Background
Laughlin was born on July 5, 1932 in San Gabriel, California, to Robert Vine Laughlin (August 28, 1901 - September 30, 1972) and Charlotte C. Cruikshank (March 11, 1903 - June 4, 1992).
Laughlin was born on July 5, 1932 in San Gabriel, California, to Robert Vine Laughlin (August 28, 1901 - September 30, 1972) and Charlotte C. Cruikshank (March 11, 1903 - June 4, 1992).
He is best known for playing the character Froggy in the Our Gang short films in its final stretch, from 1940 to 1944. According to Our Gang Films actor Robert Blake, Billy "Froggy" Laughlin was a dearly loved, sweet, gentle soul. Laughlin rose to fame at the age of eight when he appeared in his first Our Gang film, The New Pupil.
His character was known for his strange, guttural voice, which was reminiscent of a frog"s croak.
Laughlin"s last Our Gang short film was the last film of the series in 1944 called Dancing Romeo. Contrary to popular belief, Laughlin did the voice himself without dubbing (in the 1994 film, the character"s voice was dubbed by EG Daily).
When Our Gang stopped production in 1944, Laughlin appeared in Monogram"s Johnny Doesn"t Live Here Any More, then voluntarily moved away from show business and enjoyed relatively peaceful teenage years. Laughlin died at a hospital on August 31, 1948 after a truck struck the Cushman Motor Scooter on which he was delivering newspapers near his home in Louisiana Puente, California.
Laughlin lived the shortest life of the actors who appeared in the Our Gang films, dying at the age of 16.
