Carl Switzer Biography

Carl Dean Switzer (August 7, 1927 – January 21, 1959) was an American singer, child actor, dog breeder and guide.

Switzer began his career as a child actor in the mid-1930s appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters. After leaving the series in 1940, Switzer struggled to find substantial roles owing to typecasting. As an adult, he appeared mainly in bit parts and B-movies. He later became a dog breeder and hunting guide.

Switzer married in 1954 and had one son before divorcing in 1957. In January 1959, he was fatally shot by an acquaintance in a dispute over money.

Early life and family

Switzer was born in Paris, Illinois, the third son and last of the four children of Gladys C. Shanks and George Frederick Switzer. The oldest brother died in 1922. A sister Janice was born in 1923 and a brother Harold was born in 1925. Of Scottish and German ancestry he was named Carl after a member of the Switzer family and Dean after many relatives on his grandmother's side. He and his brother Harold became famous in their hometown for their musical talent and performances. Both sang and could play a number of instruments.

Career

Our Gang

In 1934, the Switzers traveled to California to visit family. While sightseeing, they went to Hal Roach Studios. Following a public tour, 8-year-old Harold and 6-year-old Carl entered the Hal Roach Studio's open-to-the-public cafeteria, the Our Gang Caf, and began an impromptu performance. Producer Hal Roach was present and was impressed. He signed both brothers to appear in Our Gang. Harold was given two nicknames, "Slim" and "Deadpan," while Carl was dubbed "Alfalfa."

The brothers first appeared in the 1935 Our Gang short Beginner's Luck. By the end of the year, Alfalfa was one of the main characters, while Harold had been relegated to the background. Although Carl was an experienced singer and musician, his character Alfalfa was often called upon to sing off-key renditions of popular songs, most often those of Bing Crosby. Alfalfa also sported a cowlick.

By the end of 1937, Alfalfa had surpassed George "Spanky" McFarland, the series' nominal star, in popularity. While the boys got along, their fathers argued constantly over their sons' screen time and salaries. Switzer's best friend among the Our Gang actors was Tommy Bond, who played his on-screen nemesis "Butch." In Bond's words, he and Switzer became good friends because "neither of us could replace the other since we played opposites." However, Switzer was known for being abrasive and difficult on the set. He would often play cruel jokes on the other actors and hold up filming with his antics.

Adult years

Switzer's tenure on Our Gang ended in 1940, when he was twelve. His first role after leaving the series was as co-star in the 1941 comedy Reg'lar Fellers. The next year, he had a supporting role in Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. Switzer continued to appear in films in various supporting roles, including in Johnny Doughboy (1942), Going My Way (1944), and The Great Mike (1944). Switzer had an uncredited role as Auggie in the 1943 film The Human Comedy. Switzer's last starring roles were in a brief series of imitation Bowery Boys movies. He reprised his "Alfalfa" character, complete with comically sour vocals, in PRC's Gas House Kids comedies in 1946 and 1947. By this time Switzer was downplaying his earlier Our Gang work. In his 1946 resume, he referred to the films generically as "M-G-M short product."

Switzer had small parts in both the 1946 Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life as Mary Hatch's (Donna Reed) date at a high school dance in the film's beginning and again in the 1948 film On Our Merry Way as the mayor's son, a trumpet player in a fixed musical talent contest. In the 1954 musical film White Christmas, his photo was used to depict "Freckle-Faced Haynes," an army buddy of lead characters Wallace and Davis (played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) who was also the brother of the female leads the Haynes Sisters (played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen).

In the 1950s, Switzer turned to television. Between 1952 and 1955, he made six appearances on The Roy Rogers Show. He also guest-starred in an episode of the American science fiction anthology series Science Fiction Theatre and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. In 1953 and 1954, Switzer co-starred in three William A. Wellman-directed films: Island in the Sky and The High and the Mighty, both starring John Wayne, and Track of the Cat, starring Robert Mitchum. In 1956, he co-starred in The Bowery Boys film Dig That Uranium followed by a bit part as a Hebrew slave in Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments. Switzer's final film role was in the 1958 drama The Defiant Ones.

Besides acting, Switzer bred and trained hunting dogs and guided hunting expeditions. Among his notable clients were Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (Switzer's son's godparents), James Stewart, and Henry Fonda.

Personal life

In early 1954, Switzer went on a blind date with Diantha (Dian) Collingwood, heiress of grain elevator empire Collingwood Grain. Collingwood had moved with her mother and sister to California in 1953 because her sister wanted to become an actress. Switzer and Collingwood got along well and married in Las Vegas three months later. In 1956, with his money running out and Diantha pregnant, his mother-in-law offered them a farm near Pretty Prairie, Kansas, west of Wichita. Their son, Justin Lance Collingwood Switzer (now Eldridge), was born that year. They divorced in 1957.

In 1987, former Our Gang co-star George "Spanky" McFarland recalled a meeting with Switzer when they spoke about the farm:

In January 1958 Switzer was getting into his car in front of a bar in Studio City, when a bullet smashed through the window and struck him in the upper right arm. The gunman was never caught. That December he was arrested in Sequoia National Forest for cutting down 15 pine trees; he was sentenced to a year's probation and ordered to pay a $225 fine ($ today).

Death

Switzer had agreed to train a hunting dog for Moses Samuel Stiltz. The dog was lost, having run after a bear, and Switzer offered a $35 reward for its return. A few days later, a man found the dog and brought it to the Studio City bar where Switzer then worked. Switzer paid the man $35 and bought him $15 worth of drinks. Several days later, Switzer and his friend Jack Piott, a 37-year-old unit still photographer, decided that Moses Stiltz should repay Switzer the reward money for the dog. Shortly before 7:00 that evening, January 21, 1959, Switzer and Piott went to Rita Corrigan's home in Mission Hills, where Stiltz was staying, to collect the $50 ($ today) they felt Stiltz owed Switzer.

Stiltz later testified before the coroner's jury that Switzer had banged on the front door, saying, "Let me in, or I'll kick in the door." Once inside, he and Stiltz began to argue. Switzer said, "I want that 50 bucks you owe me now, and I mean now." When Stiltz refused to hand the money over, the men began to fight. Switzer allegedly struck Stiltz with a glass-domed clock, which caused him to bleed from his left eye. Stiltz retreated to his bedroom and returned with a .38-caliber revolver. Switzer grabbed the gun, resulting in a shot being fired that struck the ceiling. Switzer forced Stiltz into a closet, although Stiltz had regained his revolver. Switzer allegedly pulled a knife and screamed, "I'm going to kill you!" Fearing Switzer was about to attack, Stiltz shot him in the groin. Switzer suffered massive internal bleeding and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

Controversy

The shooting was judged to be self-defense. During the inquest regarding Switzer's death, it was revealed that what was reported as a "hunting knife" was in fact a penknife. It had been found by crime scene investigators under his body.

Over 42 years later, however, on January 25, 2001, a third witness came forward and gave his version. Tom Corrigan, son of Western movie star Ray "Crash" Corrigan and stepson of Moses Stiltz, was a child who was present the night Switzer was killed. "It was more like murder," Corrigan told reporters. He said he heard the knock on the front door, and Switzer said "Western Union for Bud Stiltz." Corrigan's mother, Rita Corrigan, opened the door to find a drunk Switzer, complaining about a perceived month-old debt and demanding repayment. Switzer entered the house followed by Jack Piott and stated he was going to beat up Stiltz. Stiltz confronted Switzer with a .38-caliber revolver in his hand. Corrigan said that Switzer grabbed the revolver and Stiltz and Switzer struggled over it. Piott broke a glass-domed clock over Stiltz's head, causing Stiltz's eye to swell shut. During the struggle, a shot was fired into the ceiling and Corrigan was struck in the leg by a fragment. Corrigan's two younger sisters ran to a neighbor's house to call for help. "Well, we shot Tommy, enough of this," he remembers Switzer saying, just before Switzer and Piott started to leave the house.

Corrigan had just stepped out the front door when he heard, but did not witness, a second shot behind him. He turned and saw Switzer sliding down the wall with a surprised look on his face. Stiltz had shot him. Corrigan said he saw a closed penknife at Switzer's side, which he presumed fell out of his pocket or his hand. He then saw his stepfather shove Piott against the kitchen counter and threaten to kill him too. As Piott begged for his life, they heard emergency sirens. Corrigan thought this was the only reason Stiltz did not kill Piott. Corrigan said his stepfather lied in his account of the event before the coroner's jury.

Corrigan says a Los Angeles Police Department detective interviewed him and asked if he would testify before the judge. Corrigan agreed to, but he was never called before the court. "He didn't have to kill him," Corrigan stated decades later.

Moses Stiltz died in 1983 at the age of 62.

Burial

Carl Switzer was interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. He died on the same day as Cecil B. DeMille died; his death received only minor notice in most newspapers since DeMille's obituary dominated the columns.

Selected filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1930	Little Rascals: Best of Our Gang
1933	Stage Mother	'Irish Eyes' singer	Uncredited
1935	Beginner's Luck	Tom	Short film
1935	Teacher's Beau	Alfalfa	Short film
1935	Sprucin' Up	Alfalfa	Short film
1935	Our Gang Follies of 1936	Alfalfa	Short film
1936	The Lucky Corner	Alfalfa	Short film
1936	Too Many Parents	Kid Singer
1936	Arbor Day	Alfalfa	Short film
1936	Kelly the Second	Boy with Stomach Ache	Uncredited
1936	Spooky Hooky	Alfalfa	Short film
1936	Ellis Island	Manuel	Uncreidted
1936	Easy to Take	Alfred Bottle
1937	Reunion in Rhythm	Alfalfa	Short film
1937	Rushin' Ballet	Alfalfa	Short film
1937	Pick a Star	Minor Role	Uncredited
1937	Mail and Female	Alfalfa / Cousin Amiela	Short film
1937	Our Gang Follies of 1938	Alfalfa	Short film
1937	Wild and Woolly	Zero
1938	Scandal Street	Bennie Nordskudder
1938	Canned Fishing	Alfalfa	Short film
1938	Came the Brawn	Alfalfa	Short film
1938	Hide and Shriek	Alfalfa, alias X-10	Short film
1938	Football Romeo	Alfalfa	Short film
1939	The Ice Follies of 1939	Small Boy	Uncredited
1939	Duel Personalities	Alfalfa	Short film
1939	Clown Princes	The Great Alfalfa	Short film
1939	Captain Spanky's Show Boat	Alfalfa	Short film
1939	Time Out for Lessons	Alfalfa	Short film
1940	Alfalfa's Double	Alfalfa / Cornelius	Short film
1940	Good Bad Boys	Alfalfa	Short film
1940	Goin' Fishin'	Alfalfa	Short film
1940	I Love You Again	Leonard Harkspur Jr.
1940	Kiddie Kure	Alfalfa	Short film
1940	Barnyard Follies	Alfalfa	Credited as "Alphalfa" Switzer
1941	Reg'lar Fellers	Bump Hudson
1942	My Favorite Blonde	Frederick	Uncredited
1942	Henry and Dizzy	Billy Weeks
1942	There's One Born Every Minute	Junior Twine	Credited as Alfalfa Switser
1942	The War Against Mrs. Hadley	Messenger Boy
1942	Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch	Billy Wiggs
1942	Johnny Doughboy	Alfalfa
1943	The Human Comedy	Auggie	Uncredited
1943	Shantytown	'Bindy'
1943	Dixie	Boy in Street	Uncredited
1944	Rosie the Riveter	Buzz Prouty
1944	Going My Way	Herman Langerhanke	Uncredited
1944	The Great Mike	Speck
1944	Together Again	Elevator Boy	Uncredited
1945	Man Alive	Ignatius	Uncredited
1945	She Wouldn't Say Yes	Delivery Boy	Uncredited
1946	Courage of Lassie	First Youth, a hunter
1946	Gas House Kids	Sammy Levine
1946	It's a Wonderful Life	Freddie Othello	Uncredited
1947	Gas House Kids Go West	Alfalfa
1947	Gas House Kids in Hollywood	Alfalfa
1947	Driftwood	Messenger	Uncredited
1948	On Our Merry Way	Leopold "Zoot" Wirtz	Alternative title: A Miracle Can Happen
1948	State of the Union	Bellboy
1948	Big Town Scandal	Frankie Snead	Alternative title: Underworld Scandal
1949	A Letter to Three Wives	Leo, Second Messenger	Uncredited
1949	Alias the Champ	Newsboy
1950	House by the River	Walter Herbert	Uncredited
1950	Redwood Forest Trail	Sidekick Alfie
1951	Belle Le Grand	Messenger Boy	Uncredited
1951	Cause for Alarm!	Guy with Tex	Uncredited
1951	Two Dollar Bettor	Chuck Nordlinger
1951	Here Comes the Groom	Messenger	Uncredited
1952	Pat and Mike	Bus Boy
1952	I Dream of Jeanie	Freddie	Credited as Carl Dean Switzer
1952	The WAC from Walla Walla	Pvt. Cronkheit	Uncredited
1953	Island in the Sky	Sonny Hopper
1953	Flight Nurse	Rifleman	Uncredited
1954	The High and the Mighty	Ensign Keim
1954	This Is My Love	Customer
1954	Track of the Cat	Joe Sam
1955	Not as a Stranger	Unexpected Father	Uncredited
1955	Francis in the Navy	Timekeeper	Uncredited
1956	Dig That Uranium	Shifty Robertson	Uncredited
1956	The Ten Commandments	Slave	Uncredited
1956	Between Heaven and Hell	Savage	Uncredited
1957	Motorcycle Gang	Speed
1958	The Defiant Ones	Angus	(final film role)

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952-1955	The Roy Rogers Show	Various roles	6 episodes
1954	The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show	Victor the Delivery Boy	Episode: "George Gets Call from Unknown Victor"
1955	Lux Video Theatre	Mailer	Episode: "Eight Iron Men"
1955	Science Fiction Theatre	Pete	Episode: "The Negative Man"

See also