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Spanky McFarland

May 04, 2023

"Spanky" and "George McFarland" redirect here. 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 most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. The Our Gang shorts were later syndicated to television as The Little Rascals.

George McFarland
McFarland as "Spanky" in
Our Gang Follies of 1938
Born
George Robert Phillips McFarland or George Emmett McFarland[1][2]

(1928-10-02)October 2, 1928
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedJune 30, 1993(1993-06-30) (aged 64)[3][4]
Grapevine, Texas, U.S.
OccupationChild actor
Years active1931–1944
Spouse
Doris McFarland
​
(m. 1967)​
[5]
Children3

Early life

McFarland was born in Dallas, Texas, on October 2, 1928, to Virginia Winifred (née Phillips) and Robert Emmett McFarland.[7][8] He had three siblings: Thomas ("Tommy", who appeared in a few Our Gang episodes as "Dynamite"), Amanda, and Roderick ("Rod"). He attended Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Texas.

Before joining the Our Gang comedies, "Sonny", as he was called by his family, modeled children's clothing for a Dallas department store and was also seen around the Dallas area on highway billboards and in print advertisements for Wonder Bread. This established Sonny early on in the local public's eye as an adorable child model and provided experience before cameras.

Career

Our Gang

In January 1931, in response to a trade magazine advertisement from Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California, requesting photographs of "cute kids", Spanky's Aunt Dottie (Virginia's sister) sent pictures from Sonny's portfolio. An invitation for a screen test arrived that spring, leading to his acting career.[9] Portions of Spanky's screen test are included in a 1932 Our Gang entry, Spanky.

The nickname "Spanky" is erroneously said to have arisen from warnings by his mother not to misbehave during one of the initial discussions with Hal Roach in his office. McFarland contradicted the tale, saying that the name was given by a Los Angeles newspaper reporter. Use of the "Spanky" name by McFarland for subsequent business or personal activities was expressly granted to McFarland in one of his studio contracts. In later years some family members would affectionately refer to him as "Spank".[9]

Upon being discovered at age three, he instantly became a key member of the Our Gang children's comedy movie series and one of Hollywood's stars. His earliest films show him as an outspoken toddler, grumpily going along with the rest of the gang. His scene-stealing abilities brought him more attention, and by 1935 he was the de facto leader of the gang, often paired with Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, and always the enterprising "idea man".[9] Switzer's character became as much of a scene-stealer as the young McFarland was, and the two boys' fathers fought constantly over screen time and star billing for their children.[10]

Spanky McFarland's only starring feature-film role was in the 1936 Hal Roach film General Spanky, an unsuccessful attempt to move the Our Gang series into features. He also appeared as a juvenile performer in many non-Roach feature films, including the Wheeler & Woolsey comedy Kentucky Kernels and two Fritz Lang features of the 1940s.

Following the 1938 Our Gang short Came the Brawn, McFarland "retired" from Our Gang, beginning a personal appearance tour.[11] In mid-1938, Hal Roach sold the Our Gang unit to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who began casting for a new "team leader" character in Spanky's vein and ended up rehiring McFarland himself. He remained in the MGM Our Gang productions until his final appearance in the series Unexpected Riches in 1942, at age fourteen.[9]

Later years

In 1952, at age 24, McFarland joined the United States Air Force. Upon his return to civilian life, indelibly typecast in the public's mind as "Spanky" from Our Gang, he found himself unable to find work in show business. He took less glamorous jobs, including work at a soft drink plant, a hamburger stand, and a popsicle factory. In the mid-1950s, when the Our Gang comedies were syndicated on television as The Little Rascals, McFarland hosted an afternoon children's show, The Spanky Show, on KOTV television in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The show included a studio audience and appearances by other celebrities such as James Arness. Little Rascals shorts were also shown.[9] Station executives prevented McFarland from developing and expanding the show's format, and by 1960 McFarland had quit the show.[citation needed]

After that stint, he continued at odd jobs: selling wine, operating a restaurant and night club, and selling appliances, electronics, and furniture. He was selling for Philco-Ford Corporation, where he advanced to national sales training director. During this time, McFarland continued to make personal appearances and cameo roles in films and television, including an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show with Darla Hood and William "Buckwheat" Thomas. As general manager, McFarland helped launch the classic movie channel The Nostalgia Channel in 1985.[12] During the 1990s, after his self-described "semi-retirement", Spanky lent his name and celebrity to help raise money for charities, primarily by participating in golf tournaments. Spanky also had his own namesake charity golf classic for 16 years, held in Marion, Indiana.[9] He also traveled the country doing speaking engagements and lectures about his movie roles and his days in the Our Gang. His final television appearance was in 1993, playing himself in the cold open of the Cheers episode "Woody Gets An Election".[13]

In January 1994, McFarland posthumously joined fellow alumnus Jackie Cooper to become one of only two Our Gang members to receive a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Death

McFarland died in his home of "a heart attack or an aneurysm"; his remains were cremated shortly thereafter.[14] A cenotaph for McFarland to be placed at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas, has been approved, but according to the cemetery's website, has yet to be installed.[15]

Namesake

Sixties folk-rock group Spanky and Our Gang named themselves after McFarland's character because singer Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane's last name was similar to his. However, this is disputed by biographer Bruce Eder, who has said her fellow musician Arnie Lanza gave her the nickname "Spanky," based on what he saw as her resemblance to George McFarland who played "Spanky" in the Our Gang comedies.[16]

In 1990, McFarland filed a $100,000.00 lawsuit against a bar owner in Saint Paul, Minnesota. McFarland claimed that "Spanky's" bar on East 7th Street used his name and face for thirteen years without permission. The lawsuit also called for McFarland to receive all of the internal merchandise and equipment featuring his likeness. The case was eventually settled, and the owner changed the name to Checker's Bar.[17]

Filmography

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

References

  1. ^ Donald Clarke (1987). West to Eden: Texans in Hollywood. p. 13.
  2. ^ Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 107.
  3. ^ Speed, F.M.; Cameron-Wilson, J. (1994). Film Review. W. H. Allen. p. 174. ISBN 9780863698422. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  4. ^ Monush, Barry (August 13, 2018). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9781557835512 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Barron, James (July 1993). "Spanky McFarland, 64, Actor In the 'Our Gang' Comedies". The New York Times.
  6. ^ George Robert Phillips McFarland. Texas State Cemetery
  7. ^ Gifford, Denis (July 3, 1993). "Obituary: George McFarland". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  8. ^ Texas Birth Index, 1903–1997. Texas: Texas Department of State Health Services. Microfiche.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Maltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang, p. 118. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-58325-9
  10. ^ Maltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang, p. 178–180. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-58325-9
  11. ^ Lee, Julia Sun-Joo (2015). Our gang : a racial history of The little rascals. Minneapolis. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-4529-4977-2. OCLC 930782094.
  12. ^ "TCM: Spanky McFarland". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  13. ^ ComedyFan2010 (July 13, 2014). ""Cheers" Woody Gets an Election (TV Episode 1993)". IMDb.
  14. ^ Knight-Ridder Newspapers (July 1, 1993). "George 'Spanky' McFarland, former Little Rascal, is dead". The Reading Eagle. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  15. ^ Cemetery, Texas State (September 11, 2001). "George Robert Phillips McFarland [10744]". Texas State Cemetery. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  16. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Spanky & Our Gang". AllMusic. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  17. ^ "Saloon Ordered to Keep "Spanky" Out of Name". AP NEWS.
  18. ^ ""The George Gobel Show" Fred MacMurray, "Spanky" MacFarland (TV Episode 1955) – IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  19. ^ http://hometownbyhandlebar.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/spanky-comeback-6-7-55-dmn.jpg[bare URL image file]

Further reading

  • Cooper, Jackie (1982). Please Don't Shoot My Dog: The Autobiography of Jackie Cooper. New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-425-07483-8.
  • Ramsey, Steve. Our Gang Online. Ramseyltd.com (No longer online). Retrieved August 3, 2002, at the Wayback Machine (Appears to be back online a/o October 21, 2007).
  • Best, Marc. Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen (South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971), pp. 182–186.
  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 160–161.
  • Willson, Dixie. Little Hollywood Stars. Akron, OH, e New York: Saalfield Pub. Co., 1935.
  • Parish, James Robert. Great Child Stars. New York: Ace Books, 1976.
  • Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914–1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, pp. 144–145.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George McFarland.

May 04, 2023
spanky, mcfarland, spanky, george, mcfarland, redirect, here, other, uses, spanky, disambiguation, george, mcfarland, disambiguation, george, robert, philips, mcfarland, october, 1928, june, 1993, american, actor, most, famous, starring, child, spanky, gang, s. Spanky and George McFarland redirect here 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 most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in the Our Gang series of short subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s The Our Gang shorts were later syndicated to television as The Little Rascals George McFarlandMcFarland as Spanky inOur Gang Follies of 1938BornGeorge Robert Phillips McFarland or George Emmett McFarland 1 2 1928 10 02 October 2 1928Dallas Texas U S DiedJune 30 1993 1993 06 30 aged 64 3 4 Grapevine Texas U S OccupationChild actorYears active1931 1944SpouseDoris McFarland m 1967 wbr 5 Children3 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Our Gang 2 2 Later years 3 Death 4 Namesake 5 Filmography 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksEarly life EditMcFarland was born in Dallas Texas on October 2 1928 to Virginia Winifred nee Phillips and Robert Emmett McFarland 7 8 He had three siblings Thomas Tommy who appeared in a few Our Gang episodes as Dynamite Amanda and Roderick Rod He attended Lancaster High School in Lancaster Texas Before joining the Our Gang comedies Sonny as he was called by his family modeled children s clothing for a Dallas department store and was also seen around the Dallas area on highway billboards and in print advertisements for Wonder Bread This established Sonny early on in the local public s eye as an adorable child model and provided experience before cameras Career EditOur Gang Edit In January 1931 in response to a trade magazine advertisement from Hal Roach Studios in Culver City California requesting photographs of cute kids Spanky s Aunt Dottie Virginia s sister sent pictures from Sonny s portfolio An invitation for a screen test arrived that spring leading to his acting career 9 Portions of Spanky s screen test are included in a 1932 Our Gang entry Spanky The nickname Spanky is erroneously said to have arisen from warnings by his mother not to misbehave during one of the initial discussions with Hal Roach in his office McFarland contradicted the tale saying that the name was given by a Los Angeles newspaper reporter Use of the Spanky name by McFarland for subsequent business or personal activities was expressly granted to McFarland in one of his studio contracts In later years some family members would affectionately refer to him as Spank 9 Upon being discovered at age three he instantly became a key member of the Our Gang children s comedy movie series and one of Hollywood s stars His earliest films show him as an outspoken toddler grumpily going along with the rest of the gang His scene stealing abilities brought him more attention and by 1935 he was the de facto leader of the gang often paired with Carl Alfalfa Switzer and always the enterprising idea man 9 Switzer s character became as much of a scene stealer as the young McFarland was and the two boys fathers fought constantly over screen time and star billing for their children 10 Spanky McFarland s only starring feature film role was in the 1936 Hal Roach film General Spanky an unsuccessful attempt to move the Our Gang series into features He also appeared as a juvenile performer in many non Roach feature films including the Wheeler amp Woolsey comedy Kentucky Kernels and two Fritz Lang features of the 1940s Following the 1938 Our Gang short Came the Brawn McFarland retired from Our Gang beginning a personal appearance tour 11 In mid 1938 Hal Roach sold the Our Gang unit to Metro Goldwyn Mayer who began casting for a new team leader character in Spanky s vein and ended up rehiring McFarland himself He remained in the MGM Our Gang productions until his final appearance in the series Unexpected Riches in 1942 at age fourteen 9 Later years Edit In 1952 at age 24 McFarland joined the United States Air Force Upon his return to civilian life indelibly typecast in the public s mind as Spanky from Our Gang he found himself unable to find work in show business He took less glamorous jobs including work at a soft drink plant a hamburger stand and a popsicle factory In the mid 1950s when the Our Gang comedies were syndicated on television as The Little Rascals McFarland hosted an afternoon children s show The Spanky Show on KOTV television in Tulsa Oklahoma The show included a studio audience and appearances by other celebrities such as James Arness Little Rascals shorts were also shown 9 Station executives prevented McFarland from developing and expanding the show s format and by 1960 McFarland had quit the show citation needed After that stint he continued at odd jobs selling wine operating a restaurant and night club and selling appliances electronics and furniture He was selling for Philco Ford Corporation where he advanced to national sales training director During this time McFarland continued to make personal appearances and cameo roles in films and television including an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show with Darla Hood and William Buckwheat Thomas As general manager McFarland helped launch the classic movie channel The Nostalgia Channel in 1985 12 During the 1990s after his self described semi retirement Spanky lent his name and celebrity to help raise money for charities primarily by participating in golf tournaments Spanky also had his own namesake charity golf classic for 16 years held in Marion Indiana 9 He also traveled the country doing speaking engagements and lectures about his movie roles and his days in the Our Gang His final television appearance was in 1993 playing himself in the cold open of the Cheers episode Woody Gets An Election 13 In January 1994 McFarland posthumously joined fellow alumnus Jackie Cooper to become one of only two Our Gang members to receive a star on Hollywood s Walk of Fame Death EditMcFarland died in his home of a heart attack or an aneurysm his remains were cremated shortly thereafter 14 A cenotaph for McFarland to be placed at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin Texas has been approved but according to the cemetery s website has yet to be installed 15 Namesake EditSixties folk rock group Spanky and Our Gang named themselves after McFarland s character because singer Elaine Spanky McFarlane s last name was similar to his However this is disputed by biographer Bruce Eder who has said her fellow musician Arnie Lanza gave her the nickname Spanky based on what he saw as her resemblance to George McFarland who played Spanky in the Our Gang comedies 16 In 1990 McFarland filed a 100 000 00 lawsuit against a bar owner in Saint Paul Minnesota McFarland claimed that Spanky s bar on East 7th Street used his name and face for thirteen years without permission The lawsuit also called for McFarland to receive all of the internal merchandise and equipment featuring his likeness The case was eventually settled and the owner changed the name to Checker s Bar 17 Filmography EditMcFarland appeared as Spanky in 95 Our Gang films between 1932 and 1942 He also appeared in The Famous Ferguson Case 1932 as newsboy One Track Minds 1933 Short as Spanky uncredited Day of Reckoning 1933 as Johnny Day Miss Fane s Baby Is Stolen 1934 as Johnny Prentiss The Cracked Iceman 1934 Short as boy who says Just skip it Kentucky Kernels 1934 as Spanky Here Comes the Band 1935 as Spanky Lowry O Shaughnessy s Boy 1935 as Joseph Stubby O Shaughnessy as a child The Trail of the Lonesome Pine 1936 as Buddie Tolliver General Spanky 1936 as Spanfield George Spanky Leonard Peck s Bad Boy with the Circus 1938 as Pee Wee Johnny Doughboy 1942 as Spanky I Escaped from the Gestapo 1943 as Billy Seeing Hands 1943 Short as the boy leading the initiation uncredited Cowboy and the Senorita 1944 as the kid who trips Teddy Bear uncredited The Woman in the Window 1944 as the boy scout who finds Mazard s body uncredited Spanky s Clubhouse 1950 as host The George Gobel Show 1955 as self 18 19 The Aurora Encounter 1986 as the governor King B A Life in the Movies 1993 as himself Cheers 1993 Episode Woody Gets an Election as himself final appearance References Edit Donald Clarke 1987 West to Eden Texans in Hollywood p 13 Joseph F Clarke 1977 Pseudonyms BCA p 107 Speed F M Cameron Wilson J 1994 Film Review W H Allen p 174 ISBN 9780863698422 Retrieved November 11 2018 Monush Barry August 13 2018 Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors From the silent era to 1965 Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN 9781557835512 via Google Books Barron James July 1993 Spanky McFarland 64 Actor In the Our Gang Comedies The New York Times George Robert Phillips McFarland Texas State Cemetery Gifford Denis July 3 1993 Obituary George McFarland The Independent Archived from the original on May 24 2022 Retrieved December 11 2019 Texas Birth Index 1903 1997 Texas Texas Department of State Health Services Microfiche a b c d e f Maltin Leonard and Bann Richard W 1977 rev 1992 The Little Rascals The Life and Times of Our Gang p 118 New York Crown Publishing Three Rivers Press ISBN 0 517 58325 9 Maltin Leonard and Bann Richard W 1977 rev 1992 The Little Rascals The Life and Times of Our 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 The little rascals Minneapolis p 168 ISBN 978 1 4529 4977 2 OCLC 930782094 TCM Spanky McFarland Turner Classic Movies Retrieved April 8 2013 ComedyFan2010 July 13 2014 Cheers Woody Gets an Election TV Episode 1993 IMDb Knight Ridder Newspapers July 1 1993 George Spanky McFarland former Little Rascal 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 amp Our Gang AllMusic Retrieved November 21 2020 Saloon Ordered to Keep Spanky Out of Name AP NEWS 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 Further reading EditCooper Jackie 1982 Please Don t Shoot My Dog The Autobiography of Jackie Cooper New York Penguin Putnam ISBN 0 425 07483 8 Ramsey Steve Our Gang Online Ramseyltd com No longer online Retrieved Archived August 3 2002 at the Wayback Machine Appears to be back online a o October 21 2007 Best Marc Those Endearing Young Charms Child Performers of the Screen South Brunswick and New York Barnes amp Co 1971 pp 182 186 Holmstrom John The Moving Picture Boy An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995 Norwich Michael Russell 1996 pp 160 161 Willson Dixie Little Hollywood Stars Akron OH e New York Saalfield Pub Co 1935 Parish James Robert Great Child Stars New York Ace Books 1976 Dye David Child and Youth Actors Filmography of Their Entire Careers 1914 1985 Jefferson NC McFarland amp Co 1988 pp 144 145 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to George McFarland Biography portalGeorge Spanky McFarland at IMDb George Spanky McFarland at the TCM Movie Database Spanky McFarland at AllMovie McFarland 1987 appearance on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Spanky McFarland amp oldid 1152559323, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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