Customer Reviews

Darn Right It's Butch: Memories of Our Gang

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I was charmed and enthralled by Tommy "Butch" Bond's life story. Frankly, my expectations of show biz autobiographies is not high: Everyone seems to be so intent on blowing his or her own horn. Bond is a refreshing exception.

First of all, I think the Little Rascals walk on water. Hundreds of years from now, some extraterrestial on the Moons of Jupiter with all z's and x's in his (its?) name will enjoy these short films as much as I did when I was growing up. They are universal in their appeal. We still haven't got to the point in our society that a Stymie, a Farina, or a Buckwheat can live next door to a Spanky, an Alfalfa, or a Butch. Hal Roach's Little Rascals were way ahead of their time.

Of course, we all know what happened. MGM bought Our Gang from Roach and trashed the whole concept. It was time to move on and -- like so many child stars -- turn to booze, drugs, or crime. But wait a minute! Butch escapes the cliche and turns to radio, film, and even TV. And he marries the Texas beauty queen and lives happily ever after. Bond has this talent for reinventing himself and going from one positive experience to the other.

Now who would have thought that the one member of the Little Rascals you should have grown up emulating was Butch the bully?

This is a book that is not only well written: It will make you feel good about life.

This is an excellent source of information for any fan of the Our Gang/Little Rascals comedies of the 1920's and 30's. Plus, I have been in contact with Tommy "Butch" Bond, who informed me that there will be a limited quantity re-issue of this book.

The book of Tommy Bond has great insight into the Little Rascals and old Hollywood. It gives you the sense of being there, and gives info that you could get nowhere else for a inside account.

Tommy does an excellent job of telling the adventures of his life! Recommended reading for every fan of this fine man!

Tommy Bond, otherwise known as Butch from The Little Rascals, has written his memoirs. Here he discusses his life mostly in the entertainment industry in film, radio, and early television. He also describes the life of his wife Polly and his son Tommy Jr.

The book is written conversationally, so it is not scholarly but it is easy to read. It is detailed enough for those with no knowledge about early Hollywood could understand it. However, this makes it so those who do know a lot about it feel a little bored. Bond jumps around a bit chronologically but always finds his way back to where he began.

Bond does a good job of using expert sources to back up his information, especially Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann's book about The Little Rascals, but he does not use a bibliography. He does, however, include a filmography of his own appearances in the back of the book.

This book is interesting to Our Gang fans but it is not entirely devoted to information about the series. The beginning deals with it, a little later on talks about it, and the end chapter called Memory Lane talks about the Sons of the Desert reunions and such. The rest is about Bond's life and experiences.