George McFarland

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George McFarland (born October 2, 1928 in Dallas , Texas , † June 30, 1993 in Grapevine , Texas) was an American actor. He achieved worldwide fame as a child through the role of Spanky in the film series The Little Rascals , in which he played in almost 100 short films between 1932 and 1942.

life and career

Career as a child star

George McFarland was born in Dallas to Robert Emmett and Virginia Winifred McFarland. He had three siblings named Amanda, Roderick and Thomas, the latter also had minor roles in a number of Our Gang films. The child actor was not called Spanky by his family, but "Buddy". As a baby he was already working as a model for a bakery, and later for children's clothing in a department store. It was also featured on billboards and in advertisements for Wonder Bread, a brand of white bread. In January 1931, Hal Roach Studios in Culver City searched a newspaper ad for pictures of "cute kids." George's aunt Dottie sent photos of him to Culver City and George received an invitation from Hal Roach Studios to test-shoot in California . He passed the test with no problems and became a member of the Little Rascals while his family moved him from Texas to California. In February 1932 the film Free Eats premiered in cinemas, the first film with George McFarland in the Little Rascals.

The origin of the nickname Spanky, which he also carries in the films, is not entirely clear: The most popular story says that the name came about when his mother threatened him in the office of producer Hal Roach because of his bad behavior . George McFarland himself said that the name was given to him by a Los Angeles newspaper editor who called him a spanky child in an article . Today this slang-like phrase is largely forgotten, back then it stood for an intelligent and talented toddler - attributes that were ascribed to him for his early career as a child star. In his contract, George's parents secured the rights to use the name "Spanky" exclusively for future business purposes and personal activities.

Spanky McFarland suddenly became one of the most popular child actors of the Little Rascals. While as a small child he was often used as a cheeky scene thief with the older children, from 1935 he was mostly seen as an intelligent leader of the gang. Above all, his natural comedic talent for the right timing as well as his funny facial expressions and his acting talent were praised. He was often seen at the side of Alfalfa ( Carl Switzer ), with Spanky being seen as a leading and enterprising "idea man", while Alfalfa acted as his sidekick . In 1936 he played the title role in General Spanky , the only feature film by The Little Tramp. Because of his popularity as a child star, he was also active as an advertising star and had other film appearances outside of the Little Rascals, for example alongside Fred MacMurray and Henry Fonda in Battle in the Mountains (1936).

When MGM took over the series from Hal Roach Studios in 1938, McFarland actually wanted to retire from the little thugs. A new leader of the series was sought to replace McFarland, but because a suitable candidate could not be found, he took the role again. By 1942 he played in 95 episodes of The Little Rascals. But then he received only minor film roles, including as a scoutmaster in the film Dangerous Encounter of Fritz Lang . McFarland was drafted into the army at the age of 24 and after his return found no more work in the film, as he always remained "Spanky" in people's minds and they did not take other roles for him.

Next life

As an adult, McFarland worked as a seller of ice cream, hamburgers, wine, electronics and furniture, among other things. At times he also owned his own restaurant. In the mid-1950s, the Little Rascals comedies were on television and enjoyed renewed popularity. A regional broadcaster in Tulsa gave McFarland its own show "Spanky's Clubhouse", which showed short films by the little rascals and welcomed popular studio guests such as James Arness . Because McFarland was not allowed to develop the format further, he left the show in 1960. George McFarland then returned to the job of salesman. At the electronics group Philco-Ford Corporation, he acted for many years as the top instructor for prospective salespeople. During his time at Philco, he helped found The Nostalgia Channel in 1985 .

Towards the end of his life he used his name and fame for charitable causes, mainly by participating in golf tournaments. He even had his own charitable golf tournament named after him in Marion , Indiana . He also traveled through America with a one-man show and made cameo appearances on various television shows, for example, he impersonated himself in an episode of the series Cheers in 1993 . George McFarland died of a sudden heart attack in June 1993 at the age of 64 . He left his wife Doris and three children. He is buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin .

Filmography

Birthday Blues (1932)
Wild Poses (1933)
Bored of Education (1936)
General Spanky (1936)

Also:

  • 1933: One Track Minds
  • 1933: Day of Reckoning
  • 1934: The Cracked Iceman
  • 1934: Where is Madeleine F.'s child? (Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen)
  • 1934: Kentucky Kernels
  • 1935: Here Comes the Band
  • 1935: O'Shaughnessy's Boy
  • 1936: Battle in the Mountains (The Trail of the Lonesome Pine)
  • 1938: Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus
  • 1938: Katnip colleague voice
  • 1942: Johnny Doughboy
  • 1943: I Escaped from the Gestapo
  • 1943: Seeing Hands short film
  • 1944: Cowboy and the Senorita
  • 1945: Dangerous Encounters (The Woman in the Window)
  • 1955–1960: Spanky's Clubhouse (presenter, television series)
  • 1986: Aurora - The Visitor from Space (The Aurora Encounter)
  • 1993: Cheers (TV series, one episode: Woody Gets an Election )

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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
  2. ↑ Maltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang, New York: Crown Publishing / Three Rivers Press
  3. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/01/obituaries/spanky-mcfarland-64-actor-in-the-our-gang-comedies.html
personal data
SURNAME McFarland, George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McFarland, George Robert Phillips (full name); Spanky (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH October 2, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Dallas , Texas
DATE OF DEATH June 30, 1993
Place of death Grapevine , Texas