Allen Clayton Hoskins (August 9, 1920 â€" July 26, 1980) was an
American child actor, who portrayed the character of Farina in 105 Our
Gang short films from 1922 to 1931.Born in Boston in 1920, Allen
Clayton Hoskins was just one year old when his tenure with Our Gang
began. His character stayed in the series through the silent years and
the transition to talking pictures, and he left the series in 1931 at
the age of eleven. With his pigtailed hair and patchy outfits, Farina
resembled a pickaninny in the tradition of the character Topsy from
Uncle Tom's Cabin, but as the character became more popular, and as
Allen Hoskins got older, Farina developed his own personality separate
from that of Topsy. The name "Farina", derived from a type of cereal,
was chosen because its gender was ambiguous: As a toddler, Farina was
portrayed as both a boy and a girl, sometimes both genders in the same
film.He was born in Boston in 1920, but soon afterward his parents,
Clayton H. Hoskins and Florence A. Fortier Hoskins, moved the family
to Los Angeles and in 1922 his acting career began. His younger sister
Jannie also appeared in the series as "Mango" (1926-1929) and
Hoskins's aunt, Edith Fortier, was his guardian on set. Variety, the
magazine devoted to entertainment, reported that his parents divorced
in 1926. By that time he was 6 years old and an experienced child
actor, and as "Farina" he made more money than most working adults.The
Our Gang comedies were created by Hal Roach Studios, located in Culver
City, California. School was required for child actors. Hoskins and
the other Roach studio children attended school on the lot at the
"Little Red School House". The children were taught by Fern Carter. In
1959, a retrospective article about Fern Carter and her career as a
teacher in Hollywood's "Little Red School House" was published. The
article explained that she was teaching there when the series began in
1921 and taught over 300 students in a career that lasted 23 years.
She often said that Farina was the brightest student she ever had.
American child actor, who portrayed the character of Farina in 105 Our
Gang short films from 1922 to 1931.Born in Boston in 1920, Allen
Clayton Hoskins was just one year old when his tenure with Our Gang
began. His character stayed in the series through the silent years and
the transition to talking pictures, and he left the series in 1931 at
the age of eleven. With his pigtailed hair and patchy outfits, Farina
resembled a pickaninny in the tradition of the character Topsy from
Uncle Tom's Cabin, but as the character became more popular, and as
Allen Hoskins got older, Farina developed his own personality separate
from that of Topsy. The name "Farina", derived from a type of cereal,
was chosen because its gender was ambiguous: As a toddler, Farina was
portrayed as both a boy and a girl, sometimes both genders in the same
film.He was born in Boston in 1920, but soon afterward his parents,
Clayton H. Hoskins and Florence A. Fortier Hoskins, moved the family
to Los Angeles and in 1922 his acting career began. His younger sister
Jannie also appeared in the series as "Mango" (1926-1929) and
Hoskins's aunt, Edith Fortier, was his guardian on set. Variety, the
magazine devoted to entertainment, reported that his parents divorced
in 1926. By that time he was 6 years old and an experienced child
actor, and as "Farina" he made more money than most working adults.The
Our Gang comedies were created by Hal Roach Studios, located in Culver
City, California. School was required for child actors. Hoskins and
the other Roach studio children attended school on the lot at the
"Little Red School House". The children were taught by Fern Carter. In
1959, a retrospective article about Fern Carter and her career as a
teacher in Hollywood's "Little Red School House" was published. The
article explained that she was teaching there when the series began in
1921 and taught over 300 students in a career that lasted 23 years.
She often said that Farina was the brightest student she ever had.
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