As an adult, he was featured as an extra in a number of my favorite TV series: Sanford and Son, Newhart, and Picket Fences, for example. As a child, he starred as Isaiah in the Academy Award winning 1931 feature Cimarron. But, most importantly, Eugene Jackson starred in six of the silent Our Gang films in 1924-25. As the third major black actor in the series, he was brought in to play the big brother to “Farina” after “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison had graduated from the series. He was christened as “Pineapple” because of his afro which seemed to stand on end, resembling the tropical fruit.
Of all of the former Little Rascals that I met on July 31, 1980 during the Our Gang reunion meet-and-greet at the Sons convention in Los Angeles, Pineapple was the most memorable. This was because I arrived at this table and waited for him for a few minutes with my little blue autograph book in hand before he arrived. When he finally did, he swooped me up in his arms and gave me a huge hug and told me how happy he was to make my acquaintance, before signing my book. Heck, I didn’t even really know who this guy was since he appeared in such a limited number of the films, but it still sticks in my head that he was certainly one of the friendliest.
Pineapple’s signature in my autograph album
Dad snapped a photo of him at his table. I was surprised seven years later when I saw him on an Our Gang documentary and he was completelely bald. I hadn’t realized at the time that he was a wearing a wig (which sort of resembled his hair as a kid) during the 1980 convention. Also around 1987, my friend Bob Satterfield sent me the photo below that Pineapple had signed, my first photo with his signature. Pineapple would later go on to be a guest at Sons of the Desert conventions in 1992, 1994, and 1996 and I engaged with him during these events as well. He passed away in 2001.
Pineapple and the fake hair at Hollywood ’80
Our Gang promo photo signed by Joe Cobb and Pineapple Jackson in 1987
On a completely unrelated note, I had a good friend named Terry Fisher in high school who also went by the same moniker as Eugene Jackson, due to the fact that he was from Hawaii. Not many people can claim to know one, much less two people with the nickname “Pineapple.”
More Our Gang from Hollywood ’80 to come…
I happen to know no less than seven Pineapples and a Rhubarb.
Chris Tangeman
July 31st, 2007
I had the pleasure of meeting Pineapple at the ’92 and ’94 conventions. He was such a friendly guy; I don’t remember seeing him for one moment without a smile on his face. I was surprised when I saw the picture of him wearing the wig. Thought you might have spilled ink on the picture.
Devin
August 7th, 2007