Kendall Frederick McComas (October 29, 1916 – October 15, 1981) was an American

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

, notable for appearing as "Breezy Brisbane" in 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 ...

'' comedies in 1932 and

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...

's rival "Stinky Davis" in the Mickey McGuire series in 1929. He was a native of

Holton, Kansas Holton is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,401. History The party that chose the site of Holton started at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in May 1856. ...

Career

Born in

, McComas first appeared in the '' Mickey McGuire''

short subjects A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

series as a member of Mickey McGuire's gang and stayed throughout the series run in the silent era. He also played the role of Stinky Davis in some of the series' earliest sound shorts. In 1931, he joined the ''

'' series, first appearing in the 1932 Our Gang short ''

Readin' and Writin' ''Readin' and Writin is a 1932 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 111th ''Our Gang'' short to be released. Plot It is the first day of school and children are beginning school for the first time. Breezy ...

''. McComas stayed with Our Gang for a full year and left the series after appearing in the 1932 short ''

Birthday Blues ''Birthday Blues'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 118th ''Our Gang'' short to be released. Plot When their pennypinching father refuses to buy a birthday gift for their long-suffering mother ...

''. Even though he was well into his teens during his ''Our Gang'' tenure, McComas was very short for his age and thus capably portrayed his grade-school-age character Brisbane aka Breezy. Breezy's mother refers to him as "Brisbane" in the films ''

'' and '' Spanky'', the only shorts in which that name appears; the kids refer to him as "Breezy," presumably as a nickname for Brisbane. However, the Leonard Maltin/Richard Bann book ''The Little Rascals: The Life & Times of Our Gang'' lists his character as "Breezy Brisbane," a name which does not appear in dialogue in any of the shorts in which McComas appears. However, right after getting expelled from school in ''

'', Brisbane goes to the fishing hole, and begins mentally telling himself to "Learn that poem". There, he refers to himself as "Breezy" when he thinks, "You better get busy, Breezy, and study that poem." In 1965, he left show business and became an

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

at the U.S. Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, California and then an institutional mortgage-backed bond salesman under the name John Mandy.

Death

McComas committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

in a fit of depression two weeks before turning 65 when he was facing mandatory retirement from his job.Maltin, Leonard & Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). ''The Little Rascals: The Life & Times of Our Gang''. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press;

Our Gang filmography

*''

'' (1932) *''

Free Eats ''Free Eats'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Ray McCarey. It was the 112th ''Our Gang'' short to be released. Plot The gang along with other poor children in the town are given a party with games and great food to eat. In ...

'' (1932) *'' Spanky'' (1932) *'' Choo-Choo!'' (1932) *''

The Pooch ''The Pooch'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 115th ''Our Gang'' short to be released. Plot The film follows cheerful vagrant Stymie and the younger Spanky as they trek through the neighborhoo ...

'' (1932) *'' Hook and Ladder'' (1932) *''

Free Wheeling ''Free Wheeling'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 117th ''Our Gang'' short to be released. Plot Confined to a neck brace, poor little rich boy Dickie would like to play with the neighborhood ...

'' (1932) *''

'' (1932)

References

External links

* Male actors from Kansas American male film actors American male child actors American electrical engineers Hal Roach Studios actors Suicides in California 1916 births 1981 deaths People from Holton, Kansas 20th-century American male actors Engineers from California 20th-century American engineers 1981 suicides {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub