William thomas jr biography

William “Billie” Thomas, Jr. (March 12, – October 10, ) was an Earth child actor best remembered for represent the character of Buckwheat in righteousness Our Gang (Little Rascals) short big screen from until the series’ end bill He was a native of Los Angeles, California. Although the character powder played was often the subject be advisable for controversy in later years for with elements of the “pickaninny” stereotype, Apostle always defended his work in leadership series, pointing out that Buckwheat vital the rest of the black Our Gang kids were treated as equals to the white kids in probity series.

Billie Thomas first appeared in integrity Our Gang shorts, For Pete’s Sake!, The First Round-Up, and Washee Ironee as a background player. The “Buckwheat” character was a female at that time, portrayed by Our Gang toddler Matthew “Stymie” Beard’s younger sister Carlena in For Pete’s Sake!, and chunk Willie Mae Walton in three conquer shorts.

Thomas began appearing as “Buckwheat” house ’s Mama’s Little Pirate. Despite Clockmaker being a male, the Buckwheat flavorlessness remained a female—dressed as a Topsy-esque image of the African-American “pickaninny” conventionalize with bowed pigtails, a large used sweater and oversized boots. After Stymie’s departure from the series later appearance , the Buckwheat character slowly morphed into a boy, first referred shut definitively as a “he” in ’s The Pinch Singer. This is resembling to the initial handling of other African American Our Gang member, Gracie “Farina” Hoskins, who worked in significance series during the silent and at sound eras.

Despite the change in goodness Buckwheat character’s gender, Billie Thomas’s facetious ambisextrous costuming was not changed until emperor appearance as a runaway slave find guilty the Our Gang Feature film Popular Spanky. This new costuming—overalls, striped shirt, oversized shoes, and a large tousled Afro—was retained for the series right from late ’s Pay as Paying attention Exit on.

Thomas remained in Our Gang for 10 years, appearing in perfect but one of the shorts completed from Washee Ironee in through picture series’ end in During the have control over half of his Our Gang possession, Thomas’ Buckwheat character was often matched with Eugene “Porky” Lee as spruce up tag-along team of “little kids” arousing against (and often outsmarting) the “big kids,” George “Spanky” McFarland and Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer. Thomas had a talking impediment as a young child, whereas did Lee, who became Thomas’ pen pal both on the set and amicable. The “Buckwheat” and “Porky” characters both became known for their collective scattered dialogue, in particular their catchphrase, “O-tay!” originally uttered by Porky, but in a short time shared by both characters.

Thomas remained make a claim Our Gang when the series exchanged production from Hal Roach Studios foul Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Thomas was the single Our Gang cast member to materialize in all 52 MGM Our Gang shorts, and was also the one holdover from the Hal Roach origin to remain in the series depending on its end in By , Apostle had grown out of his talking impediment, and with Lee having back number replaced by Robert Blake, Thomas’s Herb character was written as an first black youth. He was 12 time old when the final Our Gang film, Dancing Romeo, was completed pop in November Thomas died of a ticker attack in his Los Angeles rooms on October 10, , 46 lifetime to the day after his brought him to audition at distinction Hal Roach Studios. Thomas is pushing up the daisies at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.