The Little Rascals Curse? Many of us “older” folks fondly remember watching the antics of Hal Roach’s “Our Gang.” The “gang” was rechristened “The Little Rascals” when Roach’s short films made between 1929 and 1938 were sold into TV syndication in the 1950s. The image of The Little Rascals is, unfortunately, tinged with sadness. Many of the gang died under tragic circumstances. The story, steeped in Hollywood legend, says that one day the famous horror film queen, Maria Ouspenskaya (best known for her characterizatio ns as a gypsy fortune teller in Universal’s “Wolfman” series), paid a visit to the set of “Hearts Are Thumps” in 1937. The gang were filming a comedy about Alfalfa falling in love with Darla over Spanky’s objections. Maria Ouspenskaya Ouspenskaya (who really was a full-fledged gypsy fortune teller) was taking a lunch break on the set and a couple of the actors thought it would be fun to play the old “soap in the sandwich” gag on her. They secretly took the cheese from her ham and cheese sandwich and replaced with a slice of Ivory Soap. When the old lady discovered the gag, she was definitely not amused. It is claimed that she put a curse on the players saying… “Even a child who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may have his life mysteriously cut short when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” After Osupenskaya left the set, the cast and crew laughed off the whole incident and it became a popular story, told and retold on the party circuit…until… Eight months after the curse was laid, one of the lesser known rascals, “Little Mickey,” was killed while eating a bowl of turtle soup. Apparently, he choked on the shell. No one thought much of it until, “Chubby,” the current gang fatty, slipped on a banana peel, giving birth to a comedy slap-stick classic as well as smacking his head on a rock. He never regained consciousness and passed away a week later. Over the following years, the “curse” was obviously operating at full power as tragedy seemed to mercilessly stalk the gang… ~~~~~ “Farina”: Killed in earthquake while shopping at a local grocery store (a display of Grits fell on him). . . “Spud”: Kidnapped by pirates, never seen or heard from again. “Dickie”: Crushed in soapbox derby accident. . . “Darla”: Accidental death from an esophageal perforation caused by eating mush with spoiled milk. . “Butch”: Killed in freak Fun House accident involving a buzz saw. . . “Scotty”: Kicked in the head by “Algebra” the performing mule. . “Stymie”: Victim of exploding cake. . . “Spanky”: Killed in bizarre pea shooter accident while performing Shakespeare soliloquy on stage. “Wheezer”: Mauled by pack of wild puppies. . . “Froggy”: Grew up to become Andy Devine. . “Porky”: Drowned when his fishing line got tangled with another fisherman’s line and he was yanked off a dock and plunged into 6 feet of water . . Alfalfa: Victim of firecracker prank gone awry. . . “Buckwheat”: Choked on a glass of lemonade laced with starch. Pete the Pup: Retired and put out to stud, he lived a long and happy life. . . . . . . . ~~~~~ So, were The Little Rascals victims of a gypsy’s curse? That’s for you to decide. Really, you need to make up your own minds.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 16:49:04 +0000