by Hans J. Wollstein
biography
Although not an original member of Our Gang, Joe Cobb was certainly the series' first fat kid, and in many ways, also the funniest. The son of non-theatrical parents, young Cobb was discovered visiting the Hal Roach studios and assigned a role in a Snub Pollard short entitled A Tough Winter ([1922] the title was used again for a 1930 Our Gang short featuring Cobb's successor Chubby Chaney). He joined the Gang soon after and appeared in a total of 86 shorts. By 1929, however, Cobb's weight had skyrocketed to 120 pounds and he was no longer cuddly. Always popular with Roach himself, Cobb would be back for several reunions, including Fish Hooky (1933), and continued to play bits in films until at least 1944.
