Cliff Notes – Little Rascals actress and former child star Betsy Gay dies aged 96
- Betsy Gay, a prominent child star of the 1930s, passed away at the age of 96, confirmed by her friend Bob Satterfield.
- Known for her role as Alfalfa’s girlfriend Effie in the Our Gang comedies, she appeared in over 40 films and became a celebrated yodeller in the 1940s.
- Later in life, Gay focused on family, raising five children with her husband, while making occasional public appearances, including a YouTube clip in 2019.
Little Rascals actress and former child star Betsy Gay dies aged 96
The late Betsy Gay was a child star during the Golden Age of Hollywood
The former child star Betsy Gay, who rose to prominence in the 1930s, has died aged 96.
The late screenstar and renowned yodeller died on June 13, as confirmed by her friend Bob Satterfield.
As a child star during the Golden Age of Hollywood, her movie career kicked off after appearing in a series of comedy films called Our Gang comedies e.g. Our Gangs Follies of 1938, which later became well known as Little Rascals.
After starring in the role of Alfalfa’s girlfriend Effie for multiple years, she moved on at the end of the decade.
Other high-profile projects she was involved in included Arbor Day, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Pinch Singer, with her featuring in over 40 movies (credited or uncredited) over the course of her career.
In 1941, she had a yodelling scene in an Andy Clyde short, and after performing the skill in a handful of other movies, she started singing with country music stars of the time such as Stuart Hamblen and his Lucky Stars and Tex Williams.
She appeared in early Little Rascals movies such as Our Gangs Follies of 1938 (Picture: MGM)
By the 1940s, Gay was a well-known yodeller
She was also California State Yodelling Champion two years in a row in the mid-1940s. Per reports, Betsy was also the youngest entertainer to sing and yodel for the Hollywood Victory Committee Shows during World War Two.
As well as appearing on stage in productions like Quality Street, A Kiss For Cinderella, and Heros Unlimited.
Alongside her brewing music career, which involved touring and radio appearances on shows like The Jimmy Wakeley Show and The Don Amache Show, she continued pursuing acting opportunities.
In the 1950s she was travelling while she performed (Picture: CBS/Getty)
Later in life she focused on raising her five children with her husband
Her last known public appearance was in 2019 (Picture: YouTube/ Yodel Day)
At one point, she was a regular cast member of the ABC show Squeakin’ Deacon’s Country Store and in the 1960s was a regular on the Mike Douglas show, International Party Time which ran for 13 weeks.
In 1954, she married Thomas Cashen and they shared five children – twins Mimi and Gigi, Tommy, Suzy and Cathy.
Although she has not been in the limelight for several decades, in 2019 she uploaded a brief YouTube clip celebrating World Yodel Day.
