He Wasn’t Buckwheat, ‘20-20’ Acknowledges
‘It was a real foul-up in research,†a spokeswoman for “20/20†acknowledged Monday, referring to the ABC program’s story last Friday about a grocery clerk in Tempe, Ariz., who it said used to star as Buckwheat in the “Our Gang†comedies.
The actor who actually played the role, William Thomas, died in 1980.
“20/20†spokeswoman Maurie Pearl said that the magazine show had undertaken the segment after receiving a letter from a viewer who said that the man who had played Buckwheat in the films of the 1930s and ‘40s was living in Tempe. The man interviewed was named Bill English; he told “20/20†that he had changed his last name from Thomas.
The network is looking into the matter and is likely to apologize when “20/20†airs Friday, Pearl said. Whatever disciplinary action is taken will be handled internally, she said.
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