Tommy Bond(1926-2005)
- Art Department
- Actor
- Producer
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. 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. 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. 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. His autobiography "You're Darn Right It's Butch" came out in
1993 detailing his kiddie fame.
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. 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. 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. 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. His autobiography "You're Darn Right It's Butch" came out in
1993 detailing his kiddie fame.