movie trivia

[low_delta]

Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison was the first black actor signed to a long-term contract in Hollywood history, and was the first major black star in Hollywood history.

Does anyone know who Sunshine Sammy was?

He was an original cast member of Our Gang.

Comments

[cynnerth.livejournal.com]

Was he called Sunshine Sammy in Our Gang, or are we talking about Buckwheat?

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

There were four black kids in those movies. Stymie was the second, Buckwheat was the third. I don't remember the fourth - or this kid. Many of the kids in Our Gang used their real names in the movies.

[emschin.livejournal.com]

That's interesting. Do you know over what period of time the four actors performed? I didn't realize they had been around long enough to have four different actors.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

First Sammy, then Farina, then Stymie, then Buckwheat. Stymie started when the films started being made with sound. Hal Roach started the series in 1922. He sold the franchise to MGM in 1938. The series faded in popularity until they ended it in 1944. Roach produced 220 short films, 80 of which had sound.

It is interesting to note that the early series was structured around Sunshine Sammy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Gang

[emschin.livejournal.com]

I remember Farina--as a name, at least. I wonder why I know any of them. They ended when I was 10 and I wasn't seeing movies then. Nor TV for a long time.

Maybe I just read "about" them.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

The old movies were broadcast on TV, starting in the fifties, and I watched them a lot in the seventies. I'd be surprised if you didn't see them once or twice, at least.