Jay R. Smith (August 29, 1915 – October 5, 2002) was an American child actor and comedian who had a brief career appearing the ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...

'' film short series during the silent

Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

era, from 1925 to 1929. He racked up appearances in 36 shorts, where he was billed as the skinny freckle-faced character "Specks". Maltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). ''The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang'', p. 268-271. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press. This series was syndicated to television as ''The Little Rascals''.

Career

Smith's first film in the ''

'' series was '' Boys Will Be Joys'' in 1925. He rivalled the retiring

Mickey Daniels Richard Daniels Jr. (October 11, 1914 – August 20, 1970) known professionally as Mickey Daniels, was an American actor. Signed by Hal Roach in 1921, he was, along with Joe Cobb, Jackie Condon, Jackie Davis, Mary Kornman, and Ernie Morrison, a ...

as the freckle-faced kid in the gang and continued until the silent era ended. He also appeared as himself in ''

45 Minutes from Hollywood ''45 Minutes From Hollywood'' is a 1926 American two-reel silent film, silent comedy film directed by Fred Guiol and released by Pathé Exchange. The film's runtime is 15 minutes. At the time, it was known as a Glenn Tryon vehicle, but today it ...

'' (1926). Bowing to pressure from the studio, Smith appeared in the sixth ''Our Gang'' talkie titled ''

Moan and Groan, Inc. ''Moan and Groan, Inc.'' is a 1929 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 94th ''Our Gang'' short to be released. Synopsis Friendly neigh ...

'' (1929), his only talkie. He was dissatisfied with his performance in the film and feared he would not have a successful career in talkies, he quit acting overall. He came back to appear in

The Boy Friends ''The Boy Friends'' is a series of American Pre-Code comedy short films released between 1930 and 1932. The series consists of fifteen films and was spun off from the long running ''Our Gang'' film series (also known as ''The Little Rascals'') ...

' episode ''Blood and Thunder'', where he was seen throwing water.

Personal life

Jay R. Smith, the son of a labourer, was one of 5 siblings. His younger brother, Donnie "Beezer" Smith, appeared in the ''Our Gang'' short film '' Cat, Dog & Co.''. According to an article in ''Variety'' in 1936, Smith was married to Gloria Narath, who provided the original voice of the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

character

Minnie Mouse Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an American cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. The longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a red or pink bow, blue (or pink or red) polka-dotted dress, w ...

, for Walt Disney Studios. He later married Mabel Florine Case, and they remained married until her death on February 1, 2002. After leaving acting, Smith, a native of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, joined the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

. He served during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

before starting his own retail paint business and moving to

Kailua, Hawaii Kailua () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. It lies in the North Koolaupoko, Hawaii, Koolaupoko District of the island of Oahu, Oahu on the windward and leeward, windward coast at Kailua Bay. It is i ...

Murder

Smith, having retired from the retail paint business after 15 years, moved to

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

in the early 1990s. In October 2002, aged 87, he was reported missing by his daughter. His body was found on October 5, 2002, in the desert near Las Vegas. He had died of multiple stab wounds. 52-year-old Charles Wayne Crombie (known as Wayne), a homeless man whom Smith reportedly befriended, was convicted of the murder of Smith, stealing his belongings and Visa debit card, multiple counts of fraud, and stealing his motor vehicle. Crombie was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison, which he was serving at the

Northern Nevada Correctional Center Northern Nevada Correctional Center (NNCC) and Stewart Conservation Camp (SCC) are part of a prison complex located in Carson City. The correctional center was established in 1964 and is managed by the Nevada Department of Corrections. The mediu ...

where he died on July 17, 2014, of which was described in press reports as a "chronic illness" at the age of 64.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jay R. 1915 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American male actors 2002 murders in the United States American male child actors Deaths by stabbing in Nevada Hal Roach Studios actors Male actors from Los Angeles Military personnel from California People murdered in Nevada United States Navy personnel of World War II