 norman myers chaney (october 18, 1914 &ndash; may 29, 1936) was an american child actor, notable for appearing in 19 our gang comedies as "chubby" from 1929 to 1931.photobucket.com retrieved 1 july 2010ancestry.com retrieved 1 july 2010ancestry.com retrieved 1 july 2010 ==early life and career== chaney was born on october 18, 1914 in cambridge, maryland, and became a member of our gang at the dawn of the sound era. he relied on an affable personality, a flair for funny dialogue, and a priceless frown of frustration that seemed to swallow up his whole moon face. in fall 1928, our gang producer hal roach and director robert f. mcgowan began to look for an overweight child actor to replace joe cobb in the popular film series. cobb was twelve years old, and the series was about to transition to sound. roach and mcgowan held a nationwide contest to find a replacement for cobb. chaney won this contest in early 1929 and was offered a two-year contract. "he adapted gracefully, and we all liked him, he was a nice fellow," said mcgowan of chaney.maltin, leonard and bann, richard w. (1977, rev. 1992). the little rascals: the life and times of our gang, p. 87. new york: crown publishing/three rivers press. isbn 0-517-58325-9 the roly-poly youngster's stay with the series was brief, but made a memorable impression on generations of fans. he was taught the expression of the "slow burn" by the comedian edgar kennedy. at the time, chaney was only 3' 11" and weighed about 113 pounds. he was nicknamed "chubby" for the series and made his debut in the second sound entry, railroadin', appearing in 19 our gang films over a period of two years, including shorts such as boxing gloves and teacher's pet. norman chaney and joe cobb appeared in three shorts together. ch
1914_births 1936_deaths 20th-century_American_male_actors American_male_child_actors American_male_film_actors Cardiovascular_disease_deaths_in_Maryland Male_actors_from_Baltimore,_Maryland Our_Gang People_from_Cambridge,_Maryland