Jean Darling Dies: The Last Surviving Member Of ‘Our Gang’ Was 93, Jean Darling, who appeared in the “Our Gang” comedy films as a child and performed in the original Broadway production of “Carousel,” died on Friday in Rödermark, Germany. She was 93.
Her death was confirmed by her friend Rene Riva, a Dutch actor and singer, who directed her in 2013 in “The Butler’s Tale,” a short silent comedy film styled after the ones Ms. Darling starred in as a child. Ms. Darling had recently suffered from a lung infection.
Known for her golden locks and a face like a kewpie doll, Ms. Darling was cast in the “Our Gang” films when she was 4, and appeared in 46 silent films and six talkies between 1927 and 1929. She continued to appear in films after the leaving the series, including as the young Jane Eyre in the 1934 adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel. In 1945, she originated the role of Carrie Pipperidge in “Carousel” and appeared in more than 850 performances.
She was also a vaudeville performer and acted on radio and television. She later became an author, writing a novel, “Marinda,” and two autobiographies, in addition to hundreds of short stories.
Ms. Darling was one of a handful of “Our Gang” cast members still living who worked in the silent-film era. She was born Dorothy Jean LeVake on Aug. 23, 1922, in Santa Monica, Calif. Her parents split a few months later because, she said in a 2009 interview with Mr. Riva, her father did not want her mother to put her in movies. Ms. Darling’s mother legally renamed her when she was 5 months old and soon began seeking jobs for her in films.
Ms. Darling studied singing as a teenager. After turning down an offer to play alongside Mickey Rooney in one of MGM’s “Andy Hardy” films, she made her debut on Broadway in the musical “Count Me In” in 1942.
She married Reuben Bowen, known as Kajar the Magician, in 1954 and toured the world with his magic show. They separated after 19 years. He died in 1980. The couple had a son, Roy, who survives them, as do two grandsons.
After splitting from her husband, she settled in Dublin, where she wrote dozens of short mysteries that appeared in publications like Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Whispers, a horror and fantasy fiction magazine.
In the 1980s, she appeared on Irish radio and television as Aunty Poppy and read children’s stories.
Her death was confirmed by her friend Rene Riva, a Dutch actor and singer, who directed her in 2013 in “The Butler’s Tale,” a short silent comedy film styled after the ones Ms. Darling starred in as a child. Ms. Darling had recently suffered from a lung infection.
Known for her golden locks and a face like a kewpie doll, Ms. Darling was cast in the “Our Gang” films when she was 4, and appeared in 46 silent films and six talkies between 1927 and 1929. She continued to appear in films after the leaving the series, including as the young Jane Eyre in the 1934 adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel. In 1945, she originated the role of Carrie Pipperidge in “Carousel” and appeared in more than 850 performances.
She was also a vaudeville performer and acted on radio and television. She later became an author, writing a novel, “Marinda,” and two autobiographies, in addition to hundreds of short stories.
Ms. Darling was one of a handful of “Our Gang” cast members still living who worked in the silent-film era. She was born Dorothy Jean LeVake on Aug. 23, 1922, in Santa Monica, Calif. Her parents split a few months later because, she said in a 2009 interview with Mr. Riva, her father did not want her mother to put her in movies. Ms. Darling’s mother legally renamed her when she was 5 months old and soon began seeking jobs for her in films.
Ms. Darling studied singing as a teenager. After turning down an offer to play alongside Mickey Rooney in one of MGM’s “Andy Hardy” films, she made her debut on Broadway in the musical “Count Me In” in 1942.
She married Reuben Bowen, known as Kajar the Magician, in 1954 and toured the world with his magic show. They separated after 19 years. He died in 1980. The couple had a son, Roy, who survives them, as do two grandsons.
After splitting from her husband, she settled in Dublin, where she wrote dozens of short mysteries that appeared in publications like Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Whispers, a horror and fantasy fiction magazine.
In the 1980s, she appeared on Irish radio and television as Aunty Poppy and read children’s stories.
Blogger Comment
Facebook Comment