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530:, who claimed to be the adult Buckwheat. English's appearance prompted public objections from McFarland, who contacted media outlets following the broadcast to inform them that Thomas – the true Buckwheat – had been dead for ten years. Despite being confronted by McFarland on the television newsmagazine
390:. Though offered many film and stage roles, he had no desire to return to Hollywood as an actor: “After the Army, I wasn't really interested in the hassle of performing," he explained shortly before his death in 1980. "Even the big stars had to chase around and audition; it seemed like a
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as a young child, as did Lee, who became Thomas's friend both on the set and off. The "Buckwheat" and "Porky" characters both became known for their collective garbled dialogue, in particular their catchphrase, "O-tay!" originally uttered by Porky, but soon used by both characters.
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in 1938. Thomas was the only cast member to appear in all 52 of the MGM-produced entries and was the only holdover from the Hal Roach era to remain in the series until its end in 1944. By 1940, Thomas had grown out of his speech impairment, and with Lee having been replaced by
428:, from July 30 to August 3, 1980, more than 500 fans gathered at the Los Angeles Hilton Hotel. Several days were spent touring famous Hollywood attractions, and then the highlight of the gathering took place in the hotel ballroom. Among those honored on July 31 were fellow
205:" stereotype with bowed pigtails, a large hand-me-down sweater and oversized boots. After Stymie's departure from the series later in 1935, the Buckwheat character slowly morphed into a boy, first referred to definitively as a "he" in 1936's
511:, made it clear that he hated Murphy's imitations: "I didn't care for them a bit. Mr. Murphy did a very poor imitation. He made Buckwheat into a stereotype that he wasn't, at the expense of the people in his family who are still alive."
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William Thomas Jr. the younger went on to graduate from
California State Northridge University in 1975, then in 1992, created the Buckwheat Memorial Scholarship for students at Northridge in his honor. In 2010, he wrote the book
536:, English, who died four years later at the age of 60, refused to retreat from his claim, maintaining that he had originated the role of Buckwheat, with other actors playing the character only after he had left it.
351:, Thomas and the others were "considered saviors in many ways" by the black community as the most popular black stars in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. Later, during the 1950s and 1960s, the
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822:"Scholarship Keeps Controversial Image in the Spotlight : Education: Despite criticism, the son of the actor who played Buckwheat sees grant as a way to preserve his father's legacy"
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as actors is credited with helping the cause of race relations by playing alongside white children as equals in a desegregated show during the height of the
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acknowledged on-air that
English's claim had been false, and apologized for the interview. The fallout from this incident included the resignation of a
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Despite the change in the
Buckwheat character's sex, Billie Thomas's androgynous costuming was not changed until his appearance in the 1936 film
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121:(March 12, 1931 – October 10, 1980) was an American child actor best remembered for portraying the character of
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surmises that "Buckwheat's role as slave in search of a master may displease contemporary audiences."
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in 1954 at the age of 23, and was released from active military service in 1956 decorated with a
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as a background player. The "Buckwheat" character was a female at this time, portrayed by
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The character of
Buckwheat in later years became synonymous with the derogatory "
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709:"'Our Gang' Chronicles Lives Of African-American Actors In 'The Little Rascals'"
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fought against the tired and demeaning racial stereotypes and moved to have the
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A conservative radio station owner got in hot water in July 2023 for calling
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Scripting the Black
Masculine Body: Identity, Discourse, and Racial Politics
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syndication package taken off the air, settling instead for distributor
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His gang Spanky McFarland remembers his long stint as a `Little Rascal'
596:. Crown Publishing (1977); Three Rivers Press (updated edition, 1992).
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producer and a negligence lawsuit filed by the son of
William Thomas.
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in 1934 through the series' end in 1944. During the first half of his
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and, subsequently, shoeshine boy Spanky, "You be my master?". In his
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Turner
Classic Movies Presents Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide
219:, who worked in the series during the silent and early sound eras.
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during the 1980s when he was a cast member, but Thomas's co-star
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In 1950, Billie had a son whom he also named
William Thomas, Jr.
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in his Los Angeles home at the age of 49. Thomas is buried at
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from 1934 until the series' end in 1944. He was a native of
804:"Spanky" McFarland discusses Buckwheat in a 1987 appearance
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tenure, Thomas's Buckwheat character was often paired with
335:" stereotype. However, the work of Thomas and the other
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for ten years, appearing in all but one of the shorts,
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922:. Bend, Oregon. Associated Press. December 19, 1991
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1024:The Sons of the Desert Convention/Our Gang Reunion
899:'20/20' Producer Resigns Over Buckwheat Interview.
593:The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang
484:. On November 30, 2012, he died at the age of 62.
363:editing the shorts under the NAACP's supervision.
191:Thomas began appearing as "Buckwheat" with 1935's
188:, and by Willie Mae Walton in three other shorts.
736:Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals
650:. Albany: State University of New York. p.
424:At "Hollywood 80", the second annual meeting of
349:Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals
1425:United States Army personnel of the Korean War
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495:performed a series of Buckwheat sketches on
916:"Buckwheat actor's son sues ABC over phony"
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781:"Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story
482:"Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story
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1385:20th-century African-American male actors
1013:Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story
153:Billie Thomas first appeared in the 1934
590:; Bann, Richard W. (November 24, 1992).
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305:when the series changed production from
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201:-esque image of the African-American "
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269:(due to sickness; fellow child actor
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1316:The Little Rascals Christmas Special
707:Siegel, Robert (December 25, 2015).
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405:reels for motion pictures such as
328:, was completed in November 1943.
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1375:20th-century American male actors
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1002:Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas
993:Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas
984:Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas
975:Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas
820:Wallace, Amy (November 8, 1992).
738:. University of Minnesota Press.
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905:. Oct. 12 1990. Part F. Page 25.
734:Lee, Julia (December 30, 2015).
16:American child actor (1931–1980)
1297:The Little Rascals Save the Day
979:American Film Institute Catalog
675:Pilgrim, David (October 2000).
377:National Defense Service Medal
273:filled in for him), made from
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1095:Our Gang / The Little Rascals
182:'s younger sister Carlena in
85:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1405:Male actors from Los Angeles
1420:United States Army soldiers
642:Jackson, Ronald L. (2006).
552:White House press secretary
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677:"The Picaninny Caricature"
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683:. Ferris State University
505:, who played "Spanky" in
287:George "Spanky" McFarland
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25:Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas
1400:Hal Roach Studios actors
1249:Our Gang Follies of 1936
875:. Norwalk, Connecticut.
761:The Terrible Catsafterme
759:"Yes, I Met Buckwheat" (
401:corporation, processing
41:Our Gang Follies of 1938
37:Thomas as "Buckwheat" in
462:Inglewood Park Cemetery
371:Thomas enlisted in the
252:write-up for the film,
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426:The Sons of the Desert
361:King World Productions
291:Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer
217:Allen "Farina" Hoskins
180:Matthew "Stymie" Beard
774:Thomas, William Jr.;
713:All Things Considered
1193:Mama's Little Pirate
1029:Yes, I Met Buckwheat
778:(February 1, 2010).
194:Mama's Little Pirate
1201:Anniversary Trouble
1137:When the Wind Blows
879:. November 25, 1994
498:Saturday Night Live
311:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
301:Thomas remained in
259:Thomas remained in
249:Classic Movie Guide
1324:The Little Rascals
1289:The Little Rascals
1161:The First Round-Up
784:. Bear Manor Media
555:Karine Jean-Pierre
381:Good Conduct Medal
337:black cast members
283:Eugene "Porky" Lee
164:The First Round-Up
69:, California, U.S.
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776:Menefee, David W.
307:Hal Roach Studios
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1107:Filmography
883:February 5,
788:February 5,
418:Logan's Run
399:Technicolor
141:Los Angeles
137:short films
95:Child actor
67:Los Angeles
1359:Categories
1308:Television
1051:1934-1944
561:References
442:Tommy Bond
413:Metrocolor
411:, and for
367:Later life
333:pickaninny
203:pickaninny
119:Thomas Jr.
91:Occupation
59:1931-03-12
1112:Personnel
609:March 12,
466:Inglewood
373:U.S. Army
345:Julia Lee
244:riverboat
123:Buckwheat
1415:Our Gang
1344:Category
1129:Our Gang
1047:Our Gang
997:AllMovie
872:The Hour
446:Joe Cobb
430:Our Gang
392:rat race
388:Our Gang
320:Our Gang
303:Our Gang
279:Our Gang
261:Our Gang
234:Our Gang
215:member,
213:Our Gang
176:Our Gang
155:Our Gang
148:Our Gang
128:Our Gang
1016:at the
977:at the
926:May 18,
809:YouTube
528:Arizona
157:shorts
125:in the
111:William
1319:(1979)
1300:(2014)
1292:(1994)
1284:(1938)
1276:(1936)
1268:(1936)
1260:(1936)
1252:(1935)
1244:(1935)
1236:(1935)
1228:(1935)
1220:(1935)
1212:(1935)
1204:(1935)
1196:(1934)
1188:(1934)
1180:(1934)
1172:(1934)
1164:(1934)
1156:(1934)
1148:(1934)
1140:(1930)
1132:(1922)
831:May 2,
742:
719:May 2,
687:May 2,
658:
600:
472:Legacy
444:, and
379:and a
322:film,
115:Billie
1121:Films
715:. NPR
545:20/20
541:20/20
523:20/20
452:Death
353:NAACP
199:Topsy
988:IMDb
928:2014
885:2020
833:2018
790:2019
740:ISBN
721:2018
689:2018
656:ISBN
611:2020
598:ISBN
432:ers
408:Jaws
383:.
289:and
230:afro
178:kid
168:and
75:Died
49:Born
1004:at
995:at
986:at
852:",
807:on
627:at
516:ABC
464:in
309:to
1361::
918:.
901:"
869:.
841:^
824:.
711:.
697:^
679:.
654:.
652:27
569:^
468:.
440:,
436:,
162:,
143:.
135:)
117:"
1086:e
1079:t
1072:v
1011:"
930:.
897:"
887:.
835:.
792:.
748:.
723:.
691:.
664:.
613:.
166:,
131:(
113:"
61:)
57:(
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