Bill

trainers: Lou Treesh and others

Bill was the original dog of the Our Gang series, appearing between 1922 and 1924. The head animal trainer at the Roach studio during this period was Lou Treesh, who typically is credited with training Bill.

1921

• Judging by the timeframe described in the July 23, 1922, Vancouver Sun article seen below, Bill must have been acquired by Treesh and/or Roach by October of this year. That is, if the first Our Gang film was his first film. However, Treesh's first week as an animal trainer at the studio was the week ending on November 5th.

1922

• On January 3rd of this year, shooting started on the first Our Gang short, and Bill was immediately one of the main cast. Lou Treesh was assisted during this period by Ham Kinsey.
• In the week ending on February 11th, Treesh and Kinsey were joined at the "Roach Zoo" by Arthur H. Hass.
• On April 26th, the Daily Review of Morgan City, IA, reported the following: "'Success in animal training is in knowing intimately the characteristics and personality of animals,' declares Lou Treesch(sic), head animal trainer at the Hal E. Roach Studios, where a series of two reel animal and 'kid' comedies is now being produced for Pathe release. 'Animals like the horse, the dog and the mule have too high intelligence to approach them in any way except as individuals with minds of their own,' he argues. The whip is 'out' with Mr. Treesch, who tells the beasties, which are appearing before the camera in the kiddie comedy company, what he wants them to do in a matter of fact but kindly tone of voice. Both 'Cork,' the pony and 'Dinah,' the mule would sulk for a month if the stick were applied, while 'Bill' the bull dog would be highly indignant. The latter was a problem when Mr. Treesch first took him in hand, for he was so vicious, no one could come near him. But by the end of a month, 'Bill' became most tractable and obeys every word of his master, who does not have to offer a bribe of a tenderloin steak to obtain camera results. 'If I tell "Bill" to fly at a man's coat, that is his objective and not something else,' says the trainer. 'While "Bill" hates cats and you only have to say "kitty" to him to make him bristle, I could lead him up to one, or have him untied for that matter, and he would settle down and do nothing.' 'Bill' is going to have a great screen future, is the trainer's opinion, for he gets on finely with his director, and has a good mind, while he is highly acrobatic. The matter of supremacy in the Zoo was settled by 'Bill' soon after his arrival, when two big Danes also aspired to leadership. 'Bill' had his first and last battle with them, and is now the acknowledged boss. He is friendly with all the animals, likes all of the actors, and takes first prize as general good mixer."
• On June 4th, the New Orleans States reported the following: "'Bill,' sad faced bull dog featured in 'His Rascals,' Hal Roach's kiddie-animal company, stirred up some excitement when he took a ten foot jump over the fence of the Zoo and made a thirty mile an hour dash out of the front gate and on towards Culver City. 'Bill's' importance at the studios was evident when three machines followed in pursuit and located him on the main street of Culver City, 'just looking around.' 'Bill' gave the three cars the 'once over' and when he spied Lou Treesh, head animal trainer, he jumped into the back seat of the car and consented to return to the studios. 'Bill' hadn't been working for three days and, enjoying 'movies' even better than tenderloin steak, he just had to have some excitement, says Treesh."
• Kinsey left the "Roach Zoo" the week ending June 24th, and was replaced in the week ending July 1st by Fred Murray.
• On July 23rd, the Vancouver Sun reported the following: "Some months ago, Lou Treesch(sic), in charge of the Hal Roach Zoo, picked up, for a song, a badly-battered bulldog, which he saw near a farmhouse on one of his trips into the country. Under the careful handling of Treesch, the dog rounded into a beautiful looking animal, and after three months was appearing before the camera in productions of the Hal Roach Studios. Two weeks ago, Mr. Roach previewed one of the series of 'His Rascals' comedies, in which Bill, 'the sad-faced bulldog,' as Treesch's find is now known, had a very prominent part. The next day, Mr. Roach received a telegram from a prominent motion picture producer, offering him $5,000 for the bulldog. Mr. Roach wired back: 'If he is worth $5,000 to you, he is worth double that to me. Sorry, I cannot accept your proposition'."
• A new animal trainer was added to the staff in the week ending December 9th, John E. Treesh, who was Lou's son. The following week, W. C. Miller and J. Carmody also joined the group, though Carmody only lasted for one week.
• On December 20th, various stars of Hal Roach Studios gave live vaudeville performances to an audience of orphans at the Mission theater prior to a screening of "Dr. Jack." As The Billings Gazette of Jan. 6, 1923, reported: "The show opened up with Lou Treesh demonstrating the great ability of the Roach animals, which included Cork, the 'human' pony, and Bill, the noted bulldog, whose work is a feature of the 'Our Gang' comedies."

Strictly Modern (bit part)

June 11, 1922 - Roach/Pathé - 1 reel - prod. H-110 - Hal Roach series with Snub Pollard

Filmed Feb. 16 to 24, 1922. ©May 29, 1922. Bill is sleeping in the elevator, but attacks Snub when the door opens.

365 Days (possible role)

Sep. 17, 1922 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. B-1 - Snub Pollard series

Filmed Mar. 6 to Apr. 8, 1922, with retakes May 20 to 26, May 31, June 1 and June 5, 1922. ©Dec. 1, 1922. A photograph reveals that Bill worked in this film, but he doesn't show up in the available footage.

2. Fire Fighters (supporting role: Officer T. Towser Barkus)

Oct. 8, 1922 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-2 - Our Gang series

Filmed Feb. 27 to Apr. 1, 1922. ©Oct. 9, 1922. Bill appears early in the film dressed up as a cop, and then pulls the dogcart as part of the fire department.

Dr. Jack (small part)

prem. Nov. 4, 1922 - Roach/Pathé - 5 reels - prod. L-16 - Harold Lloyd feature

Released Nov. 26, 1922. Also listed for Dec. 19, 1922. Filmed Mar. 20 to July 10, 1922. ©Oct. 9, 1922. Bill chases Harold around the house until Harold gives him chloroform.

1. Our Gang (supporting role: Bill)

Nov. 5, 1922 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-1 - Our Gang series

Filmed Jan. 3 to 17, 1922, with retakes Jan. 18 to 19, and Feb. 2 to 17, 1922. ©Oct. 11, 1922. The kids make Bill look like a mad dog to scare customers away from the rival merchant's store.

3. Young Sherlocks (supporting role: Buster)

Nov. 26, 1922 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-3 - Our Gang series

Filmed Apr. 3 to 8, and Apr. 24 to May 20, 1922. ©Nov. 11, 1922. Bill appears early in the film, but doesn't appear again until the Freetown sequence, where he rescues Farina from being carried away by some balloons.

6. Saturday Morning (supporting role)

Dec. 3, 1922 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-6 - Our Gang series

Filmed July 8 to 25, 1922. ©Nov. 11, 1922. Bill is Mickey's dog in this film.

5. A Quiet Street (supporting role)

Dec. 31, 1922 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-5 - Our Gang series

Filmed June 13 to July 1, and July 26 to 27, 1922. ©Nov. 11, 1922. Bill appears off and on throughout this film.

1923

• W. C. Miller left the Roach studio after the week ending September 15th of this year.
• Lou Treesh and John E. Treesh both left the Roach studio after the week ending October 20th. This is a pretty good indicator that Bill belonged to Roach, since he continued at the studio for several more months.
• For the week ending on November 3rd, two new animal trainers joined Haas. These were C. P. Morrison and Jack Woods.
• For the week ending on November 24th, Charles Austin joined the animal trainers, but he only last for two weeks.

9. The Champeen! (supporting role)

Jan. 28, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-9 - Our Gang series

Filmed late August/September 1922. ©Dec. 16, 1922. Bill is Jackie's dog in this film, and fights Jack's dog.

8. The Cobbler (featured role)

Feb. 18, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-8 - Our Gang series

Filmed late August, and perhaps September, 1922. ©Feb. 26, 1923. Bill picks a fight with a cat and ends up losing. Later, he goes after the tramp.

7. The Big Show! (supporting role)

Feb. 25, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-7 - Our Gang series

Filmed July 28 to Aug. 15, 1922, with added scenes Sep. 11 to 16, and Sep. 20 to 28, 1922, and retakes Jan. 10 to 11, 1923. ©Feb. 26, 1923. Bill's seen off and on throughout this film.

11. A Pleasant Journey (supporting role: T-bone)

Mar. 18, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-11 - Our Gang series

Also listed for Mar. 25, 1923. Filmed Oct. 22 to 27, and Nov. 2 to 16, 1922. ©Feb. 26, 1923. Bill appears frequently throughout this film.

10. Boys To Board (small part)

Apr. 8, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-10 - Our Gang series

Filmed Oct. 2 to Nov. 2, 1922. ©Mar. 30, 1923. Bill belongs to Ernie and Farina, and causes some damage after chasing a cat around.

12. Giants Vs. Yanks (small part)

May 13, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-12 - Our Gang series

Filmed Nov. 20 to Dec. 19, 1922, and Feb. 15, 1923. ©Apr. 27, 1923. Bill belongs to Ernie, and appears sporadically throughout the film.

13. Back Stage (supporting role)

June 3, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-13 - Our Gang series

Filmed Dec. 15, 1922, to Jan. 9, 1923. ©June 6, 1923. Bill appears off and on throughout this film with Jack and Joe.

15. Lodge Night (supporting role: Joe)

July 29, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-15 - Our Gang series

Filmed Feb. 12 to Mar. 3, 1923. ©Aug. 2, 1923. Bill's a member of the Cluck Cluck Klams.

18. July Days (small part)

Aug. 26, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-18 - Our Gang series

Filmed Apr. 12 to May 2, and May 31, 1923. ©Aug. 2, 1923. Bill doesn't appear too much, but he seems to be Mickey's dog.

20. No Noise (small part)

Sep. 23, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-20 - Our Gang series

Filmed June 1 to 20, 1923. ©Sep. 24, 1923. Bill's seen at the beginning flattening the gang's football, and then at the end chasing the cop.

Finger Prints (small part)

Sep. 23, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 1 reel - prod. D-6 - Hal Roach series with Paul Parrott

This was probably originally prod. C-96, which was filmed Mar. 6 to 10, 1923, with retakes June 6 to 7, and June 14, 1923. ©Aug. 11, 1923. Bill licks stamps for Paul.

17. Stage Fright (supporting role)

Oct. 21, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-17 - Our Gang series

Filmed Mar. 17 to Apr. 11, 1923, with retakes June 21 to July 2, 1923. ©Nov. 9, 1923. Bill's featured mainly in the fruit sequence chasing the cat.

21. Derby Day (supporting role: Bill)

Nov. 18, 1923 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-21 - Our Gang series

Filmed Mar. 11, July 18 to Aug. 13, 1923. ©Nov. 9, 1923. Bill belongs to Ernie and Farina, and provides security at the kiddie race. Later, he pulls Mickey's cart.

1924

• In January of this year, "Commencement Day" finished shooting, after which Bill was replaced in the Our Gang series with Tony Campanaro's dog, Pal. Bill would return to the series briefly in April.
• On May 1, "The Sun Down Limited" finished shooting, ending Bill's association with Our Gang. New footage for "Fast Company" was shot in June, but Bill's part of that film seems to have been shot in 1923.

24. The Buccaneers (supporting role)

Mar. 9, 1924 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-24 - Our Gang series

Filmed Sep. 28 to Oct. 24, and Oct. 28, 1923. ©Feb. 20, 1924. Bill's the one responsible for the gang going adrift.

Love's Detour (role)

Mar. 16, 1924 - Roach/Pathé - 1 reel - prod. D-40 - Hal Roach series with Charley Chase

Also listed for Mar. 9, 1924. Rob Stone's list states this it was filmed Oct. 24 to 26, 1923, with retakes Dec. 13 to 15, 1923 and was originally prod. C-134. Anthony & Edmonds states that it was filmed Oct. 27 to Nov. 9, 1923, with retakes Dec. 13 to 14, 1923. ©Jan. 26, 1924.

26. Commencement Day (small part)

May 4, 1924 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-26 - Our Gang series

Filmed Nov. 9 to Dec. 6, 1923, Jan. 7 to 11, and Jan. 26, 1924. ©May 12, 1924. Bill appears early in the film as the kids are walking to school.

31. The Sun Down Limited (supporting role)

Sep. 21, 1924 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-31 - Our Gang series

Filmed Apr. 21 to May 1, 1924. ©Aug. 2, 1924. Bill serves as locomotion for the gang's railroad.

16. Fast Company (small part)

Nov. 16, 1924 - Roach/Pathé - 2 reels - prod. A-16 - Our Gang series

Filmed Mar. 5 to 15, 1923, with retakes June 13 to 21, 1924. ©Oct. 2, 1924. Bill delivers the milk to Mickey's house.

1984

Our Gang: Inside The Clubhouse (archival)

May 8, 1984 - Lang/Camellia City Telecasters - 93 mins. - TV documentary

Includes footage from "The Big Show" and "The Champeen!"

1994

The Our Gang Story (archival)

1994 - Film Shows/GoodTimes - 120 min. - video documentary

Includes footage from "The Champeen!" "Giants Vs. Yanks" and "The Sun Down Limited."

See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.

© Robert Demoss.