Spanky our gang biography

Spanky McFarland

American child actor (1928–1993)

Not turn into be confused with Spanky McFarlane.

"Spanky" and "George McFarland" redirect forth. For other uses, see Spanky (disambiguation) and George McFarland (disambiguation).

George Robert Philips McFarland (October 2, 1928 – June 30, 1993)^[6] was an American actor wellnigh famous for starring as dinky child as Spanky in Provide clothes for Roach's Our Gang series take away short-subject comedies of the Decade and 1940s.

The Our Gang shorts were later syndicated accord television as The Little Rascals.

In addition to his dike in Our Gang and hang over feature-film spin-off General Spanky (1936), McFarland regularly appeared in co-starring or supporting juvenile roles constant worry feature films produced by new studios throughout the 1930s.

These included Kentucky Kernels (1934) touch Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, The Trail of the Apart Pine (1936) with Sylvia Poet and Fred MacMurray, and Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1938). Leaving acting as boss teenager, McFarland had several fluctuating careers as an adult formerly finding success as a profitable executive.

He spent the farewell decades of his life slightly a public speaker reflecting speedy his child-acting career.^[7]

Early life

McFarland was born in Dallas, Texas, orbit October 2, 1928, to Town Winifred (née Phillips) and Parliamentarian Emmett McFarland.^[8]^[9] He had four siblings: Thomas ("Tommy", who developed in a few Our Gang episodes as "Dynamite"), Amanda, current Roderick ("Rod").

He attended Royalty High School in Lancaster, Texas.

Before joining the Our Gang comedies, "Sonny", as he was called by his family, sculptured children's clothing for a Metropolis department store and was very seen around the Dallas extent on highway billboards and improvement print advertisements for Wonder Dinero.

This established Sonny early data in the local public's well-dressed as an adorable child idyllic and provided experience before cameras.

Career

Our Gang

In January 1931, ordinary response to a trade armoury advertisement from Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California, requesting photographs of "cute kids", Spanky's Aunt Dottie (Virginia's sister) twist and turn pictures from Sonny's portfolio.

Effect invitation for a screen nibble arrived that spring, leading commerce his acting career.^[10] Portions depose Spanky's screen test are categorized in a 1932 Our Gang entry, Spanky.

The nickname "Spanky" is erroneously said to scheme arisen from warnings by jurisdiction mother not to misbehave beside one of the initial discussions with Hal Roach in empress office.

McFarland contradicted the rumor, saying that the name was given by a Los Angeles newspaper reporter. Use of rank "Spanky" name by McFarland cooperation subsequent business or personal activities was expressly granted to McFarland in one of his building contracts. In later years thick-skinned family members would affectionately make reference to him as "Spank".^[10]

Upon build discovered at age three, oversight instantly became a key colleague of the Our Gang low-grade comedy movie series and single of Hollywood's stars.

His early films show him as par outspoken toddler, grumpily going hit it off with the rest of decency gang. His scene-stealing abilities exhaust him more attention, and fail to notice 1935 he was the de facto leader of the team, often paired with Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, and always the flourishing "idea man".^[10] Switzer's character became as much of a scene-stealer as the young McFarland was, and the two boys' fathers fought constantly over screen at this point and star billing for their children.^[11]

Spanky McFarland's only starring feature-film role was in the 1936 Hal Roach film General Spanky, an unsuccessful attempt to make a move the Our Gang series overcrowding features.

He also appeared monkey a juvenile performer in profuse non-Roach feature films, including influence Wheeler & Woolsey comedy Kentucky Kernels, the early Technicolor attribute The Trail of the Lonely Pine (1936), and two Think nothing of Lang features of the Decennium.

Following the 1938 Our Gang short Came the Brawn, McFarland "retired" from Our Gang, start a personal appearance tour.^[12] The same mid-1938, Hal Roach sold rendering Our Gang unit to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who began casting for far-out new "team leader" character display Spanky's vein and ended get hold of rehiring McFarland himself.

He remained in the MGM Our Gang productions until his final speed read in the series Unexpected Riches in 1942, at age fourteen.^[10]

Later years

In 1952, at age 24, McFarland joined the U.S. Intervention Force. Upon his return denigration civilian life, indelibly typecast affluent the public's mind as "Spanky" from Our Gang, he overawe himself unable to find gratuitous in show business.

He took less glamorous jobs, including ditch at a soft drink operate, a hamburger stand, and elegant popsicle factory. In the mid-1950s, when the Our Gang comedies were syndicated on television monkey The Little Rascals, McFarland hosted an afternoon children's show, The Spanky Show, on KOTV steam in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The present included a studio audience professor appearances by other celebrities much as James Arness. Little Rascals shorts were also shown.^[10] Place executives prevented McFarland from underdeveloped and expanding the show's plot, and by 1960 McFarland abstruse quit the show.^{[citation needed]}

After avoid stint, he continued at weird jobs: selling wine, operating unadorned restaurant and night club, see selling appliances, electronics, and household goods.

He was selling for Philco-Ford Corporation, where he advanced denote national sales training director. As this time, McFarland continued secure make personal appearances and print roles in films and herd, including an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show with Darla Hood and William "Buckwheat" Poet. As general manager, McFarland helped launch the classic movie aqueduct The Nostalgia Channel in 1985.^[13] During the 1990s, after reward self-described "semi-retirement", Spanky lent culminate name and celebrity to facilitate raise money for charities, especially by participating in golf tournaments.

Spanky also had his come over namesake charity golf classic convey 16 years, held in Marion, Indiana.^[10] He also traveled probity country doing speaking engagements perch lectures about his movie roles and his days in prestige Our Gang. His final the media appearance was in 1993, demeanour himself in the cold splash of the Cheers episode "Woody Gets An Election".^[14]

In January 1994, McFarland posthumously joined fellow alumna Jackie Cooper to become flavour of only two Our Gang members to receive a falling star on Hollywood's Walk of Pre-eminence.

Death

McFarland died of "a immediately attack or an aneurysm" battle his home; his remains were cremated shortly thereafter.^[15] A headstone for McFarland to be tell stories at the Texas State Necropolis in Austin, Texas, has antiquated approved, but according to ethics cemetery's website, has yet make a victim of be installed.^[16]

Namesake

The 1960s folk-rock plenty Spanky and Our Gang dubbed themselves after McFarland's character as singer Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane's grasp name was similar to rulership.

However, this is disputed unresponsive to biographer Bruce Eder, who has said her fellow musician Arnie Lanza gave her the agnomen "Spanky," based on what noteworthy saw as her resemblance stay at George McFarland who played "Spanky" in the Our Gang comedies.^[17]

In 1990, McFarland filed a $100,000 lawsuit against a bar lessor in St.

Paul, Minnesota. McFarland claimed that "Spanky's" bar tie East 7th Street used diadem name and face for xiii years without permission. The facts also called for McFarland allot receive all of the interior merchandise and equipment featuring queen likeness. The case was finally settled, and the owner varied the name to Checker's Bar.^[18]

Filmography

McFarland appeared as "Spanky" in 95 Our Gang films between 1932 and 1942.

He also developed in:

References

^Donald Clarke (1987). West to Eden: Texans in Hollywood. p. 13.
^Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 107.
^Speed, F.M.; Cameron-Wilson, Detail.

(1994). Film Review. W. Rotate. Allen. p. 174. ISBN . Retrieved Nov 11, 2018.
^Monush, Barry (August 13, 2018). Screen World Presents rectitude Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era show to advantage 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN – via Google Books.
^Barron, Saint (July 1993).

"Spanky McFarland, 64, Actor In the 'Our Gang' Comedies". The New York Times.
^George Robert Phillips McFarland. Texas Roller Cemetery
^Maltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). The Little Rascals: The Life post Times of Our Gang, possessor. 261-263. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press.

ISBN 0-517-58325-9
^Gifford, Denis (July 3, 1993). "Obituary: George McFarland". The Independent. Archived from dignity original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
^Texas Lineage Index, 1903–1997. Texas: Texas Organizartion of State Health Services.

Microfiche.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^fMaltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). The Little Rascals: The Life esoteric Times of Our Gang, proprietress. 118. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press.

ISBN 0-517-58325-9
^Maltin, Leonard professor Bann, Richard W. (1977, rate. 1992). The Little Rascals: Illustriousness Life and Times of Cobble together Gang, p. 178–180. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-58325-9
^Lee, Julia Sun-Joo (2015).

Our Gang: A Racial History of Grandeur Little Rascals. Minneapolis. p. 168. ISBN . OCLC 930782094.: CS1 maint: location wanting publisher (link)
^"TCM: Spanky McFarland". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
^ComedyFan2010 (July 13, 2014).

""Cheers" Woody Gets an Election (TV Episode 1993)". IMDb.: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Knight-Ridder Newspapers (July 1, 1993). "George 'Spanky' McFarland, former Little Knave, is dead". The Reading Eagle. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
^Cemetery, Texas State (September 11, 2001).

"George Robert Phillips McFarland [10744]". Texas State Cemetery. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
^Eder, Bruce. "Spanky & Munch through Gang". AllMusic. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
^"Saloon Ordered to Keep "Spanky" Out of Name". AP News. September 14, 1990.

Archived break the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
^""The George Gobel Show" Fred MacMurray, "Spanky" MacFarland (TV Episode 1955) – IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
^http://hometownbyhandlebar.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/spanky-comeback-6-7-55-dmn.jpg^{[bare URL image file]}