Carl Dean "Alfalfa" Switzer (August 7, 1927 – January 21, 1959) was an American child actor, professional dog breeder and expert hunting guide, perhaps most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Events Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM The year 1958 in film involved some significant events Events February 16- " In the Money " by William Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The term child actor is generally applied to a Child Acting in motion pictures or Television, but also to an Adult "The Little Rascals" redirects here For other uses see The Little Rascals (disambiguation. Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American Film industry in the early period of cinema.

Biography

Early life and family

Switzer was born in Paris, Illinois, the second son, fourth and last child of Gladys C. Paris is a city in Paris Township, Edgar County, Illinois, USA 165 miles (276 km south of Chicago, and 90 miles (150 km west of Indianapolis Shanks (née Doerr) and G. Frederick Switzer. He was named Carl after the Switzer family and Dean after many relatives on his grandmother's family. He and his older brother, Harold Frederick Switzer, became famous around their hometown for their musical talent and performances; both sang and played a number of instruments.

Our Gang, shot to fame

The Switzers took a trip to California in 1934 to visit with family members. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. While sightseeing the Switzers eventually wound up at Hal Roach Studios. Following a public tour of the facility, 8-year-old Harold and 6-year-old Carl entered into the Hal Roach Studio's open-to-the-public cafeteria, the Our Gang Café, and began an impromptu performance. Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr ( January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and InfosysElectronicCityCafeteriaJPG|thumb|250px|right|One of a number of cafeterias at Electronic City campus Infosys Technologies Ltd Producer Hal Roach was present at the commissary that day and was impressed by the performance. He signed both Switzers to appear in Our Gang. Harold was given two nicknames, "Slim" and "Deadpan", and Carl was dubbed "Alfalfa". ^[1]

The Switzer brothers first appeared in the 1935 Our Gang short, Beginner's Luck. By the end of the year, Alfalfa was one of the main characters in the series, while Harold had more or less been relegated to the role of a background player.

Although Carl Switzer was an experienced singer and musician, his character Alfalfa was often called upon to sing off-key renditions of pop standards and contemporary hits, most often those of Bing Crosby. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular Alfalfa also sported one of the most famous cowlicks in pop culture history, along with an ahoge. A cowlick appears when the growth direction of the Hair forms a spiral pattern literally foolish hair is a visual cue common to Japanese Anime and Manga.

Switzer (right) as "Alfalfa" in Our Gang Follies of 1938, with fellow Our Gang cast members George "Spanky" McFarland and Darla Hood. Our Gang Follies of 1938 (later reissued as simply Follies of 1938) is a 1937 musical Short subject, the 161st short "The Little Rascals" redirects here For other uses see The Little Rascals (disambiguation. Darla Jean Hood ( November 8, 1931 &ndash June 13, 1979) was an American Child actress, best known for her lead roles

Switzer's country-boy sense of earthy humor could often be cruel. He enjoyed playing tricks on his fellow cast and crew members. One incident occurred when he put fishing hooks in the pants of George "Spanky" McFarland and Spanky suffered severe cuts that resulted in his receiving stitches. Switzer tricked Darla Hood into putting her hand in his pocket, telling her he had a ring for her, but in reality it was a switchblade knife. Darla Jean Hood ( November 8, 1931 &ndash June 13, 1979) was an American Child actress, best known for her lead roles Darla almost lost her fingers from that incident. After Hal Roach sold the series to Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) in 1938, the now-adolescent Switzer's behavior was even more extreme. He often sabotaged the production of Our Gang films. Once, during a break in filming, Switzer urinated on the set's lights. When filming resumed, the lights heated up and filled the set with such a stench that filming had to be halted for the rest of the day. On another occasion, he put chewing gum inside one of the cameras. ^[1]

Adult years

Both Switzers' tenures in Our Gang ended in 1940, when Carl was thirteen. Carl continued to appear in movies in various supporting roles, including I Love You Again (1940), Going My Way (1944), Courage of Lassie (1946), and It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and starred in the John Wayne film Island in the Sky where he coined the phrase "Whatever's customary", about the only line he spoke throughout the film, but one he repeated several times in it. I Love You Again is a comedy film released in 1940. It was directed by W The year 1940 in film involved some significant events Events February 7 - Walt Disney 's animated Film Going My Way, a 1944 Academy Award winning film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby. The year 1944 in film involved some significant events Events July 20 - Since You Went Away is released Courage of Lassie is a 1946 American film It stars Elizabeth Taylor, and is the story of a Collie dog The year 1946 in film involved some significant events Events Top grossing films (U It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story " The Greatest The year 1946 in film involved some significant events Events Top grossing films (U John Wayne ( May 26, 1907 &ndash June 11, 1979) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning American ^[1]

Switzer's last starring roles were in a brief series of imitation-Bowery Boys movies; he reprised his "Alfalfa" characterization, complete with comically sour vocals, in PRC's "Gas House Kids" comedies of 1946-1947. The Bowery Boys was a group of actors who made a series of films released by Monogram Pictures from 1946 through 1958. He returned to supporting roles, including a short stint as B-western sidekick "Alfalfa Johnson. " Switzer preferred not to recall his "Our Gang" work; in his 1946 resume he referred to the gang films generically as "M-G-M short product. "

Switzer had a rather unusual cameo in the 1954 musical film White Christmas where his picture was used to depict an Army buddy (named "Freckle-Faced Haynes") of lead characters (Wallace and Davis) played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye and also the brother of the female leads (the Haynes Sisters) played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. A white Christmas, to most people in the Northern Hemisphere, refers to Snowy weather on Christmas Day. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular Danny Kaye ( January 18, 1913 – March 3, 1987) was an American award-winning Actor, Singer and Comedian Rosemary Clooney ( May 23, 1928 &ndash June 29, 2002) was an American Singer and actress whose warm radiant Vera-Ellen ( February 16, 1921 - August 30, 1981) was an American actress and stage and Film He also did some acting for television. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic

His final film role was in 1958's The Defiant Ones and on the television series, "The Roy Rogers Show," where he was called upon to reprise his off-key "Alfalfa-like" singing. The year 1958 in film involved some significant events Events February 16- " In the Money " by William The Defiant Ones ( 1958) is a film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners who are shackled together one white and one black who must co-operate in order to Switzer's difficult reputation and his typecasting as Alfalfa made it difficult for him to find quality work.

in January 1958, he was shot in the arm while getting into his car. He survived the shooting, but the shooter was never identified. Months later, Switzer was arrested in Sequoia National Forest for cutting down 15 pine trees. He was sentenced to a year's probation and ordered to pay a $225 fine.

Marriage and family

In the early 1950s, Switzer moved to Kansas. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " He lived and worked on a farm at Pretty Prairie, west of Wichita. Pretty Prairie is a city in Reno County, Kansas, United States. Wichita (ˈwɪtʃɪtaː is the most populous City in the US state of Kansas, and the county seat of Sedgwick County. There he met and married Diane Collingwood, the heiress of grain elevator empire Collingwood Grain. The marriage only lasted four months, but did result in the birth of a son whose name is still a well kept secret. ^[1]

Professional dog breeding

While not acting, Switzer bred hunting dogs and led guided hunting expeditions. For the species known as the African hunting dog Cape hunting dog or painted hunting dog see African Wild Dog A hunting dog refers to any Dog who Some of his more notable clients included Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (Switzer's godparents), and Jimmy Stewart. Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye) (November 5 1911 &ndash July 6 1998 was a singer and Cowboy Actor. Dale Evans was the Stage name of Frances Octavia Smith ( October 31, 1912 – February 7, 2001) a writer movie star James Maitland Stewart (20 May 1908 – 2 July 1997 popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an American Film and stage Actor ^[1]

Death

On January 21, 1959, Switzer and his friend Jack Piott arrived allegedly drunk at Moses "Bud" Stiltz's home in Mission Hills, California, to settle an alleged debt owed to Switzer. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mission Hills is a Census-designated place (CDP in Santa Barbara County, California, a short distance north of Lompoc on Highway 1 Previously, Switzer had borrowed a dog from Stiltz which was lost, but eventually found, Switzer paying the man who returned the dog $35 and buying him $15 worth of drinks from the bar he was working at. Switzer went to Stiltz's house to collect the money "owed" him. He banged on Stiltz's front door, demanding "Let me in, or I'll kick in the door. ". Once Switzer got inside he and Stiltz got into an argument. Switzer informed Stiltz that he wanted the money owed him saying "I want that 50 bucks you owe me now, and I mean now,". However, when Stiltz refused to hand over the money, the two engaged in a physical fight. Piott allegedly bashed Stiltz in the head with a glass-domed clock, which caused Stiltz to bleed from his left eye. Stiltz retreated to his bedroom and returned holding a . 38-caliber revolver, but Switzer immediately grabbed the gun away from him, resulting in a shot being fired that hit the ceiling. Switzer then forced Stiltz into a closet, despite Stiltz having gotten his hands back on the gun. Switzer then allegedly pulled a switchblade knife and screamed, "I'm going to kill you, [expletive]. " and was attempting to stab Stiltz with it, but just as Switzer was about to charge Stiltz, Stiltz raised the gun and shot Switzer in the groin. In Human anatomy, the groin areas are the two creases at the junction of the Torso with the Legs on either side of the Pubic Switzer died of massive internal bleeding and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. He was 31 years old.

Jack Piott gave a second version of events to investigators. According to Piott, he and Switzer went to collect a debt from Stiltz, when an argument broke out. Piott said a brief struggle ensued and Stiltz brandished a gun and shot Switzer, who was unarmed at the time, in the groin. Then, according to police reports, only by begging for his own life was Piott able to save his own life.

The killing was held to be a justifiable homicide. The United States' concept of justifiable homicide in Criminal law stands on the dividing line between an Excuse, justification and an Exculpation ^[2] Switzer had allegedly pulled a knife; therefore, the shooting was judged to be self-defense. Self-defense (or self-defence &mdash see spelling differences) is the act of defending oneself one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm During the trial regarding Switzer's death, it was revealed that what was originally reported as a "hunting knife" was in fact merely a pocket knife. It had been found by crime scene investigators under his body, but with no blade exposed.

On January 25, 2001, a third witness came forward and gave his version of the events of January 21, 1959. The witness, 56-year-old Tom Corrigan, stepson of Moses Stiltz, was present the night Switzer was killed.

"It was more like murder," Corrigan told reporters. He said he heard the knock on the front door and was present when the argument broke out. He claimed to witness Stiltz grab the revolver and the two fight for control over it. During the struggle the gun fired into the ceiling and Corrigan was struck in the leg by a piece of shrapnel. After the intial shot, his two younger sisters ran to a neighbor's house to call for help. "Well, we shot Tommy. Enough of this," he remembers Switzer saying as he and Piott retreated. Corrigan was making his way to the front door when he heard a second shot go off behind him.

He didn't see his stepfather shoot Switzer, but when he turned around he saw Switzer sliding down the wall. Corrigan said he spotted a closed penknife at Switzer's side. He then witnessed his stepfather threaten to kill Piott, but as the man begged for his life, Corrigan's mother stepped between the two and managed to calm Stiltz down.

Following the shooting Corrigan claims a now-deceased Los Angeles Police Department detective, Pat Pow, interviewed him and asked him if he would testify before a judge. Corrigan claims to have agreed, although for unknown reasons he was never called before the coroner's jury. "He didn't have to kill him," Corrigan said.

Carl Switzer is interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.

References

According to Nine MSN's aca, He was shot in the face, not the chest.

External links

• Carl Switzer at the Internet Movie Database
• Carl Switzer at Allmovie
• Our Gang's Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer Killed over $50 and a Hunting Dog
• When Young Stars Burn Out MSN Movies
• More information on Carl Switzer's death
• 4Alfalfa.com biography
• Crime Library