Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas – ‘Little Rascals’/’Our Gang’ Child Star: 44 Years After His Tragic Death
It’s been more than four decades since former child star William “Billie” Thomas Jr. died in Los Angeles of a heart attack at only 49 on October 10, 1980. Best known as “Buckwheat,” the character he portrayed in the original Hal Roach-ignited Our Gang/Little Rascals classic film shorts from 1934 to 1944, Thomas faced similar challenges and misfortunes of several of his co-stars and other former child actors. This is his story.
A Closer Look
Billie Thomas, Jr. was born on March 12, 1931 in Los Angeles, California. At first, his Buckwheat role in the initial Our Gang/Little Rascals movies was considered acceptable. However, in later years, the character was often the subject of controversy for two reasons: It contributed to African-American stereotypes, and it was not gender-specific.
However, Thomas frequently defended his performance and the character, stressing that Buckwheat and fellow African-American cast members were treated with just as much respect as the White actors/characters in the franchise.
Billie’s Premieres
Billie Thomas made his screen debut as an extra in the first Our Gang shorts, For Pete’s Sake!, The First Round-Up, and Washee Ironee, all of which were released in 1934.
At the time, his “Buckwheat” character was female, and had been portrayed by fellow Our Gang actor Matthew “Stymie” Beard’s younger sister Carlena in For Pete’s Sake!, and by Willie Mae Walton in three other shorts.
Thomas began playing Buckwheat in particular in Mama’s Little Pirate, which debuted in 1935. Despite Thomas being a male, the Buckwheat character remained a female—adorned in the African-American “pickaninny” stereotype image with bowed pigtails, an over-sized sweater and large boots. Eventually, the Buckwheat character became a boy, starting in The Pinch Singer (1936).
Despite the Switch
Even though Buckwheat’s gender changed, Billie Thomas’s androgynous costuming did not surface until his appearance as a runaway slave in the Our Gang movie General Spanky (starring George McFarland, and released in 1939).
Thomas, who had a speech impediment, starred in Gang/Rascals films for one decade, until he was 12, performing in all but one of its productions. He remained with the franchise until it switched production from Hal Roach Studios to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1938.
By 1940, Thomas had out grown his speech impediment, and his Buckwheat character became an archetypal Black youth. His last Little Rascals movie was Dancing Romeo, which finished filming in November 1943.
He Was in the Army Now and Later Rejected Acting Roles
From 1954 to 1956, a twentysomething Billy Thomas served in the U. S. Army, and received a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal.
Upon discharge from his noble service, Thomas received several requests to act, on screen and in live theatre, but he wasn’t interested. Instead, he eventually was hired as a film lab technician with the Technicolor corporation.
From July 30 to August 3, 1980, over 500 fans gathered at the Los Angeles Hilton Hotel for the second annual meeting of The Sons of The Desert, a reunion of the Our Gang stars and other actors of the era. During the festivities, Thomas and his Our Gang co-stars were honored and praised.
A Lasting Impression
On October 10, 1980, Billie Thomas died of a heart attack in his Los Angeles apartment, 46 years to the day after his mother brought him to initial audition at the Hal Roach Studios.
Like fellow former child actor and Our Gang/Little Rascals star Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer (among others in the series), Thomas dealt with the traumas and tragedies that come with being in the spotlight, right alongside the triumphs.
Meanwhile…
The Our Gang franchise was rebooted in 1994, though to less than stellar results, compared to the original feature film shorts. Although, too, that new cast of actors had their own share of challenges and victories.