The following Little Rascals photo is part of my collection. The image is of William Thomas aka “Buckwheat”. I recall seeing Thomas wearing the outfit in an episode and part of me wants to say “Our Gang Follies of 1938” but I’m not really too sure. I was told that this image was quite popular and was reproduced a lot during the 1970’s.
Despite the Pickaninny stereotyping of Thomas’s character and other Black actors that worked during that time, many of the Black actors on “Little Rascals” have said they were treated like the other kids equally when they weren’t shooting and many have had positive things to say about series creator Hal Roach.
If anything, I’ve always been a fan of Little Rascals and the character of Buckwheat but was happy to read that Thomas worked hard in the military and as an editor for Technicolor and didn’t succumb to any narcotics or other negative predicaments that some of the few “Little Rascals” actors have found themselves in.
Thomas died at a young age of 49 from a heart attack.