Carl Switzer
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| Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 7, 1927 Paris, Illinois |
Carl Dean "Alfalfa" Switzer (August 7, 1927 – January 21, 1959) was an American child actor, professional dog breeder and expert hunting guide, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.
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[edit] Early life and family
Carl was born in Paris, Illinois, the second son, fourth and last child of G. Frederick Switzer and Gladys C. Shanks Switzer (Doerr). 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.
[edit] Our Gang, shot to fame
The Switzers took a trip to California in 1934 to see if Carl and Harold could win a part in the Our Gang series. The Switzer brothers entered into the Hal Roach Studio's open-to-the-public cafeteria, the Our Gang Café, and began an impromptu performance. 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."
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. Alfalfa also sported one of the most famous cowlicks in pop culture history.
Something of a bully, Carl Switzer enjoyed playing tricks on his fellow cast and crew. One incident occurred when he put fishing hooks in the pants of George "Spanky" McFarland and Spanky suffered severe cuts to his rear end which resulted in him receiving stitches. Another incident happened when Switzer tricked Darla Hood into putting her hand in his pocket telling her he had a ring for her but in reality had a switchblade knife in his pocket. Darla almost lost her fingers from that incident. After Roach was forced to sell the series to Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) in 1938, Switzer was not liked by most of the other members of the cast. He sabotaged the production of Our Gang films on a number of occasions. 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.
Both Switzers' tenures in Our Gang ended in 1940, when Carl was thirteen. He continued to appear in movies in various supporting roles, including 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.
He also did some acting for television. 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. Switzer's difficult reputation and his typecasting as Alfalfa made it difficult for him to find quality work.
[edit] Professional dog breeding
While not acting, Switzer bred hunting dogs and led guided hunting expeditions. Some of his more notable clients included Roy Rogers and Jimmy Stewart.
Between acting jobs, Switzer worked as a bartender, and although the pursuit never really worked out, he masterminded a part-time bear hunting scheme. His customers included, among others, Roy Rogers and Henry Fonda. Before one of his hunting expeditions, Switzer borrowed a hunting dog from a friend, Moses "Bud" Stiltz. The dog ran away, and Switzer offered a $50 reward for its return. A few days later, a man found the dog, and brought it to the bar where Switzer worked as a bartender. Switzer paid the man, along with giving him $15 worth of free drinks. Several days later, after a night of drinking, Switzer drunkenly decided that Stiltz owed him the $50 he had spent to get the dog back. So he went to Stiltz' home in Mission Hills to retrieve the money.
[edit] Death
On January 21, 1959 Switzer arrived at Stilz's home in Mission Hills in order to get his money back. Once Switzer arrived he banged on Stilz's front door demanding that he let him in. Once Switzer got inside he and Stilz got into an argument. Switzer informed Stilz that he wanted the money he owed him. But when Stilz refused to hand over the money the two engaged in a physical fight when Switzer bashed Stilz in the head with a lamp which caused Stilz to bleed from his left eye. Stilz retreated to his bedroom and returned holding a gun, but Switzer immediately grabbed the gun away from Stilz, which resulted in a shot being fired but neither man being hit. Then Switzer forced Stilz into a closet, despite that Stilz had got his hands back on the gun. Switzer then allegedly pulled out a knife and was attempting to stab Stilz with it. But just as Switzer was about to charge Stilz, Stilz raised the gun and shot Switzer in the chest. Switzer died of intense blood loss while on his way to the hospital. He was 31 years old.
The killing was held to be a justifiable homicide. Switzer had allegedly pulled a knife; therefore, the shooting was judged to be self-defense. During the trial regarding Switzer's death, it was revealed that what was originally reported as a "hunting knife" was in fact a jack knife. It had been found by crime scene investigators under his body, but with no blade exposed. Switzer's death was largely ignored in the media, mainly because director Cecil B. DeMille had died on the same day.
Carl Switzer is interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood.
[edit] External links
- Carl Switzer at the Internet Movie Database
- Our Gang's Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer Killed over $50 and a Hunting Dog
- When Young Stars Burn Out MSN Movies
