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Reliable
information on Carl Dean Switzer has been scarce, but thanks to
the cooperation of several Switzer family members and relatives,
the picture is becoming clearer every day. The launching of 4alfalfa.com
represents the beginning of a serious research effort to build a
comprehensive biographical compendium of this performer whose life
has been the source of considerable rumor, speculation, and misinformation.
In the coming weeks and months we expect to continuously add information
on Alfalfa to this section, not only for this Internet Appreciation,
but (depending on the scope of information we are able to collect)
a full-scale biography which we hope to develop for publication
within the next three to four years. More information on this can
be found at my website, tdludwig.net.
For
now, we will provide the following outline of what is known about
Alfalfa's life. We have received substantial information in recent
weeks from members of Alfalfa's family, especially his niece, Judiann
Hancock (Harold Switzer's daughter). See
excerpts from our interviews with Judiann.
Request
for reliable information on Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer
4alfalfa.com
is formally requesting the assistance of anyone who can provide
reliable information on Alfalfa's career, life, and family. We are
especially interested in hearing from Switzer family members, family
friends, or professional associates who can provide insights to
Alfalfa's career. The folks at 4alfalfa.com are hoping to complete
a comprehensive, book-length biography of Carl "Alfalfa"
Switzer within the next three to four years. To continue both developing
4alfalfa.com and organizing this biographical effort, we need your
help. If you have anything to offer, or know anyone who does, please
contact us. More information
on this planned biography can be found at my website,
tdludwig.net.
Alfalfa
was born Carl Dean Switzer (pronounced Swight-zer) on August
7, 1927, in Paris, Illinois (Edgar County). Paris was, at the time
of Alfalfa's birth, a small farming/residential
community in eastern Illinois, near the Indiana state line. The
Switzer family lived in a rented house on East Union Street, just
east of what is now Route 150, which runs north and south through
Edgar County. Alfalfa attended Redmon Elementary School in Paris.
This
is a church photograph taken of Alfalfa (left) and his older
brother Harold probably around 1933, about two years before
the two boys were first cast in the Little Rascals series.
The photograph was provided to 4alfalfa.com by Judiann
Hancock, daughter of Harold Switzer (and niece of Alfalfa).
4alfalfa.com is fortunate enough to be in contact with Ms.
Hancock and she has generously agreed to share additional
family information in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on
4alfalfa.com for more of these invaluable contributions
to shedding light on Alfalfa and his family.
Alfalfa's
parents were Fred and Gladys (maiden name Shanks). Fred's parents
were David (born in Texas, February 2, 1852, died October 30, 1928)
and Jemima "Mima" Price (born in Illinois, September 1,
1871, died October 30, 1928). Gladys's parents were John (born March
30, 1856, died December 24, 1939) and Hattie Matthews (born April
19, 1869, died November 17th, 1937).
Photograph of "Hattie" Shanks, Alfalfa's
maternal grandmother, ca. 1926. Switzer
family photo courtesy Judiann Hancock.
Alfalfa
had two older siblings: a brother named Harold Frederick, born on
January 16, 1925 (older than Alfalfa by about two-and-a-half years),
and a sister named Janice Genevieve, born on March 18, 1923. Janice
was actually named "Genness" by her parents, but the name
was misspelled on so many official documents that she has usually
been referred to as "Janice", much to the lifelong displeasure
of her mother. There was also a brother born on May 18, 1922, but
he did not survive childbirth. It is not known whether he was ever
given a name. By all accounts, Fred and Gladys were not blessed
by financial wherewithal. Fred had shot himself in the foot and
it had required amputation. The Switzers, in an attempt to generate
some badly-needed income, would bring their sons to Paris-area agricultural
fairs and similar gatherings to sing popular songs of the era, mostly
country- and western-themed.
 
Alfalfa's
singing talents in his pre-Rascals days were not much different
than that displayed once he joined the series. Gladys and Fred's
neighbors enjoyed kidding the couple that they should bring their
sons to Hollywood. Not understanding
the sarcastic implications of these suggestions, the Switzers did
in fact travel west in late 1934, ostensibly to visit the boys'
grandmother (it is not know yet whether the grandmother was on Alfalfa's
maternal or paternal side).
Contemporary
photograph of Twin Lakes Park in Paris, Illinois.
Alfalfa and his family, like other local area residents, spent
many a leisure hour at this picnic and swimming area.
Hal
Roach Studios, producer of the Our Gang comedies, was the place
to bring your child in the mid-thirties if you thought he or she
had talent. The studio maintained a commissary/public cafeteria
where ordinary film fans could have lunch or dinner while rubbing
elbows, sometimes quite literally, with Hal Roach stars and creative
personnel. At some point soon after their arrival in California,
Fred and Gladys brought their sons to the commissary, and before
long were prompting them to jump up on a table and replicate the
type of performances they put on back home in Edgar County. Their
impromptu audition caught the attention of the right people: the
Switzer boys were hurriedly written into an Our Gang episode called
"Beginner's Luck". In this first episode, they were called
"Tom and Jerry", comprising a duo dubbed "The Arizona
Nightingales" (these two sets of naming conventions would not
be used past this inaugural appearance.) In little Carl's very first
scene, he is poked in the eye by something or somebody. Obviously
in pain, he nonetheless keeps on with the scene, beginning right
away to cement a reputation for being able to "nail" his
scenes in one take. It was immediately after this first episode
that the name "Alfalfa" was bestowed on young Carl."Hayseed"
was considered at first, but then someone remembered that Will Rogers
had appeared as "Alfalfa Doolittle" in
three Hal Roach-produced silent comedies in 1924 ('Going to Congress",
"A Truthful Liar", and "Our Congressman"). This
name had a much better ring to it and was adopted at once.
   
Three
images of Alfalfa and Harold's mother, Gladys (later
Pamela). Left and center: Around 1930. Right: Holding a bouquet
of flowers she grew in her yard, around 1990. Photographs from
family collection, courtesy Judiann Hancock.
Back
in Alfalfa's hometown of Paris, Illinois, the news of the boys'
successful auditions was reported this way in the Paris Beacon News:
"Harold
and Carl Switzer, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Switzer, formerly of
Paris, have passed the motion picture tests in Hollywood, Calif.,
and according to word received here will appear in Hal Roach comedies.
The two boys are between the ages of six and eight and are talented
in music and comedy.
"The
Switzer family left Paris the latter part of October and motored
to California by way of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. It was while
playing in one of the large hotels at Phoenix, Ariz. that the boys
came in contact with many picture folk who were holding a convention
there."
As
for Harold, he too was given a nickname, two in fact— "Deadpan"
and "Slim", the former name based on Harold's expressionlessness,
made more obvious especially when compared to his younger brother's
more self-evident exuberance. Indeed, Harold never had much more
to do in the Our Gang films than serve as his older brothers' accompanist
(usually on guitar or accordion). Soon, even this job was rendered
unnecessary, and Harold would be relegated to occasional but regular
appearances as crowd extras and other similar roles. Harold expressed
no bitterness over this event, and in fact was eager to escape the
limelight of Hollywood when his Little Rascals career ended. His
departure from the bright lights of acting was precipitated by an
automobile accident in which Harold was a passenger. Harold walked
away from the accident, but wandered off to visit friends' houses
and was eventually found sitting on a sidewalk curb. Harold had
suffered what today would probably have been diagnosed as a concussion.
Throughout his life, Harold never mentioned any regret over the
direction his acting career went.
Alfalfa
around 1936, nine years old.
Regardless
of the eventual de-emphasis of the older Switzer brother, we do
know that Fred hastily applied for Social Security cards for both
his sons shortly after his arrival in California: no doubt after
he received confirmation from the Roach people that employment for
both sons was imminent (the Switzer sons' SSI numbers would be one
digit apart). Fred Switzer was very protective of his sons' career
prospects. Almost from the beginning, he complained about the screen
time being given to his boys, especially Alfalfa. Fred reportedly
began bickering with the father of another Our Gang cast member,
a boy named George McFarland, over the billing and screen time of
their two talented sons. By contrast, the boys themselves (more
well-known as Alfalfa and Spanky), got along
very well, both on-camera and off. In fact, Spanky was one of the
few Our Gang co-stars that Alfalfa befriended (one of the others,
ironically, would be his on-screen nemesis Tommy "Butch"
Bond). Alfalfa soon became known as a talented but mercurial member
of the Our Gang troupe.
Switzer
family photograph of Fred Switzer,
Alfalfa's father, ca. late fifties. With Fred
are Harold Switzer's two sons, Tony and Ted.
Fred regularly dressed in a suit and tie,
especially later in his life. He died in 1960,
about a year after Alfalfa's death.
Photograph courtesy Judiann Hancock.
Alfalfa
appeared in about a dozen feature films outside of Our Gang before
he left the series in 1940 at the age of thirteen. Alfalfa's non-Rascals
films— not generally widely-known, until now— are examined
in another section of this website, called Alfalfaddendum.
But, again, the details of his off-screen life are even more elusive.
He settled in Van Nuys and appeared in an average of two films a
year from 1940 forward. Alfalfa appeared in a handful of noteworthy
films following his departure from the Rascals, in particular "It's
A Wonderful Life" and "The Human Comedy". Contrary
to conventional wisdom, Alfalfa co-starred with some fairly high-profile
talent, appearing in scenes with such performers as William Powell,
Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Elizabeth Taylor, Spencer
Tracy, and Katherine Hepburn.
Above:
Alfalfa and Elizabeth Taylor in "There's One
Born Every Minute", Taylor's screen debut. She is ten;
Alfalfa is fourteen. Below: Switzer family photograph
of Alfalfa with future sister-in-law Beverly Osso,
ca. 1944. Alfalfa dated Beverly once or twice before
she met, fell in love with, and married his brother
Harold. Photograph courtesy Judiann Hancock.
In
between acting jobs, he found work as a bartender, a hunting guide
in the high Sierras, and a dog trainer. Contrary to reports, Alfalfa
made a fairly comfortable living and showed no real burning desire
to establish himself as a major grownup film star. It was during
this period of his life that he befriended Roy Rogers. In 1952,
Rogers created roles specifically for Alfalfa in sevenepisodes
of his TV series. Rogers also stood as godfather to Alfalfa's only
child, a son which was fathered during a brief marriage to a woman
named Dian Collingwood, the daughter of a successful Kansas farmer
named Lelo Collingwood. Although by all accounts the couple was
very much in love, the marriage deteriorated and they divorced in
1956. Alfalfa's son was raised not knowing who his father was. Happily,
however, he grew into a well-adjusted adult and has gone on to a
distinguished career in the military. Alfalfa's surviving family
has requested that no additional information about Alfalfa's only
child be revealed at this time.
Above:
Alfalfa, wife Diane, and son, ca. 1953.
Although Alfalfa's son has gone on to a successful
military career, and is a source of great pride for
the surviving Switzers, the family has requested
that no additional information be provided at this
time. Alfalfa's son does not go by the name of
Switzer. Below: Another family photograph taken
on same day. This photo shows Alfalfa, his mother
Pamela (Gladys), and
his
infant son. Both
photographs, from private family collection,
by generous courtesy of Judiann Hancock.
Also
around this time, Alfalfa became interested in Freemasonry. To date
it is unclear exactly how this occured, but our theory is that he
was introduced to Freemasonry by Roy Rogers, who was active in the
Masonic community. After his death, Alfalfa's headstone would bear
the Masonic symbol. Through our future discussions with Alfalfa's
family members, we hope to lend more clarity to this chapter of
Alfalfa's life.
1963
first-day issue postcard honoring the Little Rascals
and Alfalfa's association with Freemasonry.
It was Alfalfa's death in January of 1959 that inaugurated the formation
of a cottage industry surrounding the presumed tragic circumstances
of Alfalfa's entire adult life. There are about a dozen different
versions of what happened to Alfalfa on the night of January 21st.
The most credible version seems to be as follows: Alfalfa agreed
to train some hunting dogs belonging to a gentleman named Bud Stiltz,
with whom Alfalfa had some unspecified business-related relationship.
One of the dogs escaped while in Alfalfa's care. Alfalfa posted
reward notices around the neighborhood, promising $50 for the dog's
return. Eventually, somebody did find and return the dog, and Alfalfa
paid the promised reward. When Alfalfa returned the dogs to Stiltz,
he relayed the story of the $50 out-of-pocket expense necessitated
by the escape, and requested reimbursement. Stiltz refused, saying
the dogs' safety had been Alfalfa's responsibility. An argument
ensued, and Stiltz shot Alfalfa in the lower abdomen with one of
two shots discharged. Alfalfa experienced massive internal bleeding
and was pronounced dead on arrival at 7:27 PM. His sister-in-law
(Harold's wife) was at the hospital when Alfalfa was pronounced
dead.
Test-shot
photo of Alfalfa, probably
around 1954 when he was 27 years old.
Stiltz
was subsequently found not guilty of homicide; his shooting of Alfalfa
was determined to have been in self-defense. Stiltz claimed that
Alfalfa brandished a knife during the argument concerning the escaped
dog. Stiltz was reputed to be very mean. He refused to repair a
hole in the wall of his home from a stray bullet shot during the
attack, possibly as a reminder of the incident and how proud he
was of it. Although the circumstances of Alfalfa's death deserves
serious examination, the mission of 4alfalfa.com is to celebrate
Alfalfa's career and life, not necessarily his death, which has
been turned into countless Internet "Was Alfalfa Murdered"
speculation sites (View a reprint of a 2001
newspaper article that contains a rare, credible eyewitness
account of the shooting.)
As
mentioned earlier, 4alfalfa.com has already begun the process of
research on the members of Alfalfa's family, specifically his parents
Fred and Gladys and his brother Harold. We know with certainty that
Harold took his own life in Los Angeles on April 14, 1967. Janice
Switzer, Alfalfa's sister, died of cancer in 1988. 4alfalfa.com
is eager to collect more information on Janice. Fred died in California
in May, 1960 and is buried next to his son. According to Judiann
Hancock (Harold's daughter) Fred "grieved himself to death"
following the killing of his son. Harold and Fred had just returned
from a fishing trip and were discussing how enjoyable it had been,
when Fred complained that he felt very hot. After returning from
the bathroom, Fred settled in his chair and suffered a fatal heart
attack. Alfalfa's mother Gladys (who later changed her name to Pamela
because she considered it more dignified than her given name) died
on March 8, 1997, at the age of 92. Pamela and Fred had divorced
before Alfalfa was killed in 1959. Pamela re-married a man named
Jess Doerr and remained happily married to him until the time of
his death in 1992. Despite having divorced,
Alfalfa's parents remained close until the day Fred passed away
in 1960. Fred was a frequent visitor to the home of his ex-wife
and her new husband.
Alfalfa's
mother in front of a picture of her
beloved son. This photo was taken shortly before
her death at age 92 in 1997. By this time she
had changed her first name from Gladys to
Pamela. Up until three months before her death,
she walked three miles a day. Pamela remained
fiercely devoted to her three children, all of
whom died while she was still alive. Photograph
courtesy of Judiann Hancock, who fondly
remembers her grandmother as a "spitfire".
Almost
immediately after his death, Alfalfa's grownup life and his violent
demise became the subject of sensationalist speculation and reporting.
Our research has turned up a typical Hollywood fan magazine of the
period, a May 1959 edition of a publication called "Movie Stars
and TV Closeups". The issue contains a profile of "the
tragic life and tragic death of the hardluck kid with the cowlick".
The article claims that "on screen, he was still a little boy,
idol of a new generation. But in real life, he'd grownup [sic] to
keep a rendezvous with death."
It
was magazines such as this one—appearing
less than five months after Alfalfa's death
in January of 1959—that kicked off the "tragic
Alfalfa" image that persists to this day, to
the exclusion of most other aspects of
Alfalfa's life and actual career. By the way,
the 15-year old who the magazine claimed
was "the sexiest girl in Hollywood" was
Tuesday Weld.
The article concludes with
the following nonsensical paragraph:
"On the same day last rites were held for Carl Switzer, the
man who shot him was absolved of all criminal charges. For who,
after all, can be blamed for putting a little boy on a path that
begins with laughter and fame and ends in the bitter loneliness
of a man who can no longer play the only part in life that he calls
living?"
Many
subsequent years of this type of coverage has clouded the facts
of Alfalfa's life and the joy that his career brought to generations
of fans. And that's too bad.
Newspaper clipping showing Bud Stiltz
and Los Angeles police officer shortly
after the altercation in which Alfalfa
was killed. Note patch over Stiltz's
right eye, presumably from injuries
sustained during the struggle.
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