1929 Our Gang's Pete the Pup Trading Card
The Archives | 4th Edition
Good Enough For ‘Our Gang’, Good Enough For Yours!
For nearly a century, generations of children grew up watching an American Pit Bull Terrier named Pete the Pup, who was regular character featured in the famous Our Gang comedy short films of the 1920s and 30s.
The 4th edition of The Archives pays homage to Pete in this rare 1929 promotional trading card, produced by Hal Roach Studios in partnership with Hershey’s Ice Cream.
Who was the real Pete the Pup?
He probably doesn’t need much of an introduction due to his fame while playing his fictional role of Pete, but many are unaware that he was already a star prior to landing that iconic part.
Before he became Pete the Pup, his real name was Pal the Wonder Dog, who made his acting debut in an appearance of the 1925 film “The Freshman” (at 29:24). He then went on to perform as Tige in a revivial of the “Buster Brown” film series of the mid-1920s.
Following that, he was recruited by television and film producer Hal Roach of Hal Roach Studios to take on the role he became most famous for - Petey. The lovable and goofy four-legged sidekick to a group of mischievous neighborhood kids.
The Our Gang series was already several years into production when his character arrived in 1927. Pal signed a three year contract, which earned him beginning rate of $125 per week, with incremental weekly raises of $25. This made him the second highest paid actor on the entire set!
The Man Behind Pal the Wonder Dog
Pal the Wonder Dog was a registered American Pit Bull Terrier though the United Kennel Club (UKC). He was trained by his owner – Lt. Harry S. Lucenay, who acquired him through the breedings of a man named Earl Tudor.
Earl Tudor - also known as “The Oklahoma Kid”, was a famous breeder of American Pit Bull Terriers, who was equally famous for his influential role in matching fighting dogs.
Pal the Wonder Dog’s father was none other than Tudor’s GR CH Black Jack - a 16x winner (in dogfighting), which means Pal was the direct offspring of a very accomplished gamebred pit bull dog.
Given he was on set with little kids, some would say this was very irresponsible to allow children to be around a dog who came from this type of pedigree. But, if anything, it proves it is much more complicated than what we’re led to believe.
Sadly, Pal passed away under suspicious circumstances in June 1930 at the age of five, with allegations surfacing of him being intentionally poisoned.
But, before his death, Pal became a father after siring a litter of puppies who were born on September 6, 1929. One of those pups, Lucenay’s Pete, woud have the torch passed down to him after Pal’s death. Lucenay’s Pete would play Pete until 1932 when Harry Lucenay was dismissed from Roach Studios, Several other dogs would go on to play Pete the Pup after.
A Controversy in a Name
Previously unwilling to accept American Pit Bull Terriers into their registry, allegedly due to their association with dog fighting, the American Kennel Club (AKC) finally allowed a version of the pit bull in 1935 when they accepted the American Staffordshire Terrier.
Lucenay’s Pete was one of the first American Staffordshire Terriers registered with the AKC, while also being dual registered as an American Pit Bull Terrier with the United Kennel Club. He died of old age on January 28, 1946, and is buried in the Los Angeles Pet Memorial park in L.A. County.
About the Trading Card
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, and once all eight cards of the set were collected, they could be redeemed for free ice cream.
About “The Archives”
The Archives is a special blog series, which explores the complicated past of pit bull terriers through historical photographs, newspapers, and other vintage artifacts.
This project is part of the documentary film – Once In A Lifetime, and each item is preserved in high resolution scans of the original and made available exclusively on the Politics of Pit Bull Dogs Substack.
To view all posts for “The Archives”, go to:
https://riverfirefilms.substack.com/t/the-archives