Allen "Farina" Hoskins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allen Hoskins
Hoskins in Dogs of War (1923)
Born	Allen Clayton Hoskins (1920-08-09)August 9, 1920 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	July 26, 1980(1980-07-26) (aged 59) Oakland, California, U.S.
Other names	Farina
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1922–1952

Allen Clayton Hoskins (born August 9, 1920 – died July 26, 1980) was an American child actor. He was famous for playing the character Farina in 105 Our Gang short films between 1922 and 1931.

Allen Hoskins' Acting Career

Becoming a Child Star in Our Gang

"Our Gang" baby photos in a 1926 ad. Allen Hoskins is the fifth photo down.

Allen Clayton Hoskins was born in Boston in 1920. He was only one year old when he started acting in the Our Gang series. His character, Farina, stayed in the show through the silent movie era and when movies started having sound. He left the series in 1931 when he was eleven.

Farina often wore pigtails and patched-up clothes. As Allen Hoskins got older, the character of Farina became very popular and developed his own unique personality. The name "Farina" comes from a type of cereal. It was chosen because it didn't clearly say if the character was a boy or a girl. When Farina was a toddler, he was sometimes shown as a boy and sometimes as a girl, even in the same film!

Allen's parents, Clayton H. Hoskins and Florence A. Fortier Hoskins, moved the family to Los Angeles soon after he was born. His acting career began in 1922. His younger sister, Jannie, also appeared in the series as "Mango" from 1926 to 1929. Allen's aunt, Edith Fortier, was his guardian on the movie set. A magazine called Variety reported that his parents divorced in 1926. By then, Allen was six years old and a very experienced child actor. As "Farina," he earned more money than most adults working at the time.

The Our Gang comedies were made by Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California. Child actors had to go to school. Hoskins and the other children at Roach studio attended school right on the lot, in a place called the "Little Red School House." Their teacher was Fern Carter. She taught over 300 students during her 23-year career. She often said that Farina was the smartest student she ever had.

Many relatives, staff, and other stars from Roach Studio sometimes appeared in small roles or as extras in the films. These included famous actors like Harold Lloyd, Oliver Hardy, and Stan Laurel. In 1929, Hoskins' aunt and guardian, Edith Fortier, also appeared as an extra in the films Noisy Noises and Small Talk.

Besides acting in the Our Gang short films, the children also made personal appearances. In 1927, the Oakland Tribune newspaper wrote about one such event. It said that many children had seen Our Gang comedies, but orphans rarely got to see the stars in person. East Bay orphans, however, were going to get their chance to see these popular screen stars live.

During his time in the Gang, Farina became a central and very popular character. He was not the first black child actor, but Farina became one of the first famous black child stars. Hoskins' last contract with Hal Roach Studio paid him $350 a week. This was more than any other cast member was earning then. When he got too old for the series, he was replaced by Matthew Beard in 1931.

Growing Up and Leaving the Show

A young Hoskins as Farina in Bear Shooters (1930)

When Allen Hoskins' time in Our Gang comedies ended because he was getting older, many newspaper writers noticed. In 1931, a columnist named Jack Lait wrote about what happened to Farina. He mentioned that Allen Clayton Hoskins, who played Farina, started acting at age three. He was known and liked by millions and earned $500 a week. But by age eleven, he was no longer considered "cute" for the role.

Another newspaper column from the same time described how Farina, known as Allen Clayton Hoskins, was "flung on the discard" at age eleven. It mentioned how he was dressed in rags and often hit with pies in the comedies. The article noted that he was "graduated from the Gang because he is no longer little and cute." It also said that his mother hoped to send him into vaudeville with his sister, Mango.

At the end of the 1930-1931 season, Hoskins was too old for his role. Other child actors, like Norman "Chubby" Chaney and Mary Ann Jackson, also left the show. While they were actors, the children attended parties and special events at the studio. In January 1931, Farina was a star earning $350 a week. But by July 1931, he was no longer working in the series.

Farina in the News

In 1926, several newspapers reported that Farina wanted to stop playing a girl. They wrote that Allen Clayton Hoskins, whose real name was Farina, was having a birthday party. He was getting "pretty big" and wanted to wear pants and be a boy on screen, just like in real life. A year later, on his birthday again, the same newspaper published a new story about how Farina learned to act.

Hoskins did not have a brother, but he had a younger sister, Jannie. She got her own story when she started appearing in the comedies in 1926. The Oakland Tribune reported that "Janie," Farina's little sister, had joined the cast of Our Gang at Hal Roach Studios. The article described Janie as "two years, 4 months old, black as midnight and all animation."

Our Gang advertisement, 1923

Many stories about the Gang appeared in newspapers across the country. Most of them were about new films being released. These films, called "shorts," were usually two reels long. Trade papers like "Motion Picture News" wrote about the Our Gang shorts every time a new one came out. In 1923 alone, fourteen were released. The children were stars to their fans, both kids and adults. The early comedies were silent, but when movies with sound came out, the studio quickly made the change, and so did Farina.

A song called "Lil' Farina (Ev'rybody Loves You)" was published in 1925. It had a photo of Hoskins on the cover, showing how popular he was.

Newspapers also reported that all the child actors would eventually grow too old for their parts and their contracts would not be renewed. An article from 1937 explained that six children were always under contract, and a child stayed until they outgrew the role. It said there was a complete changeover every four years. Farina, however, stayed for nine years, which was an exception to the rule.

After Our Gang: Vaudeville and Other Work

After Hoskins became too old for his role in 1931, he returned to Roach Studios for a few small appearances, but he wasn't chosen for a long-term part. He had a small role in a special short film called The Stolen Jools. This film featured many famous stars like Joan Crawford and Buster Keaton. It was made to raise money for a health center for artists. The Our Gang kids were shown eating ice cream cones on Norma Shearer's front steps.

After his career with the Our Gang comedies ended in 1931, Farina and his sister Jannie went on tour in a vaudeville act in 1932. They were with their mother, Florence Hoskins. They performed in places like Jefferson City, Missouri, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In Toronto, they performed at the Imperial Theatre and made appearances at Kresge stores. An article from that time mentioned Farina's singing ability, promoting his performances of popular songs.

While Hoskins did find some work after Farina, it was usually for short periods. One of his first roles after leaving Our Gang was as the "Host" of an episode of Voice of Hollywood. He was joined by guests like John Wayne and Gary Cooper. In 1933, Hoskins, along with other former Our Gang stars like Mickey Daniels and Joe Cobb, returned for a special appearance in Fish Hooky. Hoskins kept his connection with the studio. In 1936, he was part of an Our Gang tour and later appeared with the Gang on the You Asked for It show in the 1950s.

After his vaudeville shows, Hoskins went back to Los Angeles to try out for movie roles. When he appeared in his first full-length movie, You Said a Mouthful, newspapers reported that Farina cut off his braids for the movie and put them in the family Bible. From 1932 to 1936, he appeared in seven full-length films. However, most of these roles were not credited, and his movie career did not become very successful.

Serving in World War II

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Service Act, which started the draft. Hoskins volunteered to join the Army in August 1940. In 1941, he was stationed in Monterey, California. A reporter found him there. When actress Claudette Colbert saw him and asked if she knew him, Hoskins only told her his rank. A fellow soldier asked why he didn't say he was Farina. Hoskins replied that Farina was "that other guy" who earned a lot more money. He added, "Farina's grown up. I'd rather she remembered me as I used to be before the world lost its sense of humor."

In 1945, columnist Louella Parsons wrote about Hoskins and other actors who served in World War II. She mentioned that Sergeant Allen Hoskins, who was Farina as a boy, had seen action in five major battles in the Pacific and received an award from the president. He hoped to write and produce for the stage. Parsons also wrote that actors who gave up their studio jobs to serve their country should get their jobs back. She quoted Bob McGowan, who directed "Farina" as a child, saying that Allen Hoskins was sad when he didn't get his old job back. After serving in the South Pacific, Hoskins tried out for a part in Hal Roach's Amos and Andy television series but didn't get it.

By the end of World War II in 1945, Hoskins was 25 years old. After his military service, he tried out for acting roles outside of the Roach studios but was not chosen. Hoskins began to move away from acting and stopped using his stage name, Farina.

On a TV show called You Asked For It in 1953, which reunited some Our Gang cast members, Hoskins explained why he stopped acting. He said, "I preferred a job that allowed me to eat regular."

Life After Acting: Rehabilitation Career

Hoskins had survived the war but found it hard to get acting jobs in Los Angeles. He was also called for questioning by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). This was a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that investigated possible activities against the United States. Many industries were investigated, and Hollywood received a lot of attention.

An article from 1979 explained that Hoskins was questioned because, as a teenager, he had attended dances sponsored by certain political groups. The committee took his passport, and he was blacklisted, meaning it was even harder for him to find work. Hoskins said, "But it didn't matter. I wasn't getting work anyway. But I didn't want to stick around and be another has-been. I wanted to do something."

In 1952, Hoskins left Hollywood and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. There, he met his wife, Franzy. He took on various jobs like painting houses and washing dishes. Later, he entered a training program that led him to a job as a Psychiatric Technician.

Helping Others in the Community

Known to his friends as Al, he and his wife, Franzy, moved to Santa Rosa in the 1950s. They raised their children there, and Al started his career in rehabilitation. He began working at Sonoma State Hospital. By 1963, he was the Sheltered Workshop Director. A sheltered workshop is a place where people with disabilities can work and learn skills.

Besides his full-time job, Hoskins cared about the problems faced by young people in the South Park area of Santa Rosa, where he lived. In his free time, he created a plan for a "Weekend House." This would be a training and counseling center for youth. He wrote that if problems were not addressed, they could lead to serious community issues. He pointed out that there were no parks or fun places in the area. Hoskins identified these problems and suggested solutions in his plan.

In 1965, he left Sonoma State Hospital for a better job, and his family moved to Hayward, California. He became the Sheltered Workshop Director at the Walpert Center. This center was part of the Association for Retarded Children. His career was followed in local newspapers, not because he had been a child star, but because of his important work helping people with disabilities. In 1966, he appeared in The Argus newspaper. He was talking about the Workshop's need for funding to expand. He said, "We think we have a worthwhile program and we'd like the chance to do an even better job and serve more people."

In 1968, an article in the Oakland Tribune discussed his efforts to improve Sheltered Workshops. Hoskins was the President of the Association of Workshops. He said, "What we need is work." He explained that it was hard to convince manufacturers that the workshops could do specific jobs. But once they got a contract, plant managers were usually impressed with the quality of their work. He believed that "a job is the glue that holds people together."

In February 1969, Hoskins was chosen to direct the 10th Annual Conference on Rehabilitation Workshops. The Oakland Tribune reported that under his leadership, the workshop was now employing 1,000 clients, which was double the number from the previous year. Hoskins, who was also President of the Bay Area Association of Rehabilitation Workshops, said that "Handicapped workers represent a vast economic resource which has been barely tapped."

Hoskins spoke at a press conference for Workshop Week, which was announced by the mayor of Oakland and other mayors. He said, "I have yet to find a business operation in which there is not some item of work which could not be best handled by one of our shops." He added, "What we're looking for is work not a handout."

While working full-time, Hoskins also continued to develop creative projects and opened his own studio. In 1976, the Oakland Tribune reported that he was volunteering to help young actors learn their craft at a local nonprofit group. He was an advisor to the Experimental Group Young People's Theatre Co., sharing his knowledge.

Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame

In 1975, Allen Hoskins was still active in his rehabilitation career. He was chosen to be honored for his acting work and was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. This happened at the second annual Oscar Micheaux Award ceremony at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Other famous people honored that year included Sidney Poitier and Lena Horne.

Hoskins was interviewed about his past and present career. He said, "I want it on record that I never once traded on the name of Farina. I have built a pretty good name for myself in the rehabilitation field." He also added, "I think one thing that's been very important to me is that I try not to live in the past." Hoskins was a father of six children. He was working on his autobiography and a radio series called Walkabout. He also ran his own company for creative projects, called ALFRAN.

In his acceptance speech, Hoskins asked, "What is success?" Part of his answer was, "I didn't get to do what I wanted so I did something I could live with. I think one thing that's been very important to me is that I try not to live in the past." He also thanked the audience, saying, "I'm sure glad you didn't forget me."

Looking Back in 1979

One year before he passed away, an article about Allen Hoskins' life was published in various newspapers. He said he had good memories of playing Farina in Our Gang about 50 years earlier. However, he clarified that he did not receive any money from reruns of the popular series. Hoskins stated, "I'm sick and tired of people thinking I get residuals or payment for replays... I haven't got no pot of money, I have never tried to trade off the name Farina." Instead, the 58-year-old Hoskins said he worked hard for years painting houses and washing dishes before getting his job as Public Information Officer for the Association for Retarded Children.

Death

Allen Hoskins died from cancer on July 26, 1980, in Oakland, California. Many newspapers reported his death. His wife, Franzy, and his children, Candy and Chris, were with him. At the time of his death, he was involved in starting a radio series and led his own projects company, ALFRAN.

His wife, Franzy, continued to live in the Bay Area until her death in 2010. His sister, Jannie ("Mango"), also lived in Northern California until she passed away in 1996.

Hoskins was buried without a headstone in an unmarked grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland. It wasn't until 2000, twenty years after his death, that Hoskins received a proper headstone. This was thanks to the efforts of Jan Turner and the Find A Grave website.

Selected Films

Images for kids

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  Silent film, in "Your Own Back Yard" publicity still

See also

In Spanish: Allen Hoskins para niños