We grew up with you guys (baby boomers) on television. At that time there was only one or two channels on TV and the Rascals were on one of them! So you either had your breakfast with us in the morning or you had us in the afternoon with your Oreo cookies and milk. So the Rascals became very close to the kids who were born after the war. Now since then, they have their own kids who they are putting in front of the set and playing a vcr tape of the Little Rascals. And the kids love them! Isn’t that wonderful? Four generations of kids.

The kids of today like to see a good picture and can get right into the Rascals. As far as I’m concerned, the Rascals are good, clean family fun. It’s not the Power Rangers or the Ninja Turtles or the rest of this stuff. It’s teaching kids how to make do out of practically nothing. We were Depression kids; we’d go to the junkyard, get some wheels and make a fire engine! Kids today don’t seem to have that self-reliance. Whatever they want, Daddy goes out and gets for them. But they are very proud if they can build something themselves, or put up an old blanket over a clothesline and do a show.

The only real friend that I had who I hob-knobbed a lot with was Alfalfa. We were the worst of enemies on screen, but the best of friends off the screen. Alfie was a friendly kid. Only problem he had was that he had a short fuse, which is why he got shot.

He was into Bloodhound dogs with his dad. I remember one night he and his dad, along with me and my dad went over to Topanga Canyon chasing raccoons which we never found. We found everything else BUT raccoons; dogs, cats, people. Anyway, he and his dad just loved those dogs. Well he sold one of them to a guy for $50. He went over to the guy’s house to collect the money and the guy told him to take a hike. Alfie got mad and pulled a knife on the man who then reached into a drawer, pulled out a gun and shot him. Of course it was justifiable homicide. Like I say, Alfie had a short fuse.

That’s my wife’s favorite too! We did that scene in one take. Marvin Hatley, the musical director was backstage with a piano when he called me over, "Tommy, come over here! You think you can do this?" He had me sing this number when Hal Roach happened to be walking by and heard it. "Good song. Let’s put it in the movie!"

Well, we were all friends. That’s why we were called the "lot of fun", and that’s what it was! Laurel & Hardy would visit us, we’d visit them, Hal Roach would visit the kids. We’d also show up in each other’s films. I played with Charley Chase in "I’ll Take Vanilla" and one called "Cracked Ice". I was lucky enough to play with Laurel & Hardy in "Blockheads", and I was lucky enough to play with Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly.

Hal Roach was a great guy. The thing about Hal Roach was that he had the Midas touch when it came to picking kids for Our Gang. He could just look at a kid and pick them. He wasn’t looking for pretty boys or girls, or acting experience, or anything like that. None of the kids had any acting experience. He would look at you and see something inside of you and say "that’s the kid I want".

Oh yeah, I loved being the tough-guy, because everybody always remembered the tough-guy even though they hated him! I’ve talked to a lot of baby-boomers today who say "Boy, you really scared me!". Well, then I did my job.

I was living in Encino and going to public school. Of course I had a fight every day. They all wanted to beat me up!

Kid actors today just don’t seem to be very good actors to me. It’s like they are too aware of being "stars". Any thoughts?

Absolutely. They’re too sophisticated, too worldly. They’ve got too much in their heads about what’s going on in the world.

I’ve been going around the country promoting the Cabin Fever videos. I’m amazed at how many people remember the Rascals. I think these videos are partially responsible for today’s popularity, because they haven’t been on the tube at all. There is the possibility of an upcoming Our Gang CD-ROM , which we should know about shortly. Also, from what I hear, King World is going to colorize the Rascals and re-release them on television, so there’s a whole new crop of kids.

What do you think about all this colorization?

I don’t object to it. I’ll tell you why; we’re playing for the kids of today who are used to color. I don’t think it will do anything but enhance them. Now, I would never colorize anything like Casablanca or Citizen Kane. That was mood, set with black & white. But with a kids comedy show, I don’t see any objection to it.

Is there anything you’d like to say specifically to the viewers of the Our Gang Web Site?

I'd like to get kids to watch good clean entertainment and comedy. There’s too much trash on television. I just won’t represent it. My morals are of the old school, but it’s the best school. I think parents today want to see this kind of thing. They are tired of junk. The kids watch the Cabin Fever videos and they absolutely love them.