For nearly a century, generations of children grew up watching some version of a pit bull dog named Pete the Pup. In Archive #6, we take a look at the real life dog who played the character of Pete in the Our Gang comedy series.
Because of his fame he probably doesn’t need an introduction, but Pete the Pup was a fictional character in the “Our Gang” comedy series of the 1920s and 30s. These short films featured the adventures of a mischievous group of children and their lovable dog named Pete.
The show was later revived in the 1950s, and rebranded as The Little Rascals.
Most are unaware that the original Pete was already a star prior to landing this iconic role. His real name was Pal the Wonder Dog. Pal began his acting career by making an appearance in a 1925 film called “The Freshman” (at 29:24).
Pal then went on to perform as Tige in the “Buster Brown” film series of the mid-1920s, before being recruited by television and film producer Hal Roach of Hal Roach Studios.
The Our Gang series was already several years into production when the character of Pete arrived in 1927. Pal signed a three year contract, earning him $125 per week with incremental raises of $25 each week. This made him the second highest paid actor on the entire set.
Pal the Wonder Dog was a registered American Pit Bull Terrier recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) registry. He was trained by his owner – Lt. Harry S. Lucenay, who acquired him through the breedings of Earl Tudor.
Earl Tudor, also known as “The Oklahoma Kid” – was a famous breeder of gamebred pit bull terriers, as well as a dogfighter.
It’s been said that Pal was born in 1925, and his father was a dog named Tudor’s Black Jack. Tudor’s Black Jack was a 16x winner Grand Champion, which means Pal was the direct offspring of a very accomplished gamebred pit bull dog.
Sadly, Pal passed away under suspicion circumstances shortly after a June 1930 production at the age of five, with allegations of being poisoned. But, before his death, Pal sired a litter of puppies that were born on September 6, 1929.
The torch would soon be passed down to his son, Lucenay’s Pete, who took over the role until 1932 when Mr. Lucenay was dismissed from Roach Studios. After that, several more dogs played the role of Pete the Pup.
Previously unwilling to accept American Pit Bull Terriers into their registry due to the association with pit fighting dogs, the American Kennel Club (AKC) finally allowed a version of the pit bull in 1935 when they accepted the American Staffordshire Terrier.
And, Lucenay’s Pete was one of the first American Staffordshire Terriers registered with the AKC. He died of old age on January 28, 1946, and is buried in the Los Angeles Pet Memorial park in L.A. County.
This trading card was a promotional piece put on between Hal Roach Studios and Hershey Creamery Co. – also known as Hershey Ice Cream in 1929. It featured all regular characters – including Pete. Once all eight different cards of the set were collected, they could be redeemed for free ice cream.
The Archives is a special blog series that looks at the complicated history of pit bull dogs through photographs, newspaper articles, and other historical items. This blog is part of the documentary film – Once In A Lifetime.
Read all “The Archives” blog entries, and learn about their controversial past, but also the important role they played in the development of the United States.
