*The Little Rascals Hanna-Barbera cartoon premiered in September 1982 on ABC as part of the Saturday morning show The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show. In September 1983, it was part of The Monchichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show. In 1984, it was part of Foul-Ups, Bleeps, and Blunders/Little Rascals/Match Game Hour. OK, we're just kidding with that last one.
Eugene "Porky" Lee sued HB and King World in 1984, claiming unapproved use of his likeness in the cartoon, and was joined by Spanky, Butch, and The Woim. The suit was settled out of court.
*The original Hal Roach Our Gang shorts were later distributed as The Little Rascals while MGM retained rights to the Our Gang name and continued producing them from 1938 to 1944.
*The short Mike mentions is an MGM effort titled Wild Poses and is currently available in altered form here.
*Billy "Froggy" Laughlin was one of the unlucky ones, dying in 1948 at the age of 16 after being hit by a truck while delivering newspapers.
*The Little Rascals Christmas Special premiered Monday, December 3, 1979, on NBC after The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree and followed by Friendship, Secrets, and Lies.
CBS' lineup was White Shadow, MASH, WKRP, and Lou Grant. ABC had 240 Robert and Monday Night Football (Raiders at Saints).
*Here is the informative Little Rascals Facebook group with the 12/3/19 post I cite on the podcast.
*The Blue Comet was a passenger train that ran 1929-1941 in the NY/NJ area.
*Frank Nelson was active in TV almost up to his death in 1986.
*The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry was published in 1905 in The New York Sunday World.
*According to this account, the Norman Lear Little Rascals project yielded two unaired pilots and, despite Lear having little involvement, led to his hiring Gary Coleman for Diff'rent Strokes.
*Merry Even, everyone!
