WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.700 I want you to close your eyes for a second, unless 00:00:01.700 --> 00:00:03.419 you're driving, of course, and just pull up a 00:00:03.419 --> 00:00:06.339 specific image. It's an image that I guarantee 00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:09.099 is burned into the collective hard drive of pop 00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:12.839 culture. You're looking at this skinny kid, face 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:16.780 full of freckles, ears sticking out, and crucially, 00:00:16.899 --> 00:00:19.940 that single defiant spike of hair standing straight 00:00:19.940 --> 00:00:22.960 up. The cowlick. You're visualizing alfalfa. 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.600 Exactly. Alfalfa from the Little Rascals or, 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:27.780 you know, our gang, as it was originally called. 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:32.240 He is the poster child for innocent 1930s childhood 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:34.880 mischief, the squeaky voice, the suspenders. 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:38.179 It's wholesome. It's safe. It's a simpler time. 00:00:38.380 --> 00:00:40.619 And that is exactly why the story we're covering 00:00:40.619 --> 00:00:42.979 today is so jarring. Because if you take that 00:00:42.979 --> 00:00:44.759 image, that funny kid, and you fast forward just 00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:46.859 two decades. The picture changes completely. 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:48.880 Completely. We're not looking at a comedy set 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:50.600 anymore. We're looking at a scene with a .38 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:53.380 caliber revolver, a hunting dog, a glass clock 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:56.340 used as a weapon, and a violent death over $50. 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:59.759 It really is one of the darkest Hollywood stories. 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:02.659 And one that hardly anyone actually knows the 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:05.819 details of. So today we're doing a deep dive 00:01:05.819 --> 00:01:09.439 into the life and the very controversial death 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:12.439 of Carl Alfalfa Switzer. And what's fascinating 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:14.620 here is that this isn't just a true crime story. 00:01:14.739 --> 00:01:17.420 It's really a biography of the child star curse 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:20.459 before that turn even existed. Usually think 00:01:20.459 --> 00:01:23.579 of that for like the 80s or 90s. Right. But looking 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:25.819 at the source stack today, Switzer was the prototype. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:29.060 We have material on his rise, his struggle to 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:31.640 find an identity as an adult, and this investigation 00:01:31.640 --> 00:01:33.739 into a homicide that was ruled self -defense. 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:37.019 But when you look at the details, it just screams 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:39.719 murder. So let's unpack this properly. How does 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:42.019 a kid from Paris, Illinois, end up becoming one 00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:44.120 of the most recognizable faces in the world? 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:46.280 It was almost an accident, but complete stroke 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:49.560 of luck. This was 1934. Carl was six. His older 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.840 brother, Harold, was eight. Their parents took 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:53.560 them on a trip to California to visit family. 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:55.819 So they weren't out there for auditions or anything? 00:01:55.980 --> 00:01:58.079 No, not at all. You hear these stories about 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:00.840 stage parents, but they were just tourists. They 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:03.299 went to visit the Hellroach Studios, which was, 00:02:03.340 --> 00:02:05.379 you know, the comedy factory of the era. Yeah. 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:08.500 And back then, the studio had a cafeteria open 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:11.240 to the public called the Our Gang Cafe. And this 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:14.479 is the moment, the accidental audition. Exactly. 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:18.039 The boys, Harold and Carl, they just started 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:20.280 an impromptu performance right there in the middle 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:22.539 of the cafeteria. Just jumped up and started 00:02:22.539 --> 00:02:25.219 singing. No way. And as luck would have it, Hal 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:27.780 Roach himself, the big boss, was there. He saw 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:30.360 these two kids belting out tunes, and he was 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:32.699 impressed. Sign him on the spot. Talk about being 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:34.900 in the right place at the right time. But here's 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:37.620 the funny part. Looking at the notes, originally, 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:40.360 it wasn't Carl who was supposed to be the star, 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:42.360 was he? No, it was the older brother, Harold. 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:44.819 They gave him nicknames like Slim or Deadpan. 00:02:45.419 --> 00:02:48.099 The studio thought he had the look, but Carl? 00:02:48.939 --> 00:02:51.159 Carl had that something extra. He was dubbed 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:54.639 Alfalfa, and within a year, he totally eclipsed 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:57.500 his brother. Wow. Harold was basically relegated 00:02:57.500 --> 00:03:00.120 to the background, while Alfalfa became one of 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:02.740 the main faces of the series. That dynamic had 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:05.300 to be so strange. But speaking of talent, this 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:07.719 is where it gets really interesting. We all know 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:10.139 Alfalfa for that terrible singing, the cracking 00:03:10.139 --> 00:03:13.919 voice, the straining. It's iconic comedy. But 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.439 it was all a lie. It was fake. A total fabrication. 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:19.060 This is the irony of his whole character. Carl 00:03:19.060 --> 00:03:21.539 Switzer was actually a very talented singer and 00:03:21.539 --> 00:03:24.300 musician. He and his brother were famous back 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:26.860 home for their musical ability. So the kid could 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:30.099 actually sing. The squeak was an act. He could 00:03:30.099 --> 00:03:33.280 sing very well. The comedy came from the directors, 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:36.620 specifically forcing him to sing songs that were 00:03:36.620 --> 00:03:39.219 just outside his vocal range. They would play 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:41.300 the music in a key that he couldn't quite reach. 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:43.479 That's brilliant and also kind of cruel. I mean, 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:46.340 it takes real talent to sing that badly on purpose. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:50.300 It does. And by 1937, Alfalfa had surpassed Spanky 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:52.780 McFarland in popularity. They were the kings 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:55.159 of the lot. And while the kids got along pretty 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:57.740 well, Carl's best friend was actually Tommy Bond. 00:03:58.139 --> 00:04:00.639 who played Butch, the bully. His on -screen nemesis, 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:02.900 yeah. Right. But the parents were a different 00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:06.020 story. The fathers argued constantly, always 00:04:06.020 --> 00:04:08.840 about screen time, about salary. My kid is a 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:11.979 star. He should get paid more. You have to imagine 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:14.340 the stress for a 10 -year -old. But all good 00:04:14.340 --> 00:04:17.139 things come to an end. And in Hollywood, childhood 00:04:17.139 --> 00:04:20.100 ends faster than anywhere else. Carl Switzer 00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:24.569 left our gang in 1940. He was 12 years old. And 00:04:24.569 --> 00:04:26.050 this is where the story usually gets depressing. 00:04:26.290 --> 00:04:28.709 Yeah, the where are they now chapter. Well, it 00:04:28.709 --> 00:04:31.129 was a struggle. It's the classic trap. He was 00:04:31.129 --> 00:04:35.509 12, but to the world, he was alfalfa. He couldn't 00:04:35.509 --> 00:04:38.110 shake it. He did a few films, but he was quickly 00:04:38.110 --> 00:04:40.970 typecast as the juvenile. He couldn't get serious 00:04:40.970 --> 00:04:43.069 roles because the moment he walked on screen, 00:04:43.290 --> 00:04:45.790 audiences just wanted to laugh at the funny kid. 00:04:45.949 --> 00:04:47.750 And looking at his filmography, it gets a little 00:04:47.750 --> 00:04:49.509 sad. There's a series called The Gas House Kids. 00:04:49.750 --> 00:04:51.860 Yeah. It was basically a knockoff of the Bowery 00:04:51.860 --> 00:04:54.959 Boys. And Switzer was in his late teens playing 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:57.939 a character that was just alfalfa again. Still 00:04:57.939 --> 00:04:59.879 doing the comically sour singing. It was like 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:02.319 he was trapped. But he was working. And this 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:04.279 is the part that just blew my mind. He's in some 00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:07.639 massive classic movies that I have seen a dozen 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:10.100 times and I never realized it was him. Most people 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:12.860 miss them. Did you know he's in It's a Wonderful 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:15.439 Life? No. I've seen that movie every Christmas 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:18.660 for 20 years where... You know the scene at the 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:21.500 high school dance? The guy who has the key to 00:05:21.500 --> 00:05:23.680 open the gym floor and reveal the swimming pool? 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:27.019 The guy who turns the key and dunks George Bailey 00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:29.740 and Mary? That's Alfalfa. That is Freddie Othello, 00:05:29.899 --> 00:05:32.839 played by Carl Switzer. He was Donna Reed's date. 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:35.040 Unbelievable. I will never watch that scene the 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:37.420 same way again. That's legendary cinema history. 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:39.959 And he's the guy pressing the button. And he's 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:42.920 in the Ten Commandments. A tiny part is a slave. 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:45.740 And in White Christmas, you barely even see him. 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:48.480 He appears as a photograph of an army buddy. 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:51.560 Freckle -faced Hanes. So he's popping up in these 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:53.779 masterpieces, but he's basically an extra with 00:05:53.779 --> 00:05:56.259 a famous face. That has to mess with your head. 00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:58.379 Exactly. You're famous enough to be recognized, 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:00.860 but not respected enough to get a real role. 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:04.160 And by the 1950s, the acting just wasn't paying 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:07.500 the bills. So he pivoted. He went back to his 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:09.819 roots in a way. He became a hunting guide and 00:06:09.819 --> 00:06:12.160 a dog breeder. Which is a pretty rugged shift 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:14.639 for a Hollywood kid. It was, but he was good 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.379 at it. He had legitimate clients. Roy Rogers, 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.879 Dale Evans, even Jimmy Stewart. He was training 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:23.819 hunting dogs for the Hollywood elite. Still adjacent 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.560 to the fame, you know, but serving them. Okay, 00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:28.060 so let's talk about his personal life, because 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:29.740 this is where the cracks really start to show. 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:33.439 In 1954, he gets set up on a blind date with 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.180 a woman named Diantha Collingwood. And she wasn't 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:38.379 just anyone. Diantha was an heiress to a grain 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:41.819 elevator empire. Her family had money. They hit 00:06:41.819 --> 00:06:43.839 it off, got married in Vegas three months later, 00:06:43.939 --> 00:06:47.120 and moved to a farm in Kansas. Alfalfa the farmer. 00:06:47.259 --> 00:06:49.319 That sounds like a sitcom, but I'm guessing it 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:52.939 wasn't funny in real life. It didn't fit. Spanky 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:55.670 McFarland. who he stayed friends with, visited 00:06:55.670 --> 00:06:58.449 him during this time. He told a story about how 00:06:58.449 --> 00:07:00.290 Carl was so bored on the tractor he had to rig 00:07:00.290 --> 00:07:03.209 up a radio just to stay on the monotony. Spanky 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:05.769 said he may have come from Paris, Illinois, but 00:07:05.769 --> 00:07:07.750 he wasn't a farmer. And the marriage didn't last. 00:07:08.089 --> 00:07:11.310 No. Divorced by 57, the money was running out, 00:07:11.389 --> 00:07:13.790 he moved back to California. And this is where 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:17.279 the behavior starts to get erratic. He wasn't 00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:19.660 just the lovable goofball anymore. Erratic is 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:21.879 putting it mildly. There are two incidents in 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:24.680 1958 that really paint a picture of a guy spiraling. 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:28.060 First, the Christmas tree incident. Right. December 00:07:28.060 --> 00:07:30.920 1958, he gets arrested in Sequoia National Forest. 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:34.860 He had illegally cut down 15 pine trees. To sell? 00:07:35.180 --> 00:07:36.800 Yeah, presumably as Christmas trees for some 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:39.350 quick cash. He was sentenced to probation. It 00:07:39.350 --> 00:07:41.589 just shows a desperation, a disregard for rules. 00:07:41.850 --> 00:07:43.509 And then there's the sniper. This one is like 00:07:43.509 --> 00:07:46.350 something out of a noir film. January 1958, a 00:07:46.350 --> 00:07:48.310 year before he died. He was getting into his 00:07:48.310 --> 00:07:51.089 car in Studio City and a bullet smashes through 00:07:51.089 --> 00:07:53.009 the window and hits him in the upper right arm. 00:07:53.170 --> 00:07:55.389 Just a random shooting. They never caught the 00:07:55.389 --> 00:07:58.350 gunman. It's still a mystery. But a random drive 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:01.050 -by wasn't common then. It suggests he might 00:08:01.050 --> 00:08:03.189 have had enemies or was moving in some dangerous 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:06.230 circles. It wasn't just bad luck. Which brings 00:08:06.230 --> 00:08:10.279 us to January 21st, 1959. The day it all ended. 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:13.779 And it all started over a dog. A treeing walker 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:16.540 coonhound, to be specific. Switzer was training 00:08:16.540 --> 00:08:18.939 this dog for a friend and business partner named 00:08:18.939 --> 00:08:22.879 Moses Bud Stiltz. Bud Stiltz. Okay, so they were 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:25.839 friends. Associates, maybe. Drinking buddies. 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:28.800 While Switzer had the dog, it ran off. Chased 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:32.419 a bear, got lost. And Stiltz was furious. He 00:08:32.419 --> 00:08:34.879 demanded Switzer either return the dog or pay 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:37.389 him its value. Which is... Reasonable, I guess. 00:08:37.429 --> 00:08:39.269 You lose my dog, you owe me. Sure, but Switzer 00:08:39.269 --> 00:08:41.090 didn't have the money. He was bartending just 00:08:41.090 --> 00:08:43.769 to get by, so he puts out ads offering a reward. 00:08:44.250 --> 00:08:46.950 Eventually, someone finds the dog. Switzer pays 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:50.610 the rescuer $35 cash and buys him $15 worth of 00:08:50.610 --> 00:08:53.710 drinks, so he's out $50. $50, which, to be fair, 00:08:53.809 --> 00:08:55.769 is about $500 in today's money. It's not nothing. 00:08:56.009 --> 00:08:59.470 It's not nothing, but it's not a fortune. And 00:08:59.470 --> 00:09:01.990 now Switzer's annoyed. He feels that since it 00:09:01.990 --> 00:09:04.629 was Stiltz's dog, Stiltz should reimburse him 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:07.110 for the reward money he paid out. So he decides 00:09:07.110 --> 00:09:10.029 to go collect. Right. It's the evening of January 00:09:10.029 --> 00:09:14.309 21st. Switzer has been drinking. He grabs his 00:09:14.309 --> 00:09:17.110 friend, Jack Piat, and they head over to Stiltz's 00:09:17.110 --> 00:09:18.950 house in Mission Hills. And this is where we 00:09:18.950 --> 00:09:20.750 have to be really careful because the accounts 00:09:20.750 --> 00:09:24.049 start to diverge. We know they arrived. We know 00:09:24.049 --> 00:09:26.450 they banged on the door. Stiltz later testified 00:09:26.450 --> 00:09:28.629 that Switzer yelled, let me in or I'll kick in 00:09:28.629 --> 00:09:31.000 the door. So an aggressive start. He's coming 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.679 in hot. Very. They get inside. A fight breaks 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:35.340 out almost immediately. And this wasn't just 00:09:35.340 --> 00:09:38.200 shouting. Someone accounts Differ, who grabbed 00:09:38.200 --> 00:09:41.539 a heavy glass -domed clock off the mantle. A 00:09:41.539 --> 00:09:44.240 clock? Wow. And smashed it over Stiltz's head. 00:09:44.620 --> 00:09:46.879 Stiltz is bleeding. His eye is swelling shut. 00:09:47.059 --> 00:09:49.820 He retreats to his bedroom and comes back with 00:09:49.820 --> 00:09:53.080 a .38 caliber revolver. Now we have a gun. This 00:09:53.080 --> 00:09:55.299 went from a fistfight to life or death in seconds. 00:09:55.879 --> 00:09:58.100 Switzer lunges for the gun. They struggle. The 00:09:58.100 --> 00:10:00.059 gun goes off. The first shot goes into the ceiling. 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:01.759 And there were kids in the room, right? Yes. 00:10:02.179 --> 00:10:04.860 The bullet fragment actually grazed the leg of 00:10:04.860 --> 00:10:07.899 Tom Corrigan, Stiltz's 14 -year -old stepson. 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:11.720 Chaos. Absolute chaos. A bleeding man, a drunk 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:15.259 former child star, a gun going off. And Stiltz 00:10:15.259 --> 00:10:18.159 regains control of the gun. And then he shoots 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:21.610 Carl Switzer in the groin. Oh. God, the groin. 00:10:21.610 --> 00:10:23.950 That's horrific. It hit an artery in his abdomen. 00:10:24.470 --> 00:10:26.889 Massive internal bleeding. He was pronounced 00:10:26.889 --> 00:10:29.490 dead on arrival at the hospital. He was 31 years 00:10:29.490 --> 00:10:32.669 old. 31. And the official ruling. Justifiable 00:10:32.669 --> 00:10:35.649 homicide. Self -defense. Because Stiltz claimed 00:10:35.649 --> 00:10:38.149 Switzer had a knife. Right. That was his story. 00:10:38.409 --> 00:10:40.509 Exactly. Stiltz testified that Switzer pulled 00:10:40.509 --> 00:10:42.950 a hunting knife and screamed, I'm going to kill 00:10:42.950 --> 00:10:45.570 you. And the jury believed him. Case closed. 00:10:46.029 --> 00:10:48.710 Except, looking at our notes, it shouldn't have 00:10:48.710 --> 00:10:51.740 been. Because decades later, a witness came forward 00:10:51.740 --> 00:10:53.960 with a story that changes everything. This is 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:55.580 the contradiction that turns this whole thing 00:10:55.580 --> 00:10:58.379 into a potential murder mystery. Tom Corrigan, 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:00.559 the 14 -year -old stepson who was in the room. 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:02.879 And he never testified at the original inquest. 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:06.279 No. He agreed to, but the authorities just never 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:10.100 called him. But years later, in 2001, he finally 00:11:10.100 --> 00:11:13.120 spoke. And his version of events is chilling. 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:15.679 What did he say? He said there was no knife during 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:18.360 the fight. He said that after the feeling shot 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:21.220 went off and grazed him, the mood just shifted. 00:11:21.720 --> 00:11:23.720 He claimed Switzer turned to his friend Jack 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:26.600 and said, well, we shot Tommy. Enough of this. 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:29.740 Like the fight was over. The adrenaline broke 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:31.820 because a kid got hurt. He was backing down. 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:35.159 Exactly. Corrigan says Switzer and Piat turned 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:37.860 to leave. They were heading for the door. And 00:11:37.860 --> 00:11:40.299 that is when Stiltz fired. So he shot him as 00:11:40.299 --> 00:11:42.600 he was walking away. Corrigan says Stiltz shot 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:44.509 him as he was leaving. That it wasn't self -defense, 00:11:44.590 --> 00:11:46.889 it was retaliation. He called it murder. But 00:11:46.889 --> 00:11:48.809 what about the knife? The police report says 00:11:48.809 --> 00:11:50.850 they found a hunting knife under Switzer's body. 00:11:51.049 --> 00:11:53.649 You can't just fake that. Can't you? The report 00:11:53.649 --> 00:11:56.629 says they found a knife. But during the inquest, 00:11:56.629 --> 00:11:58.330 it was revealed that it wasn't a hunting knife. 00:11:58.590 --> 00:12:01.990 It was a penknife. A small pocket knife. And 00:12:01.990 --> 00:12:04.830 here's the kicker. It was closed. It was closed? 00:12:05.129 --> 00:12:07.350 How do you attack someone with a closed penknife? 00:12:07.509 --> 00:12:10.309 You don't. And you certainly don't scream, I'm 00:12:10.309 --> 00:12:13.070 going to kill you. while holding a folded knife. 00:12:13.889 --> 00:12:16.269 Corrigan believed the knife either fell out of 00:12:16.269 --> 00:12:21.110 Switzer's pocket when he collapsed, or... Well, 00:12:21.990 --> 00:12:24.490 the implication is that it was conveniently noted 00:12:24.490 --> 00:12:26.850 to support the story. And Stiltz had a record, 00:12:26.950 --> 00:12:30.330 didn't he? Stiltz had a past conviction for perjury. 00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:33.610 A known liar. And yet they took his word for 00:12:33.610 --> 00:12:35.789 it. They didn't even call the stepson who saw 00:12:35.789 --> 00:12:38.600 the whole thing. That is just, it's mind -blowing. 00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:41.039 You have a dead celebrity, a shooter with a perjury 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:43.860 record, a witness who says it was murder, and 00:12:43.860 --> 00:12:46.440 a closed knife. And they just walk away. It seems 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:48.879 they just wanted to wrap it up. A drink brawl 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:50.940 gone wrong. And honestly, Switzer's reputation 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:52.919 as a hothead probably didn't help him. It's such 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:55.159 a tragic end. And to add insult to injury, the 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:57.100 world barely noticed when it happened. That's 00:12:57.100 --> 00:12:58.580 the final twist of the knife, isn't it? Yeah. 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:02.100 Carl Switzer died on January 21st, 1959. Do you 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:04.220 know who else died that exact same day? No idea. 00:13:04.620 --> 00:13:06.649 Cecil B. DeMille. the legendary director of The 00:13:06.649 --> 00:13:08.809 Ten Commandments. The movie Switzer had a bit 00:13:08.809 --> 00:13:11.850 part in. The very same. DeMille's obituary took 00:13:11.850 --> 00:13:13.990 up the front page of every newspaper. He was 00:13:13.990 --> 00:13:16.990 a giant. Carl Switzer Alfalfa was relegated to 00:13:16.990 --> 00:13:19.809 a tiny footnote in the back pages. Former child 00:13:19.809 --> 00:13:22.370 star killed in fight. That is heartbreaking. 00:13:22.529 --> 00:13:24.830 Even in death, he was just an extra in someone 00:13:24.830 --> 00:13:27.129 else's movie. If you go to the Hollywood Forever 00:13:27.129 --> 00:13:30.570 Cemetery, you can find his grave. It's near the 00:13:30.570 --> 00:13:33.070 old studios. What's on the stone? It has the 00:13:33.070 --> 00:13:35.759 Masonic Square and compasses. He was a Freemason 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:40.110 and an image of a hunting dog. The very thing 00:13:40.110 --> 00:13:42.149 that led to his death. A permanent reminder. 00:13:42.529 --> 00:13:44.129 You know, we started this talking about that 00:13:44.129 --> 00:13:46.669 image of Alfalfa, the innocence, and we ended 00:13:46.669 --> 00:13:50.269 up in a hallway with a gun and a $50 debt. It 00:13:50.269 --> 00:13:52.590 just makes you wonder about the real cost of 00:13:52.590 --> 00:13:54.750 that kind of fame. He spent his whole life trying 00:13:54.750 --> 00:13:56.549 to be something other than Alfalfa, but in the 00:13:56.549 --> 00:13:59.029 end, he just couldn't escape. And it raises that 00:13:59.029 --> 00:14:01.669 really uncomfortable calling of justice. If the 00:14:01.669 --> 00:14:03.649 police had listened to the boy in the room, would 00:14:03.649 --> 00:14:05.029 the history books tell a completely different 00:14:05.029 --> 00:14:09.049 story? Was it justifiable homicide? Or was it 00:14:09.049 --> 00:14:10.750 an execution of a man who was just trying to 00:14:10.750 --> 00:14:13.289 walk away? A question we'll probably never get 00:14:13.289 --> 00:14:15.870 a definitive answer to. That's all for this deep 00:14:15.870 --> 00:14:19.029 dive. It's a story that reminds us that the characters 00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:22.049 we love on screen are real people, often living 00:14:22.049 --> 00:14:25.289 lives far more complex and tragic than any roles 00:14:25.289 --> 00:14:27.409 they play. Absolutely. Thanks for listening, 00:14:27.470 --> 00:14:28.429 everyone. See you next time.