Darla Hood, petite star of Our Gang comedies and many other film features, sat curled up in the chair of her hotel room here today and confided to a Daily News reporter, that she had a sweetheart. Although only four years old, Darla confessed that she and Spanky McFarland, co-featured with her in several pictures were "that way" about each other. So much enamored is Darla of Spanky, in fact, that she has turned down one offer of marriage, made in all seriousness by one of her small admirers at Sayre.
Darla and her mother, Mrs. J. C. Hood, were in Elk City today where Darla entertained at the Kiwanis club luncheon. The beautiful little brunette and her parents, will leave Monday (the 22nd) for Hollywood where Darla will continue her motion picture career.
Darla has been singing ever since she was two years old, amusing friends at the Hood home in Leedey, but it has been only a year since she started studying singing and dancing. Her parents took her to Kathryn Duffy, well known Oklahoma City teacher, who immediately discovered the child's exceptional talents. It wasn't long until Darla was taken on road tours with many of Kathryn Duffy's shows where she made such a hit, that the eagle eyes of movie scouts turned her way, and she was offered a long contract to make pictures.
In eight months, Darla has made eight pictures, and is eager to return to the West coast to make more. "I like it out there," she said, "'cause I can play on the beach."
Darla's songs at the luncheon "brought down the house." Especially good was the way she sang "The Music Goes Round," but Darla is partial to "Wahoo," which she says mean "yippee."
She captivated luncheon guests with the way which she cut those big brown eyes around to put over the blues songs to which she is partial. Many among her audience were children who were eager for a glimpse of the famous Western Oklahoma starlet.
Darla has an unusually strong voice for one who will celebrate her fifth birthday in November. She admits that her tastes don't run to the classics.
"I like blues' songs," she said as if she were imparting a secret of the greatest importance. Darla has no hesitation about telling who her favorite movie stars are.
"Oh, I like Dick Powell and Frances Langford best." Here her mother interrupted to remark that anyone could readily see that she likes the so-called "torch-song" type of music, for which Langford is famous.
Darla could hardly wait to return to Sayre where she and her parents are the guests of Mrs. Hood's parents. "I'm going to go swimming. I'm going to go swimming," she sang out while her mother was busy packing her dancing costume away. She stopped in her dancing about the room to tell the reporter that she and her little cousin in Sayre, Mel Ruth Danner, were going to go swimming just as soon as its gets cool enough.
"I'm sure going to miss my little cousin," she sighed, "but she's going to come and see us in Hollywood one of these summers, and so is Kathryn Duffy."
Although she only had a few moments to talk, Darla managed to give her impression of Hollywood, where the "sets are so cool and it's so much fun working." Child actors are only allowed to work six hours a day, Mrs. Hood said, but generally they don't work that long, for studios are most considerate.
"Darla's beginning to suffer terribly with the heat out here now," Mrs. Hood said, "but up until now, she has felt very well."
Just as the tiny star was bidding several of her newly made friends good bye, she happened to remember that she had a new cowboy suit, and she just had to tell about it, even though her mother was impatient to leave.