Carl Alfalfa Switzer

Wabash Valley profiles : a series of tributes to hometown heroes who have made a difference

Description:	One typed page including photograph; biography of Carl Dean Switzer, Alfalfa from the Little Rascals. WABASH VALLEY P R O F I L E SA series of tributes to hometown heroes who have made a difference.Carl Alfalfa Switzerarl Dean Switzer the CtRsubjects,between was one of1940.most popular cLittlea ascals appearing as Alfalfa in 65 Our Gang inem shor 1935 and The second oldest son of Fred and Gladys (Shanks) Switzer, Carl was born on East Union St. in Paris, Ill., on Aug. 7, 1927. As youths attending Redmon Elementary School, Carl and his brother Harold earned reputations as entertainers. Both sang and played several musical instruments. In the early summer of 1934--when Carl was seven and Harold was nine--the Switzers trekked to California to visit relatives, hoping the opportunity would present itself to audition for the popular Our Gang series. The brothers did not have to audition. Series creator and executive producer Hal Roach happened to see them present an impromptu performance in the studio cafeteria and was impressed. Both were signed and appeared as The Arizona Nightingales, a singing duo, in Beginners Luck, their first Our Gang film, in 1935. After that show, Harold was nicknamed Slim and Deadpan while Carl became freckled-faced Alfalfa. Harold soon was relegated to a background role while Carls Alfalfa became a major character. In 1938 Roach sold the Our Gang series to MGM and though he retained certain privileges, he could not reserve rights to the name. Thus, when he secured television syndication for past performances, he was compelled to change the name of the series to The Little Rascals. At MGM Switzer earned a reputation as a vicious prankster. In reaction to what he believed to be an oppressive work atmosphere, Carl tried to sabotage a few Our Gang films. By the end of 1940, the 13-year-old Switzer severed his association with MGM, accepting roles in several noteworthy films including Its A Wonderful Life, Going My Way, Theres One Born Every Minute and The Human Comedy. Thereafter, he appeared in about two films each year, including The High and the Mighty (1954). He also worked as a bartender and a bear hunting guide. In 1954 he courted, wed and divorced Diane Collingwood, daughter of a prominent Kansas farming family. Roy Rogers, Alfie Switzers hunting buddy, was godfather of the only child of the marriage. Rogers also introduced Carl to Freemasonry. There are several versions of what happened on Jan. 21, 1959, the tragic night the 31-year-old Switzer was shot and killed by Moses Bud Stilz at the residence of western movie star Ray Crash Corrigan in Mission Hills, Cal. Stilz was Corrigans bodyguard and mechanic. Carl and Jack Piott went to Corrigans home to discuss a disputed $50 debt with Stilz. Police concluded Stilz killed Switzer in self-defense but Corrigans son Tom, a 14-year-old witness who was not called to testify before the coroner s jury, gave a public statement in January 2001 disputing that conclusion. Carl was interred at Hollywood Memorial Park, the cemetery where Cecil B. DeMille, who died on the same day, is buried. Still grieving over the loss of his son, Fred Switzer died of a heart attack in May 1960. Harold Switzers life also ended tragically April 14, 1967, when he took his own life a few hours after killing a girlfriend.Always Close to Home812-238-6000EQUAL HOUSING LENDER MEMBER FDICFREEw w w. f i r s t - o n l i n e . c o m 238-6000HOMEBUYERS SEMINARTuTudsday, April 12 7 p.m. es eay, April 12 6-8 First Financial Bank Conference Center 4353 South 7th StreetFile name: Carl Alfalfa Switzer profileDate Published: April 7, 2005
Origin:	2005-05-22
Created By:	McCormick, Mike
Publisher:	Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Source:	http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/vchs/id/590
Collection:	Vigo County Historical Society
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Undetermined
Subjects:	Switzer, Carl, 1927-1959 Actors Child actors People Famous Hoosiers

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