Dorothy DeBorba 1925-2010 (Our Gang/Little Rascals) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 06-04-2010, 06:11 PM

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Dorothy Adelle “Echo” DeBorba passed on yesterday at the age of 85 after a long bout with emphysema and lung disease (I couldn’t locate an official obituary online but will do so when one goes up). The former child actress who appeared in films like A Royal Romance (1930) and Bombshell (1933) was best known as a member of Our Gang (also known as The Little Rascals), having appeared in twenty-four of the two-reel comedies between 1930 and 1933.

In the early Our Gang shorts, DeBorba was nicknamed “Echo” thanks to her falling-down funny performance in the classic short Love Business (1931), in which she attempts to repeat verbatim the “love lines” uttered by Norman “Chubby” Chaney, who was cast as her brother in many of the comedies:

CHUBBY: Oh, my dear…hear the pleas in my whispers...

DOROTHY: Oh, my dear…hear the fleas in my whiskers...

CHUBBY: If love is like a rose...I will nip my rose in the bud...

DOROTHY: If love is like a rose...I will stick my nose in the mud...

CHUBBY: My heart is filled with joy…I want to trip and dance...

DOROTHY: My heart is filled with joy…I want to rip my pants...

DeBorba was one of several child actors in the Our Gang series who successfully made the transition to talkies, and she appeared in such classics as Teacher's Pet (1930), School's Out (1930), Shiver My Timbers (1931), Dogs Is Dogs (1931) and the politically-incorrect-but-oh-so-hysterically-funny The Kid from Borneo (1933). She dropped out of movies the same year as Borneo, and later (according to an interview with The San Francisco Examiner in 1975) became a senior clerk in the school of journalism at UC-Berkeley.

DeBorba was also one of the few members of the Our Gang troupe still with us today—the remaining members are Jackie Cooper, Dickie Moore, Mickey Gubitosi (Robert Blake), Jean Darling, Mildred Kornman, Jerry Tucker, Jackie Lynn Taylor, Marianne Edwards and Leonard Landy (thanks to Paul and Brent Walker for this list, btw). So a fond fare-thee-well to a performer who provided me with many hours of enjoyment as a TV-obsessed kid…she will indeed be missed.

Zoneboy · 06-04-2010, 06:12 PM

Marvo301 · 06-04-2010, 06:48 PM

Dorothy DeBorba

Thanks for posting the pictures Charles. Now I know which "Little Rascals" actress she is.

KurtfromPitts · 06-05-2010, 12:52 PM

I think Dorothy is the most underrated female member of the Rascals troupe. The way she exasperates Chubby by copying him is cool. R.I.P. Dorothy.

catlover79 · 06-05-2010, 12:55 PM

old grouch · 06-05-2010, 09:39 PM

Her facial expressions we hilarious.

RIP, Dorothy, and thank you for making me laugh all these years.

janet42 · 06-07-2010, 06:51 PM

I liked her on Our Gang. May she Rest In Peace.

06-04-2010, 06:11 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,381	Dorothy DeBorba 1925-2010 (Our Gang/Little Rascals) Link Dorothy Adelle “Echo” DeBorba passed on yesterday at the age of 85 after a long bout with emphysema and lung disease (I couldn’t locate an official obituary online but will do so when one goes up). The former child actress who appeared in films like A Royal Romance (1930) and Bombshell (1933) was best known as a member of Our Gang (also known as The Little Rascals), having appeared in twenty-four of the two-reel comedies between 1930 and 1933. In the early Our Gang shorts, DeBorba was nicknamed “Echo” thanks to her falling-down funny performance in the classic short Love Business (1931), in which she attempts to repeat verbatim the “love lines” uttered by Norman “Chubby” Chaney, who was cast as her brother in many of the comedies: CHUBBY: Oh, my dear…hear the pleas in my whispers... DOROTHY: Oh, my dear…hear the fleas in my whiskers... CHUBBY: If love is like a rose...I will nip my rose in the bud... DOROTHY: If love is like a rose...I will stick my nose in the mud... CHUBBY: My heart is filled with joy…I want to trip and dance... DOROTHY: My heart is filled with joy…I want to rip my pants... DeBorba was one of several child actors in the Our Gang series who successfully made the transition to talkies, and she appeared in such classics as Teacher's Pet (1930), School's Out (1930), Shiver My Timbers (1931), Dogs Is Dogs (1931) and the politically-incorrect-but-oh-so-hysterically-funny The Kid from Borneo (1933). She dropped out of movies the same year as Borneo, and later (according to an interview with The San Francisco Examiner in 1975) became a senior clerk in the school of journalism at UC-Berkeley. DeBorba was also one of the few members of the Our Gang troupe still with us today—the remaining members are Jackie Cooper, Dickie Moore, Mickey Gubitosi (Robert Blake), Jean Darling, Mildred Kornman, Jerry Tucker, Jackie Lynn Taylor, Marianne Edwards and Leonard Landy (thanks to Paul and Brent Walker for this list, btw). So a fond fare-thee-well to a performer who provided me with many hours of enjoyment as a TV-obsessed kid…she will indeed be missed.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

06-04-2010, 06:48 PM	#3
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,453	Dorothy DeBorba Thanks for posting the pictures Charles. Now I know which "Little Rascals" actress she is.
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

06-05-2010, 12:55 PM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

06-04-2010, 06:12 PM	#2
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,381

06-05-2010, 12:52 PM	#4
KurtfromPitts Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 10, 2006 Location: Carnegie PA Posts: 1,534	I think Dorothy is the most underrated female member of the Rascals troupe. The way she exasperates Chubby by copying him is cool. R.I.P. Dorothy.

06-05-2010, 09:39 PM	#6
old grouch Member Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Location: montana Posts: 1,877	Her facial expressions we hilarious. RIP, Dorothy, and thank you for making me laugh all these years.

06-07-2010, 06:51 PM	#7
janet42 Three's Company Fan! Senior Member Join Date: Feb 22, 2007 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,757	I liked her on Our Gang. May she Rest In Peace.