzer. His name is Fred (also went by Larry in the day) and lives in the Santa Cruz area. He is 81 years old and had some great stories. He also stated he has an article at home saying he is dead. I have looked everywhere on the internet and can not find another actor who played Alfalfa. He also stated he was in some Dean Martin films and Its a Wonderful Life...is he crazy or was there another actor ?
Jim
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Post by littlerascal4891 on Feb 12, 2011 14:30:47 GMT -5
I just ran into a guy at a car meet who said he played Alfalfa before Carl Spitzer. His name is Fred (also went by Larry in the day) and lives in the Santa Cruz area. He is 81 years old and had some great stories. He also stated he has an article at home saying he is dead. I have looked everywhere on the internet and can not find another actor who played Alfalfa. He also stated he was in some Dean Martin films and Its a Wonderful Life...is he crazy or was there another actor ? Jim There was only one Alfalfa: Carl Switzer. He made a short appearence in It's a Wonderful Life. |
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Post by jimcapt on Feb 12, 2011 14:35:25 GMT -5
I just ran into a guy at a car meet who said he played Alfalfa before Carl Spitzer. His name is Fred (also went by Larry in the day) and lives in the Santa Cruz area. He is 81 years old and had some great stories. He also stated he has an article at home saying he is dead. I have looked everywhere on the internet and can not find another actor who played Alfalfa. He also stated he was in some Dean Martin films and Its a Wonderful Life...is he crazy or was there another actor ? Jim There was only one Alfalfa: Carl Switzer. He made a short appearence in It's a Wonderful Life. Not sure what to think...he sure had some convincing stories. Maybe Carl Spitzer isnt dead after all  |
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