William "Billie" Thomas Jr. (March 12, 1931 â€" 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.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 being a male, the Buckwheat character remained a
femaleâ€"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 â€" overalls, striped shirt, oversized shoes, and a
large unkempt Afro â€" was retained for the series until the end. The
reason for the change in appearance was so he could portray, in the
1936 Our Gang feature film General Spanky, a five-year-old slave
asking men on a riverboat and, subsequently, shoeshine boy Spanky,
"You be my master?". In his Classic Movie Guide write-up for the film,
Leonard Maltin surmises that "Buckwheat's role as slave in search of a
master may displease contemporary audiences."
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.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 being a male, the Buckwheat character remained a
femaleâ€"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 â€" overalls, striped shirt, oversized shoes, and a
large unkempt Afro â€" was retained for the series until the end. The
reason for the change in appearance was so he could portray, in the
1936 Our Gang feature film General Spanky, a five-year-old slave
asking men on a riverboat and, subsequently, shoeshine boy Spanky,
"You be my master?". In his Classic Movie Guide write-up for the film,
Leonard Maltin surmises that "Buckwheat's role as slave in search of a
master may displease contemporary audiences."
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.