Tommy Bond

The monument that stood at 1716 North Vine Street, commemorating the first movie made in Hollywood, made by Bonds company, the 'American Mutoscope & Biograph Co. [us]'. was stolen April, 2005. Bond felt because of the monument's size, it had to have been an "Inside Job". He was so upset, he swore that the company would never shoot any project in the district of Hollywood.

Forever etched in our minds as the bully with the protruding lip who gave beloved Alfalfa plenty of angst in the "Our Gang" serial shorts, actor Tommy Bond was actually a gentle, benign soul off the set. Born Thomas Ross Bond on September 16, 1926, in Dallas, Texas, he was discovered by a Hal Roach talent scout at the age of five simply walking hand-in-hand down a Dallas street with his mother. Asked to interview in Hollywood, Tommy made the exhausting Depression-era trek by car with his grandmother and was not disappointed.

Bond worked closely with director George Sidney who started out as a director with the OurGang/Little Rascals comedies in the 1930's.

He debuted in the short Spanky (1932), billed simply as "Tommy" and enjoyed a two-year stay.

He was released from his initial contract after appearing in Washee Ironee (1934), then struggled with unbilled bits and minor roles in features and in one- and two-reelers for Charley Chase and Monte Collins for the next few years. Roach happened to spot Tommy again in a bratty film role and re-signed him for the popular series, this time as the mean little kid Butch.

Starting with Glove Taps (1937), Tommy immortalized himself as every schoolboy's nightmare, the perpetually scowling Young Thug purposely looking for fights. Once Tommy outgrew the "Butch" role at age 14, he was left to fend for himself again, taking whatever jobs he could scrape up.

Bond was one of the first "Charter" members of the newly formed Screen Actors Guild (USA) when he joined in 1938 at the age of 11 years old. His sponsor was Eddie Cantor.

He played one of the "Little Peppers" in a series of mild comedies of the early 1940s and rejoined Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer (although playing his constant nemesis on the "Our Gang" series, the two were friends in real life) with the low-budget "Gas House Kids" film series in the early 1950s.

As a boy, was an actor in the movie Adventure in Washington (1941), along with his friend, actor Gene Reynolds, who later became a producer of the hit CBS series M*A*S*H (1972).

In between Tommy served in the Navy during WWII and found "B" feature work with Man from Frisco (1944), which was one of his best roles, The Beautiful Cheat (1945) and Big Town Scandal (1948), among others.

Another highlight of his career was playing cub reporter Jimmy Olson in the Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs.

Superman (1950) cliffhangers that starred Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill. With acting jobs getting scarce, Tommy decided to focus instead on TV production. Avoiding the heartache and serious troubles (i. e. , unemployment and substance abuse) suffered by many of his spurned child star alumni (including Switzer), Tommy wisely prepared for his future by attending Los Angeles City College and earning a degree in theater arts from Cal State L. A.

in 1951. He worked over two decades as a stage manager and head of props for KTTV-TV in Los Angeles, and another two as stage manager and assistant director at KFSN-TV in Fresno before finally retiring. He was long married (52 years) to wife Polly Bond and had a son, Thomas R. Bond II. He died at age 79 of complications from heart disease.

Bond's wife Polly Bond (aka Polly Ellis), a former model and Miss California, turned down the role of "Miss Kitty" on Gunsmoke (1955).

Things didn't go well for the other "Our Gang" members. Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer was shot dead in 1959 age 31; Darla Hood contracted hepatitis in hospital and died aged 47; William "Buckwheat" Thomas died of a heart attack age 49; and "Pete" (the dog), was fatally poisoned. Robert "Bobby" Blake, as of 2019 the sole surviving actor of "Our Gang", was tried and acquitted of his wife's murder.

Co-hosted "The Little Rascals Theater" TV series with Dr. Jackie Lynn Taylor and Mathew ("Stymie") Beard. "The Little Rascals Theater" was syndicated in a few TV markets during the 1970s.

He and his wife were severely injured in a car crash in 1996.

He recently hosted the new home video The Rascals (2004) made by 'American Mutoscope & Biograph [us]' .