Anecdotes

Claimed that her parents never gave her a penny of the earnings she made from the "Our Gang" shorts.

After she grew up, fans who requested an autographed photo seemed disappointed when they received a current shot, so she sent out newly signed photos from her "Our Gang" days instead.

She was the most prominent of the female child actors in the "Our Gang" series, also known later as "The Little Rascals." Her tenure ran from 1935 to 1941.

Appeared as a celebrity contestant on Groucho Marx's Tell It to Groucho (1961) game show on CBS-TV in 1962. She was also the voice of the mermaid in the "Chicken Of The Sea" TV commercials. Ms. Hood made her last public appearance at the "First Bi-Annual Sons Of The Desert" convention at the O'Hare Airport Hotel (outside Chicago) from August 18 to 20, 1978, and she did the voice of Spanky's mother on "The Little Rascals TV Cartoon Special" in 1979.

Once made a 1960 guest appearance on The Jack Benny Program (1950) in which they did a spoof on the "Our Gang" series, with Jack Benny as Alfalfa and Don Wilson as Spanky.

While working at the Hal Roach Studios, Hood and the other children were tutored on the lot by Fern Carter, who served as the studio teacher for many years. After the series was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1938, the cast attended the "little red schoolhouse" on the MGM lot.

Darla's name is mentioned in the song "Purple Stain" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In 1957, Hood recorded the single "I Just Wanna Be Free," which received some regional airplay. In 1959, she released a vocal version of Martin Denny's instrumental hit "Quiet Village." That same year, former Hal Roach talent agent Joe Rivkin-who had discovered her as a child-cast her in her first film role as an adult, playing a secretary in Vincent Price's cult horror film Le Masque (1959).

Interred at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now called Hollywood Forever), Hollywood, California, USA, in the Abbey of the Psalms, Sanctuary of Light, top row, halfway down the hall.