Jean Darling, silent movie Our Gang member, has died

examiner.com ^ | september 6, 2015 | james l. neibaur

[lowbridge]

Jean Darling, one of the last surviving members of the silent movie Our Gang comedies, has died. Her death was reported on Sunday September 6 on social media sites by her friends. She had turned 93 years old only two weeks earlier. Our Gang were also called Hal Roach's Rascals. The series was known as The Little Rascals on television. In its long history, from the 1920s into the 1940s, the Our Gang roster changed a lot, with some notable members including Jackie Cooper, Farina Hoskins, Stymie Beard, Spanky McFarland, Darla Hood, and Alfalfa Switzer.

Jean Darling joined Our Gang in 1927 when she was only 5 years old. Jean was the pretty girl, often getting the attention of the boys, and causing rivalries among them. Along with appearing in seveal silent Our Gang comedies, Jean also acted a handful of the early talkies.

One of Jean's most noted silent Our Gang comedies was "Crazy House" where she played a lonesome rich girl who was stuck in her mansion and not allowed to play with the "common" children in the neighborhood. When the parents and servants are away, Jean invites several of the kids into her house, which her father has rigged with April Fool gags for a party later that evening. Great visual gags and a heartfelt performance by Jean Darling make "Crazy House" one of the best Gang comedies of the silent era. Another of Jean's best films was the early talkie "Boxing Gloves" (1929) when she played the object of affection for rival boys Fat Joe Cobb and Norman "Chubby" Chaney, who end up fighting in a boxing ring over her. Since this is such an early talkie, it is part sound and part silent, giving the movie some historical significance as well.

[Semper Mark]

It's hard to believe that they have now all died of old age.

I too, like RegulatorCountry, watched Our Gang on Saturdays back in the '60s and enjoyed them much more than cartoons.

I believe they have all, with the exception of Robert Blake, have succumbed to old age.

Too bad Carl Dean Switzer, (aka Alfalfa) didn't live to see old age.

[Mike Darancette]

Thanks. RIP Jean.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[BeadCounter]

Cool, it really is, well, Demi Moore and John Denver were born in my hometown, my hometown though not where I was born.

[BeadCounter]

I wish I could find the old Burns and Allen shows. Gracie Allen was a genius at comedy. No one ever was better at comedy then Gracie Allen.

What about Flip Wilson or Milton Berle?

[Fresh Wind]

The Mike Fright episode is good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baXdrWBmnco

[Mike Darancette]

I was in the last generation where our parents told us to go outside and play (after the Little Rascals episode, of course).

[kiltie65]

Loved the little rascals, too. Anyone remember The Bowery Boys? We were visiting Yosemite Park shortly after we arrived in this country, and standing against a rock cropping there was Little Louie, the guy who ran the soda shop in the series. All four of us in the car, stopped and shouted out “Little Louie” and the poor guy, who was then elderly, was all smiles and blushed the deepest red. We were too shy to do much more than wave, smile, (and hold up traffic) we were so reluctant to move on. Our first spotting of a movie star!!!

[dfwgator]

Poor Buckwheat...shot by John David Stutts......and Texxon is there!

[Political Junkie Too]

I watched these as a child. I also watched The Bowery Boys with Leo Gorcey as Slip Mahoney and Huntz Hall as Sach Jones.

-PJ

[minnesota_bound]

Many of the Our Gang actors died before 60 and a several before 25.

[BerryDingle]

That show is on Antenna TV channel Mondays, 2 episodes from 5 till 5 AM.

[Buttons12]

Jack Benny! I’ve watched that show on youtube. Good comedy doesn’t get old.
There’s one with Marilyn Monroe doing publicity for her latest picture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g8RcphOUUU

with a funny skit about Jack in Hawaii.

[onedoug]

“When the eclipse totalizes.”

RIP.

[lowbridge]

The little rascals 1979 christmas cartoon special. The real life Darla doesnt voice the Darla character here. Instead, our Darla voices the mom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HUdnYLFlw8

Darla on the jack benny show

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdXO-OPTGMw

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzuWyMqAvbU

[MisterArtery]

My wife is younger than I and had never heard of Ma and Pa. TCM had a showing of “The Egg and I,” starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert. The movie was based on a best selling memoir about a New York City couple that moved to New England. The Kettles were their neighbors. That appearance gave birth to a series of several Kettle movies. My wife enjoyed the movie immensely and it stirred some great memories for me.

[W.Lee]

I’m in my early 60s and so I watched the Little Rascals in the late 50s and early 60s. I was lucky that my parents were goofs, and so they introduced me to W.C Fields, Laurel & Hardy, Red Skelton, Benny, etc. etc....When comedy wasn’t mean or filthy. Sure some comics worked blue, but they saved that for their Vegas shows. Adults only. One of my favorites was W.C Fields’ bit...”Do you know Carl LaFong? Capital L small a Capital F small o small n small g... La Fong” Enjoy...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41SFTn9xHus

[DiogenesLamp]

Indeed, that’s probably the reason I guess I always gravitated towards lectures, appearances, and film festivals, even when I was young. Just to get that taste of history and culture that America used to represent. Even when I was in high school, I went to see a Bob Hope event, a Harry James concert. Went to see an old guy in a nursing home who was with Pershing’s group when he went after Pancho Villa. And in college, would see lectures and appearances of Jacques Cousteau, Burt Lancaster, and Cary Grant. Of course, by the same token, I’d drive around and just talk to ordinary old-timers at feed-stores or hardware stores, about their experiences in WW1, the Depression, etc.

I would have like to have had those experiences myself. People must have a grasp of the past to understand how terribly screwed up we are now. Modern folk have no idea what "Normal" feels like.

[higgmeister]

I had to Google it to see what you were talking about. I worked mid shifts back then and regularly missed prime time TV.

[higgmeister]

Indeed, that’s probably the reason I guess I always gravitated towards lectures, appearances, and film festivals, even when I was young. Just to get that taste of history and culture that America used to represent. Even when I was in high school, I went to see a Bob Hope event, a Harry James concert. Went to see an old guy in a nursing home who was with Pershing’s group when he went after Pancho Villa. And in college, would see lectures and appearances of Jacques Cousteau, Burt Lancaster, and Cary Grant. Of course, by the same token, I’d drive around and just talk to ordinary old-timers at feed-stores or hardware stores, about their experiences in WW1, the Depression, etc.

I would have like to have had those experiences myself. People must have a grasp of the past to understand how terribly screwed up we are now. Modern folk have no idea what "Normal" feels like.

We were worried that our big Boxer dog hurt his leg running down the back steps to bark at a delivery truck. He seemed better after a while but the next morning my wife told me he was walking like Grandpappy Amos again. I told her right then, that was the kind of thing that made me so proud we had been married for 41 years. The fact that we both understand a common lexicon from our youth. Men that trade wives in for a newer model have no idea what "Normal" feels like either.