Dorothy de Borba
by Fred T. Beeman

Former “Little Rascals” (“Our Gang”) moppet Dorothy de Borba passed away from the ravages of Emphysema on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at age 85, at a Walnut Creek CA hospital. Her character in her 24 Hal Roach comedies was “Dorothy,” although she was also occasionally billed under the character’s nickname of “Echo,” because her character would sometimes repeat the words of her older brother (Norman "Chubby" Chaney) in the series, verbatim.

Born on March 28, 1925, in Los Angeles, the daughter of show business performers was 5 years old when she began appearing in the popular series of comedy shorts from 1930-33. The story is told that she was hand-picked by Hal Roach, due to impressing him with her incomparable ability to shed tears on cue. (Not many child actors could do that without conjuring up some horrid mental image of a family pet being killed.)

Her acting career ended in the 1930s, shortly after production wrapped on the comedy shorts, but she stayed connected to the industry in several ways, such as working as a secretary (among other jobs) for Republic Pictures, after graduating from Van Nuys High School. She also performed clerking duties for the Graduate School of Journalism at UC - Berkeley.

Because she had been befriended by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (whose comedy shorts were also filmed at the Roach studios) she was a member of their fan club, “The Sons of the Desert,” and was a frequent guest speaker at many of their gatherings.

Dorothy de Borba Haberreiter is survived by her daughter Janet Moorehead and her son, Richard Haberreiter. We extend our deepest sympathies to them, as well as to the many friends and fans of "the little bundle of curls, pep, and mischief."