During the 1920s pit bulls were one of the most popular family dogs in the United States. They were so well-liked that a pit bull, Pal, was a much beloved character in the popular films about Our Gang, later called The Little Rascals.
Pal was very much a family pet and was owned by the Lucenay family. When Pal was still a pup he made a cameo appearance in The Freshman (1925), a Harold Lloyd film. At that time, Harry Lucaney opted to be Pal’s trainer and manager.
Shortly after that, Pal was cast as “Tige” in a series of two-reeler silent films made for Universal about Buster Brown, a comic strip character who first appeared in 1902. Despite his proper appearance, Buster was generally getting into some type of trouble, and Tige was his faithful companion. Pal had a partial circle around one eye. Because the circled eye made Pal so memorable, the makeup experts for the show simply finished off the ring with dye.
Audiences also knew Buster and his dog from the Brown shoe company that began marketing Buster Brown shoes as early as 1904. The company logo featured the faces of Buster and his dog.
Where is Petey the Dog buried?
Harry moved the latest Petey to Atlantic City, where he would be photographed with children at that city’s Steel Pier. Even though the real Petey was gone, the character would certainly live on in additional Our Gang shorts and would be featured in the 1994 film version of The Little Rascals as well.
The duo of Harry and Petey would make their way back to Los Angeles, where Petey participated in promotional events involving the Our Gang cast members. Strangely, Petey would actually outlive Harry, who was shot to death during a card game in 1944 (what is it about people involved with The Little Rascals that so much bad stuff happened?). The canine would live until January 28, 1946, and die of old age at 16 years and 4 months. He is buried at Los Angeles Memorial Park in Calabasas, which is part of Los Angeles. But like those wonderful kid stars, Petey, too, continues to live on in the hearts of fans. Woof.
How did Petey the dog die?
Petey made his first appearance as part of Our Gang in 1929’s Lazy Days and reprised the role in that same year’s “Boxing Gloves” (which said goodbye to Joe Cobb and introduced Nathan “Chubby” Chaney), “Cat, Dog & Co.,” “Bouncing Babies,” “Saturday’s Lesson and “Moan & Groan, Inc.” But then, as it turned out, Pal the Wonder Dog died in 1930, having been poisoned, many believing by someone who was holding a grudge against Harry for some reason or another. But death did not stop Petey from continuing to act — Harry had begun breeding Pal and training his offspring.
The second Petey, who had his ring around the left eye, made his debut in the 1930 short “Pups is Pups.” He appeared in a number of others, his final installment being 1932’s “The Pooch.” At that time, Harry and Hal Roach had a falling out for some reason and the studio’s animal trainer would recruit dogs that looked like Petey for future installments.
Roach used a number of unrelated pit bulls to portray Pete in Our Gang until 1938. Lucenays Peter continued from that point and died of old age on January 28, 1946, in Los Angeles at age sixteen, two years after the Our Gang series ended. Pete is buried at a Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park at Calabasas, Los Angeles County. Wikipedia has an article related to:
Trainer and owner Lt. Harry Lucenay used one of Pals offspring as Pete in the series after Pal was poisoned and died in 1930. This dog, named “Lucenays Peter”, was registered as a UKC American pit bull terrier. Lucenays Peter was bred by A.A. Keller. The dog was UKC registered under the name Purple Ribbon Peter (22558). A few other dogs played Petey, but Lucenays Peter was the best known. After being fired from the Our Gang series in 1932, Harry Lucenay retired Peter to Atlantic City, where he was photographed with children at the Steel Pier.
Pal started out as “Tige” in the Buster Brown series in the 1920s. It was during this time that he acquired the circled eye, and when he was recruited to appear in the Our Gang comedies later that year, Hal Roach simply left it on, creating one of the most recognized dogs in film history. In the 1994 remake of The Little Rascals, the new Pete is an American bulldog.
FAQ
Was Petey an American Bulldog?
What kind of dog was Petey on Little Rascals?