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Billie Thomas

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Cause of death
  
Heart attack

Name
  
Billie Thomas

Other names
  
Buckwheat

Role
  
Occupation
  
Child actor

Children
  
Billy Jr.

Years active
  
1935-1944


Billie Thomas Little Rascalsquot Buckwheat Billie Thomas boy or girl

Full Name
  
William Thomas, Jr.

Born
  
March 12, 1931 (
1931-03-12
)
Los Angeles, California

Died
  
October 10, 1980, Los Angeles, California, United States

Movies
  
Our Gang Follies of 1938, Mama's Little Pirate, Pay as You Exit, General Spanky, Bored of Education

Similar People
  
Darla Hood, George McFarland, Matthew Beard, Carl Switzer, Eugene Gordon Lee

William Thomas' "Buckwheat" Grave


William "Billie" Thomas, Jr. (March 12, 1931 – October 10, 1980) was an American child actor best remembered for portraying the character of Buckwheat in the Our Gang (Little Rascals) short films from 1934 until the series' end in 1944. He was a native of Los Angeles, California.

Contents

Billie Thomas Billie 39Buckwheat39 Thomas Another Nice Mess The Films

Our Gang

Billie Thomas Little Rascalsquot Buckwheat Billie Thomas boy or girl

Although the character he played was often the subject of controversy in later years for containing elements of the "pickaninny" stereotype, Thomas always defended his work in the series, pointing out that Buckwheat and the rest of the black Our Gang kids were treated as equals to the white kids in the series.

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Billie Thomas first appeared in the 1934 Our Gang shorts For Pete's Sake!, The First Round-Up, and Washee Ironee as a background player. The "Buckwheat" character was a female at this time, portrayed by Our Gang kid Matthew "Stymie" Beard's younger sister Carlena in For Pete's Sake!, and by Willie Mae Walton in three other shorts.

Thomas began appearing as "Buckwheat" with 1935's Mama's Little Pirate. Despite Thomas's being a male, the Buckwheat character remained a female—dressed as a Topsy-esque image of the African-American "pickaninny" 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 The Pinch Singer. This is similar to the initial handling of another African-American Our Gang member, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, who worked in the series during the silent and early sound eras.

Despite the change in the Buckwheat character's gender, Billie Thomas's androgynous costuming was not changed until his appearance in the 1936 film Pay as You Exit. This new costuming—overalls, striped shirt, oversized shoes, and a large unkempt Afro—was retained for the series until the end. The reason for the change in appearance was so he could portray a runaway slave from late 1936's Our Gang feature film General Spanky.

Thomas remained in Our Gang for ten years, appearing in all but one of the shorts, Feed 'em and Weep (due to sickness when Philip Hurlic filled in for him), made from Washee Ironee in 1934 through the series' end in 1944. During the first half of his Our Gang tenure, Thomas's Buckwheat character was often paired with Eugene "Porky" Lee as a tag-along team of "little kids" rallying against (and often outsmarting) the "big kids," George "Spanky" McFarland and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. Thomas had a speech impediment 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.

Thomas remained in Our Gang when the series changed production from Hal Roach Studios to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1938. Thomas was the only Our Gang cast member to appear in all 52 MGM Our Gang shorts, and was also 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 impediment, and with Lee having been replaced by Robert Blake, Thomas's Buckwheat character was written as an archetypal black youth. He was twelve years old when the final Our Gang film, Dancing Romeo, was completed in November 1943.

Later life

Thomas enlisted in the US Army in 1954 at the age of 23, and was released from active military service in 1956 decorated with a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal.

After returning to civilian life, Thomas faced a dilemma shared by many of his co-stars from Our Gang. 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 rat race to me, with no security." However, Thomas still enjoyed the film industry at large, and had a successful career as a film lab technician with the Technicolor corporation. He ably took his experience in film work and learned the trade of film editing and cutting.

Sons of the Desert Convention

In 1980, the Second International Convention of The Sons of the Desert took place at the Los Angeles Hilton Hotel, with more than 500 fans in attendance. Several days were spent touring famous Hollywood attractions, and then the highlight of the gathering took place in the hotel ballroom. Among those honored were fellow Our Gangers Spanky MacFarland, Dorothy DeBorba, Tommy Bond, and Joe Cobb. When Thomas was brought out, he received a spontaneous standing ovation, and was moved to tears.

Death

Thomas died of a heart attack in his Los Angeles apartment on October 10, 1980, 46 years to the day after his mother brought him to audition at the Hal Roach Studios. Thomas is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.

Controversies

The comedian and comedy actor Eddie Murphy performed a series of Buckwheat sketches on Saturday Night Live during the 1980s, when he belonged to "The Not Ready For Prime Time Players Company." But Thomas's co-star George McFarland, who played "Spanky" in the Little Rascals, made it clear that he hated Murphy's imitations. "I didn't care for them a bit," he complained of them. "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."

In 1990, the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 aired a segment featuring a man named Bill English, then a grocery bagger in Arizona who claimed to be the adult Buckwheat. English's appearance prompted public objections from McFarland, who contacted media outlets following the broadcast to declare that he knew the true Buckwheat to have been dead for ten years. Confronted directly by McFarland on the television newsmagazine A Current Affair, English 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. The next week, 20/20 acknowledged, on-air, that English's claim had been false and apologized for the interview. Fallout from this incident included the resignation of a 20/20 producer and a negligence lawsuit filed by the son of William Thomas. English died in 1994.

Filmography

Actor
1945
Colorado Pioneers as
Smokey, Parish Boy (as Buckwheat Thomas)
1944
Dancing Romeo (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1944
Tale of a Dog (Short) as
Buckwheat Thomas (uncredited)
1944
Radio Bugs (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1943
Three Smart Guys (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1943
Little Miss Pinkerton (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1943
Election Daze (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1943
Honeymoon Lodge as
Blaney Lewis (uncredited)
1943
Farm Hands (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1943
Heavenly Music (Short) as
Gabriel (uncredited)
1943
Calling All Kids (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1943
Family Troubles (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1943
Benjamin Franklin, Jr. (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1942
Whistling in Dixie as
The Black Boy (uncredited)
1942
Unexpected Riches (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1942
Mighty Lak a Goat (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1942
Rover's Big Chance (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1942
Doin' Their Bit (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1942
Surprised Parties (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1942
Mokey as
Brother Cumby (as William 'Buckwheat' Thomas)
1942
Don't Lie (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1942
Going to Press (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1942
Melodies Old and New (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1941
Wedding Worries (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1941
Come Back, Miss Pipps (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1941
Helping Hands (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1941
Robot Wrecks (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1941
1-2-3-Go! (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1941
Ye Olde Minstrels (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1941
Baby Blues (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1941
Fightin' Fools (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1940
Kiddie Kure (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1940
Goin' Fishin' (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1940
Waldo's Last Stand (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1940
Good Bad Boys (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1940
Bubbling Troubles (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1940
The New Pupil (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1940
All About Hash (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1940
The Big Premiere (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1940
Alfalfa's Double (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Time Out for Lessons (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Dad for a Day (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Captain Spanky's Show Boat (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1939
Auto Antics (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Dog Daze (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Joy Scouts (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Cousin Wilbur (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Clown Princes (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Duel Personalities (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1939
Tiny Troubles (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1939
Alfalfa's Aunt (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1938
Practical Jokers (Short) as
Buckwheat (uncredited)
1938
Football Romeo (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
Men in Fright (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
Aladdin's Lantern (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
Party Fever (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
The Little Ranger (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
Hide and Shriek (Short) as
Buckwheat, alias X-6-1 / 2 (as Our Gang)
1938
The Awful Tooth (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
Came the Brawn (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
Three Men in a Tub (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
Bear Facts (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1938
Canned Fishing (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Our Gang Follies of 1938 (Short) as
Buckwheat
1937
Mail and Female (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
The Pigskin Palooka (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Framing Youth (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Fishy Tales (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Night 'n' Gales (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Roamin' Holiday (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Three Smart Boys (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Rushin' Ballet (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Hearts Are Thumps (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Glove Taps (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1937
Reunion in Rhythm (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
General Spanky as
Buckwheat (as Billie Thomas)
1936
Spooky Hooky (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
Pay As You Exit (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
Two Too Young (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
Bored of Education (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
Arbor Day (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
Second Childhood (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
The Lucky Corner (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
Divot Diggers (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1936
The Pinch Singer (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1935
Our Gang Follies of 1936 (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1935
Little Sinner (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1935
Little Papa (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1935
Sprucin' Up (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1935
Teacher's Beau (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1935
Anniversary Trouble (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1935
Beginner's Luck (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1934
Shrimps for a Day (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1934
Mama's Little Pirate (Short) as
Buckwheat (as Our Gang)
1934
Washee Ironee (Short) as
Game Spectator (as Our Gang)
1934
The First Round-Up (Short) as
Kid emptying canteens
1934
For Pete's Sake! (Short) as
Kid (as Our Gang)
1930
Little Rascals: Best of Our Gang
Soundtrack
1937
Our Gang Follies of 1938 (Short) (performer: "The Love Bug'll Get You (If You Don't Watch Out)")
Self
1974
Tomorrow Coast to Coast (TV Series) as
Self
- The Little Rascals (1974) - Self
- Episode #1.225 (1974) - Self
Archive Footage
2017
Cinecittà Babilonia: Sex, Drugs and Black Shirts (Documentary) as
Self (as Buckwheat Thomas)
2004
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (Video documentary) as
Self
2002
E! True Hollywood Story (TV Series documentary) as
Buckwheat
- Curse of the Little Rascals (2002) - Buckwheat
2002
8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (TV Special) as
Self (as Billie Thomas)
1994
The Our Gang Story (Video documentary) as
Self / Buckwheat
1994
Hal Roach: Hollywood's King of Laughter (TV Movie documentary) as
Self
1993
Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America (TV Movie documentary) as
Buckwheat
1990
To Tell the Truth (TV Series) as
Buckwheat
- Bill Thomas Junior/Jamie White (1990) - Buckwheat
1986
Classic Comedy Teams (Video documentary) as
Our Gang
1984
Our Gang: Inside the Clubhouse (TV Movie documentary) as
Self / Buckwheat (as Buckwheat Thomas)
1982
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (TV Movie documentary) as
Actor - Unidentified 'Our Gang' Film (uncredited)
1981
Rascal Dazzle (TV Movie) as
Buckwheat
1966
A Little Rascals Color Special (TV Mini Series short) as
Buckwheat
- Came the Brawn (1966) - Buckwheat (uncredited)
- Hearts Are Thumps (1966) - Buckwheat (uncredited)
- Second Childhood (1966) - Buckwheat (uncredited)
- Our Gang Follies of 1936 (1966) - Buckwheat (uncredited)
1959
Little Rascals Varieties as
Buckwheat
1955
The Little Rascals (TV Series) as
Buckwheat (1955)
1955
The Clubhouse Gang (TV Series) as
Buckwheat

References

Billie Thomas Wikipedia