Mickey Daniels (role)

Mickey Daniels

Profile

Name: Michael "Mickey" Daniels
Nickname: Freckles (used for George Warde)
Played By: Mickey Daniels
Born: 1914
Relatives: Richard (father), mother (name unrevealed), sister (name unrevealed), Kate (aunt), Patrick (uncle, "Pat"), Percy (cousin), Grandma (name unrevealed),
Clubs: Mystic J.J.J.'s, Cluck Cluck Klams, 4th Ave. Athalatick Club, Junior Police Squad, Manhattan Club
First Short: Our Gang
Last Short: Thundering Fleas

Character

Bio: Mickey Daniels with the many freckles was the first undisputed leader of the leader of the Little Rascals, a role he paved long before Farina or Spanky. His home life seems to have been lower middle class with a rich Aunt Kate in High Society and a Cousin Percy who looks a great deal like his friend, Jackie. When his Aunt Kate takes him away to make a gentleman out of him, he can't stand the rigid restrictions of the higher class, and he can stand Percy even less and gets to return to his friends. At one time, he gets forced to dress as "Little Lord Fauntleroy" in Big Business. His mother is very protective; she also pressures him to practice playing the bass violin in Saturday Morning and later has his tonsils removed in No Noise.
Back home, Mickey likes to play baseball and football and at times even pretends to be a detective (The Mysterious Mystery!). At times, he gets to drive the milk wagon or perform plays at the barn at Uncle Pat's farm, such as Uncle Tom's Cabin. For money, he sells hot dogs and lemonade at the racetrack in Derby Day, runs a shoeshine business in Every Man For Himself and even gets a reward from the police in Lodge Night. He and the gang even get to divvy up $1 every time they pose for dolls created by the dollmaker. Through the last chore, Mickey gets to meet who just may be the biggest love of his life, Mary.

Mickey is good friends with Joe Cobb living next door to him; they have a communication and plank system for accessing each other's houses, as seen in Circus Fever. He has a big crush on Mary Kornman, and, at one time, even has to fight Jackie for the hand of Mary. Maybe a bit awkward in romance, he tries imitating his older sister's beau in July Days, later getting his grandma's advice on how to win her heart in The Love Bug.

Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman

Sadly, Mary leaves town to attend finishing school. Mickey doesn't see her until attending Elmira College, later returning to Greenpoint in the position of Truant Officer in Fish Hooky, a position he might have attained through being a junior officer in Official Officers. Still a kid at heart, he burns the lesson of staying in school with earnest emotion and imaginative story-telling to the younger kids of his old neighborhood (As it turns out, Mickey was Class President as revealed in Reunion In Rhythm) before realizing that Mary is the new school teacher. He reminds her of her promise to marry him made when they were kids, but, ironically, it may be Spanky himself, Mickey's eventual successor, who gets them together. We never do learn if Mickey and Mary ever do get together.
Quotes:

• "Ah c'm on, 'Snowy!' We'll getcha some clothes." - Mickey in Our Gang
  
• "Yah - I'll knock your block off!" - Mickey in The Champeen!
  
• "Old School? Mother Malone calls him Old Fool!" - Mickey in Boys To Board
• "A feller can stand jus' so much -- an' I'm through standin'--" - Mickey in July Days
  
• "Engineering is a cinch! All you gotta do is shove one thingamajig and pull 'nother!" - Mickey in The Sun Down Limited
  
• "He mus' be that Mister Jeekal an' Doctor Hide I read about --" - Mickey in Every Man For Himself
  
• "You can't call him Bill - He's a lady dog - Call her Billious --" - Mickey in Dog Days
  
• "I kinda thought she kinda looked like she kinda liked me." - Mickey in Ask Grandma
  
• "Listen, I gotta great idea. I thought it up privately!" - Mickey in Official Officers
  
• "--You can't be a regular human cop! Where's your club?" - Mickey in Official Officers
  
• "Aw, a wop makes those dolls to look like us. We get $1 a week for modeling!" - Mickey in Mary, Queen of Tots
  
• "-- An' now this big surviver comes along an' wants to survive our lot for a factory --" - Mickey in Boys Will Be Joys
• "- You just follow my spessyfications - We'll have a place better'n Coney Island!" - Mickey in Boys Will Be Joys

Notes/Trivia

• Mickey's on-screen father was often played by his real-life father Richard Daniels Sr., but Sunday Calm is an exception, where Richard plays the father of the neighboring family.
  
• In Fish Hooky, while Mickey is chasing the Gang, you can recognize his running style from the silent shorts he appeared in.
  
• During a You Asked For It Rascals reunion in the Fifties, Mickey was incorrectly given the nickname "Freckles." That nickname was never used in the series to apply to Mickey.
  

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