Carl Switzer rose to fame as the red-faced Alfalfa in the series “Our Gang” – but it was not a happy life for the actor.
At the age of 31, the former child star was killed in a reported fight over $50. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, that's about $539.36 in today's money.
“All hell broke loose,” James Tehrani, who wrote a new book, “Alfalfa – Rascal You Know, Someone You Don't,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Carl Switzer as Alfalfa from the series “The Little Rascals”, formerly known as “Our Gang.” Photo dated January 1, 1936. (CBS via Getty Images)
“I think there's more to the story than $50,” he shared. “But one thing that was important to me was not to post any false information and to avoid rumors and rumours…
At the time of the deadly battle, Switzer was a professional bartender and hunting dog trainer. The success he once had in Hollywood seemed to be long behind him as he took odd jobs. History.com he also indicated that he had several encounters with the police.
A few weeks earlier, he was training one of Moses “Bud” Stiltz's dogs during a hunting trip. It ran away and Stiltz wanted his dog back. According to the book, Switzer placed an ad in the newspaper offering a $35 reward.
Carl Switzer is pictured opposite James Stewart and Donna Reed in “It's a Wonderful Life.” (Everett)
Someone found a dog and came forward for a reward. Switzer paid the bill and bought the man a few drinks to thank him, calling in a $15 bar tab, or $100 in today's money. But sometime in the evening, the book shared, Switzer felt that Stiltz should pay him back the $50.
“Maybe it was a matter of principle – or maybe because he really needed money,” Tehrani wrote.
James Tehrani's book, “Alfalfa – The Rascal You Kinew, the Character You Ne Ise Motseba,” is out now. (BearManor Media)
“He was in court a few weeks after he died from a woman I couldn't find,” Tehrani told Fox News Digital. “He loaned her a lot of money… That might have been part of it. I heard some things during my research that I didn't include in my book because I couldn't to verify it.”
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Alfalfa was Carl Switzer's most popular crop. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Tehrani said: “Carl was putting a message in the newspaper with a reward of $35. “I spent many hours … trying to find this classified ad, and I couldn't find it. So whether that is true or not is unknown. But surprisingly, the dog appeared one day and this man who returned the dog… Carl was not in a good financial position, but he buys the boy $15 worth of drinks, which are not join in when you think about them. “
Tehrani noted that Switzer “had his problems at the end.”
As a child actor, Carl Switzer became a star. But once he grew up, he endured financial problems and had many run-ins with the police. According to reports, he never received any earnings from the show. (CBS via Getty Images)
“He had an up and down marriage,” Tehrani explained. “He and his wife (Diantha Collingwood) got married very quickly. After a few months of dating, they had a son together, and moved to Kansas. There was a chance for a better life there, but it didn't last that long. So she was struggling, especially when she was back in Hollywood and away from her son. “
“There were some incidents along the way,” Tehrani said. “In 1958, he cut down a bunch of trees for Christmas trees. He was caught and fined. It was a tough time financially.”
Switzer's friend, photographer Jack Piott, offered to drive him to see Stiltz at night. As soon as they arrived at the house of Rita Corrigan, Stiltz's girlfriend, Switzer “got out and hurried to the front door.”
Corrigan heard a voice say, “Western Union for Bud Stiltz.” When the door wouldn't open, Switzer reportedly shouted, “You're going to let me in, or I'm going to break the door down.”
Carl Switzer was born in 1954 in “The High and the Mighty,” starring John Wayne. (Everett)
Stiltz, who seemed undeterred, told Corrigan to let Switzer in. As soon as the door opened, Switzer “stabbed Stiltz.” Piott was putting out his cigarette and did not immediately follow Switzer.
“There was an altercation upstairs,” Tehrani said. “Eventually, this led to Bud being punched several times and Carl fighting Bud. Jack came in and tried to destroy it as best he could. “
“What happens depends on who you believe,” Tehrani said. “Jack Piott said Carl's hand was on the door as he was about to leave when he was shot. Bud said he felt threatened, and Carl was attacking him, possibly with a knife . The problem with this case is that it's a he-said-she-said situation.”
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Carl Switzer played Alfalfa from the mid-1930s to the early 1940s. Then in 1955, the comedy “Our Groups” was changed to “The Little Rascals.” (CBS via Getty Images)
There were a few things everyone agreed on. A battered and bruised Stiltz was hit in the head with a clock. Ms. Switzer was shot in the stomach. He reportedly told Stiltz, “What did you shoot at me?”
When police arrived, Switzer was on the ground by the door, clinging to life. Although Switzer was not bleeding profusely from the wound, he would die from his injuries when he arrived at the hospital.
A paramedic found a closed blade. But according to Tehrani, Piott said he never saw Switzer with a knife.
“What we do know is that Carl and Bud were once good friends,” Tehrani said. “They were both hunters. But at one point, it went south. It seemed like in the months leading up to this, there were a lot of phone calls back and forth… But It was more than he said.
Carl Switzer as Alfalfa and George McFarland as Spanky in the 1938 film “Canned Fishing.” (John Springer Collection/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Stiltz told reporters that Switzer entered the property drunk or “under the influence of something.” wants his $50, the book shared him. Stiltz also said Switzer wrestled the gun away from him, but got it back. That's when Switzer pulled out his knife and said, “I'm going to kill you.” Stiltz says he has no choice but to shoot the actor in self-defense.
Piott, on the other hand, said he never saw Switzer with a gun in his hand.
Regardless of the number of people in the homes, there were “varied and sometimes very different recollections of what happened that night,” the book noted.
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The jury ruled the incident justifiable homicide. Piott died in 1973, followed by Stiltz in 1983.
For decades, rumors have persisted that Switzer was a Hollywood icon who turned to drugs. Tehrani said it could not be further from the truth.
“There is a legend behind him left the series 'Our Team', he disappeared from Hollywood,” he said. “To a certain extent, that's true. He didn't have the biggest roles after the series 'Our Team', but he was in a television show or film every year until his death in 1959.
Carl Switzer did odd jobs in his later years before he was killed. (Family photo courtesy of James Tehrani.)
“Watch 'It's a Wonderful Life.' It's a movie that people watch every year during the holidays… He had a role there. He wasn't credited for it, but he was in a big dance scene, and he was dancing with Donna Reed… He was in 'The Defiant Ones' and 'The 10 Commandments,' the movies two important ones.”
Tehrani continued: “He deserves recognition.
James Tehrani hopes that his book will share the full story of Carl Switzer's short life in Hollywood. (BearManor Media)
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“He was one of the most popular child actors of the 1930s, and arguably one of the most popular of all time… Was he and a perfect person? No, he did some things that were not so good as I mentioned. But he was also a very difficult child.