Matthew Beard, Jr. (January 1, 1925 – January 8, 1981) was an American child actor, most famous for portraying the character of Stymie in the Our Gang short films from 1930 to 1935. In contrast to the character he replaced, Farina, Stymie was a slick-tongued con-artist who was always self-assured, nonchalant, and ready with a sly comment as well as clever ideas to solve the problems he faces. The character's trademark was a bald head crowned by an oversize derby hat, a gift to Beard from comedian Stan Laurel, who had also worked under Our Gang creator Hal Roach. Stymie is the only Our Ganger to both replace one of the original gang members (Allen "Farina" Hoskins) and be replaced by one that would stay on until the series disbanded (Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... The term child actor is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion the latter is also called a former child actor. ... A poster for the 1931 Our Gang comedy Love Business featuring depictions of (from left to right): Pete the Pup, Jackie Cooper, and Norman Chubby Chaney. ... Short subject is an American film industry term that historically has referred to any film in the format of two reels, or approximately 20 minutes running time, or less. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Allen Clayton Hoskins (August 9, 1920 – July 26, 1980) was an African American child actor, most famous for portraying the character of Farina in the Our Gang short films from 1922 to 1931. ... Unidentified man in derby hat, 1874 A Derby or Derby hat is an American hat made of stiff felt with a rounded crown and a narrow curved brim. ... Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer and director, famous as part of the comedy double act Laurel and Hardy, whose career stretched from the silent films of the early 20th Century until post-World War II. // Stan Laurel... Harold Eugene Roach, Sr. ... Allen Clayton Hoskins (August 9, 1920 – July 26, 1980) was an African American child actor, most famous for portraying the character of Farina in the Our Gang short films from 1922 to 1931. ... Billie Thomas (originally William Thomas, Jr. ...

Our Gang Years

The name "Stymie" was provided by Our Gang director Robert McGowan, who was always frustrated ("stymied") by little Matthew's curious wanderings around the studio; the character was originally to be named "Hercules". McGowan would later recall that Stymie was his favorite of all the Our Gang kids. Stymie came to the series a year after the transition from the silent/early talkie era Our Gang. He had the exclusive distinction of being with the gang from the "Miss Crabtree/Jackie Cooper/Farina/Chubby/Wheezer/Dorothy/Mary Ann Jackson era through the early Spanky/Dickie Moore/older Wheezer/Sherwood/Dorothy/Breezy/Tommy/Jerry/Scotty period to the more familiar group of Spanky, Alfalfa, and Billie Thomas|Billie "Buckwheat" Buckwheat, who would ultimately replace him in 1935. Robert Francis McGowan (July 11, 1882 - January 27, 1955) was an American film director and producer, best known as the senior director of the Our Gang short subjects film series from 1922 until 1933. ... For other uses, see Hercules (disambiguation). ... A poster for the 1931 Our Gang comedy Love Business featuring depictions of (from left to right): Pete the Pup, Jackie Cooper, and Norman Chubby Chaney. ... Jackie Cooper (born September 15, 1922) is an American Academy Award-nominated actor, Emmy Award-winning TV director, and TV producer. ... Norman Myers Chaney (January 18, 1918 - May 29, 1936) was an American child actor, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang comedies as Chubby from 1929 to 1931. ... Bobby Hutchins (Robert E. Hutchins) (March 29, 1925 - March 17, 1945) was an American child actor who was a regular in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1926 to 1933. ... Dorothy Adelle DeBorba (born March 28, 1925) is a former American child actress who was a regular in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1930 to 1933. ... Mary Ann Jackson (January 14, 1923-December 17, 2003) was an American former child actress who appeared in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1928 to 1931. ... George Robert Phillips McFarland (October 2, 1928 - June 30, 1993) was an American actor most famous for his childhood role as Spanky in the depression era childrens comedy movie series Our Gang, also known as the Little Rascals. ... Dickie Moore can refer to different people: Dickie Moore (1931- ), a Canadian ice hockey player. ... Kendall McComas (October 29, 1916 - October 15, 1981) was an American former child actor. ... Tommy Bond as Butch during his second Our Gang tenure. ... Jerry Tucker (born Jerome H. Schatz on November 1, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American child actor, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series semi-regularly from 1931 to 1938. ... Scotty Beckett (Scott Hastings Beckett) (October 4, 1929 - May 10, 1968) was an American child actor. ... Carl Dean Alfalfa Switzer (August 7, 1927 – January 21, 1959) was an American child actor, professional dog breeder and expert hunting guide, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series most popular and best-remembered characters. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

Stymie's paycheck was used to help support his East Los Angeles family, including his 13 brothers and sisters. After Stymie renamed his younger brother Bobbie "Cotton" (which was also used as Bobbie's Our Gang character name), his parents allowed him to name all of the rest of his siblings as they were born. He named one "Dickie" after his best friend, child actor and Our Ganger Dickie Moore. Four other members of the Beard family would appear in the Our Gang comedies: Intersection of Eagle Rock Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard. ...

• His younger sister Betty Jane Beard preceded Stymie in the gang, playing Farina's little brother Hector in Moan & Groan, Inc. and When the Wind Blows (even though she was a girl).
• His younger sister Carlena Beard appeared as Stymie's younger sister in Shiver My Timbers, For Pete's Sake! and The First Round-Up. In The First Round-Up, her character was called "Buckwheat", a role which would eventually be converted to a male character and given to Billie Thomas.
• His younger brother Robert "Bobbie" Beard appeared in six Our Gang shorts from 1932 to 1934 as Stymie's younger brother, "Cotton."
• His mother, Johnnie Mae Beard, has a cameo as Stymie's mother in Free Wheeling (1932). She was the only other Beard family member besides Stymie to have a speaking part in the Our Gang series.

Stymie's younger brother Renee Beard would appear in Hal Roach's Our Gang-derived featurettes of the 1940s: Curley and Who Killed Doc Robbin. When the Wind Blows For the novel by James Patterson, see When the Wind Blows (James Patterson) When the Wind Blows (1982) is a graphic novel, by British artist Raymond Briggs, that shows a nuclear attack on Britain by the Soviet Union from the viewpoint of a retired couple, Jim... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Harold Eugene Roach, Sr. ... A poster for the 1931 Our Gang comedy Love Business featuring depictions of (from left to right): Pete the Pup, Jackie Cooper, and Norman Chubby Chaney. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Curley is a 1947 film produced by Hal Roach as a re-imagining of his Our Gang series. ... Who Killed Doc Robbin is a 1948 film produced by Hal Roach as a reimagining of his Our Gang series. ...

After the gang

After Stymie left the series in 1935 at the age of ten, he went on to score some minor roles in feature films. By the time he was in high school, he had retired from acting. Falling into drug use and street life, Stymie became addicted to heroin, and spent most of his early adult life in and out of jail because of it. In the 1960s, he checked himself into Synanon, a drug rehabilitation facility in Los Angeles, and successfully ended his heroin use. After leaving Synanon, he made a small comeback, appearing in small roles in feature films and episodes of television shows such as Sanford & Son and Good Times; he had a recurring role as "Monty" on the latter series. He also traveled around the country, giving lectures on drug-abuse awareness. From the mid 1960's until the very early 1980's, Stymie indeed led a vibrant life. His outlook had been very positive. 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Synanon was initially a drug rehabilitation program founded by Charles Dederich Sr. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford. ... Good Times was an American sitcom originally broadcast from February 8, 1974 until August 1, 1979 on the CBS television network. ...

Stymie Beard appeared to be healthy and celebrated his 56th birthday on New Years Day of 1981 with family and friends. But fortunes suddenly changed when he suffered a stroke a mere two days later. He died several days later of pneumonia on January 8, 1981 in Los Angeles, California. He was 56. For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ... This article is about human pneumonia. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ...

External links

• Matthew "Stymie" Beard at the Internet Movie Database
• Matthew "Stymie" Beard at TV.com