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MSN
Entertainment "train wreck kiddies" Top Ten list
A
pensive Alfalfa in "Our Gang Follies of 1938". Perhaps
The piece was written by Kim Morgan. In the intro we learn of the list's mission: "...in
honor of the troubled child star, we've come up with the list of
the ten most intriguing train wreck kiddies. Some have crawled out
of a rut, some have died, and some have remained in the notorious
file." For the record, the complete list is as follows: #
10:Tatum O'Neal Of Alfalfa, Ms. Morgan writes: "Who didn't love Alfalfa from the late 1930's/early 1940's "The Little Rascals"/"Our Gang" series? Playing the curiously-coifed, nerdy romantic, we delighted and sympathized when he sang "I'm In the Mood For Love" with a frog in his throat, pined for Darla and bravely belted out "I'm the Barber of Seville" whilst being pelted with tomatoes. But living in La-La land has its disadvantages, especially when you're famous for being named Alfalfa. Film roles dried up for Carl Switzer after leaving the Gang and hitting puberty. By the '50's, poor Alfalfa made his keep as a hunting guide and bartender, leading a boozy, wild life. Going against the shy little boy he portrayed in the series, he met his end like a country music song. The still young 32-year-old was shot to death over a $50 gambling debt. Guess he really was a rascal." Some factual corrections are in order. He did not sing "I'm In the Mood For Love" with a frog in his throat. That was "Just An Echo In the Valley" (but we quibble). And he was not shot over a gambling debt. He was shot over a disagreement involving reward money for a lost-and-found hunting dog. More importantly, we again see in this article more Alfalfa half-truths and exaggerations, some minor, others not. First, it should be noted that, contrary to popular belief of many fans, he did not sing "I'm In the Mood For Love" as a plea for romance, or to Darla, or for any other reason but that it had been the song Darla was already scheduled to perform in the amateur talent contest staged as the centerpiece of "The Pinch Singer" (Alfalfa filled in at the last minute for the tardy Darla and was required to sing the same song).
And the last time we checked, making a living as a bartender and a hunting guide was not a federal crime. At the time he was killed in 1959, Alfalfa was making plans to leave acting behind for good to open up a hunting lodge in the Big Sur/northern California area, possibly with his brother Harold as a partner. Alfalfa's niece Judiann Hancock has told 4alfalfa.com that Alfalfa made a surprisingly comfortable living tending bar. Perhaps some modern-day commentators would have been even more happy had Alfalfa become indigent or resorted to criminal activity instead of trying to make an honest living as he did (in addition to appearing in over fifty films and TV shows after his departure from the Rascals.) As for his leading a boozy, wild life, it has been documented that Alfalfa did drink, occasionally to excess, just as millions of Americans did (and do). But to characterize his life as "wild" is irresponsible. He never became addicted to heroin, nor did he commit petty crimes to support a drug habit, as Matthew "Stymie" Beard did in the sixties, prior to cleaning up his life in the seventies. And, unlike Scotty Beckett, Alfalfa was never arrested for drunk driving, or for passing bad checks, or for carrying a concealed weapon (Alfalfa was arrested and fined, however, for cutting down some pine trees in the California woods. Perhaps this is the "wild" behavior that Ms. Morgan refers to). In fact, although we certainly do not wish to further sully the reputations of Stymie or Scotty Beckett, both of these children could have easily been included on MSN's list ahead of Alfalfa. Finally— and this point has been made by us elsewhere in this website— had Alfalfa led such a wild, irresponsible life, why would none other than Roy Rogers, exemplar of traditional family values, have befriended Alfalfa as he did, to the point where he considered Alfalfa another son?
It has been said that it is better to receive negative attention than no attention at all (we're not convinced of the validity of this view). Of all the dozens of child stars that have had trouble either in adolescence, as an adult, or both, Alfalfa was included as number nine on this list. And his photo was used at the top of the article. In a strange way, these facts confirm Alfalfa's enduring appeal as an American pop cultural icon. But we continue to be disappointed at how many commentators and writers insist on reporting inaccurately on the extent of Alfalfa's difficulties, or on the supposed lack of success of his grownup career, as well as the larger issue of our troubling fascination with the problems experienced by, as Kim Morgan describes them, America's "train wreck kiddies".
Publicity shot of Alfalfa and friends, ca. 1937. The entire Top Ten list by Kim Morgan on the MSN entertainment page can be viewed at: http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=132731 (Note:
We are not sure how long MSN will keep this page archived, so this
URL may or may not be active at the time you attempt to access it.) Article excerpts © 2003 Microsoft Corporation
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