Chubby Chaney
Profile[]
Name: Norman Chaney
Nick Name: Chubby
Played By: Norman Chaney
Born: 1918
Relatives: Father, Step-Mother, Dorothy, Joe Cobb, Jackie, Rupert (step-brothers), Jean (step-sister), Grandfather
Clubs: None known
First Short: Railroadin'
Last Short: Fly My Kite
Character[]
Bio: Chubby Chaney was another of the chubby little boys in the Little Rascals. His personality, his takes and mannerisms are a bit like Oliver Hardy, but sometimes a bit of W.C. Fields comes through as well. He came along to replace Joe Cobb, who was supposed to be his brother. In Railroadin', it's revealed that Chubby's father is a train engineer who possibly replaces Joe's father the police officer. Not much more is revealed about that. Chubby has a crush on his stepsister, Jean, in Boxing Gloves. He also mentions in Teacher's Pet that he has a grandfather who waited until he was seventy-five years old until he got married.
Joe and Chubby soon become friends, and sometime around The First Seven Years, Chubby becomes blood brothers with Jackie. In Lazy Days, Joe tries to pass Chubby off as a baby to win $50. He also attends Adams Street Grammar School, bringing red ants to drive away the new teacher after Miss MacGillicuddy departs to get married. Chubby, however, develops a crush on Miss Crabtree, his new teacher. She drives him and the other kids to school on her drive even if he has to sometimes has to hang on the sideboard after getting a spanking from his father. In Love Business, Chubby buys love letters from Wheezer in order to try and win her heart away from his best friend, Jackie. Apparently, friendship goes out the window when it comes to affairs of the heart.
In school, Chubby once buys his homework answers from Bonedust in School's Out. Out of school, the gang sometimes plays at the railroad yards as in Railroadin', goes bear hunting in Bear Shooters or hangs out at a deserted old house in Moan & Groan, Inc., but Kennedy The Cop gets them out of it. Kennedy's wife, however, enlists Chubby and the kids to do a play Quo Vadis in Shivering Shakespeare, much as Joe did in Stage Fright.
Chubby has a big appetite and likes snacks, getting annoyed when Wheezer and the little kids steal his pie in School's Out. In Bear Shooters, it's revealed that he likes limburger cheese.
Quotes:
- "There's something goofy with anybody what's got a name like Crabtree." - Chubby in Teacher's Pet
- "Don't call me Norman, call me 'Chubsy-Ubsy.'" - Chubby in Love Business
- "It's getting me down too, I used to be fat." - Chubby in Helping Grandma
Notes/Trivia[]
- Chubby also appears in the Oliver and Hardy short The Stolen Jools, joined by Pete, Wheezer, Farina, Stymie, Mary Ann, Shirley Jean and Dorothy.
- Chubby, Stymie, Spanky, Scotty, Wheezer and Brisbane are the only main characters in "Our Gang" to wear hats.
- Chubby (along with Alfalfa, Mickey, Stymie, Dickie, Echo, Ernie, Froggy and Joe) is one of the few Rascals to make concurrent appearances in the series without any absences.
- Norman Chaney (Chubby) unfortunately lost his life due myocarditis on May 29, 1936 at the age of 21. Both he and Donald Haines (who played Speck are the only characters to lose their actors during the series. All of the other child stars in the series died long after "Our Gang" ended.