On this day, the actor who played “Alfalfa” in the “Our Gang” series was killed during a fight over money.
The “Our Gang” show — which featured Alfalfa, Spanky, Buckwheat and Darla — was considered groundbreaking in the 1930s in that it featured white and black child actors interacting equally. Carl Dean Switzer played Alfalfa.
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As an adult, Switzer never received any royalties and made money as a hunting guide and bartender. He had several run-ins with the police and had survived one shooting.
On this day, 50 years ago, Switzer, 31, and a friend went to the home of Moses “Bud” Stiltz in Mission Hills, Calif., to collect on a debt over a dog.
When Stiltz refused to hand over the money, the three fought. Stiltz grabbed a .38-caliber revolver, but the weapon fired into the ceiling.
When Switzer allegedly pulled a switchblade knife, Stiltz shot and killed him. A jury later ruled the incident justifiable homicide. Switzer is interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
