SPANKY, MY FAVORITE RASCAL

George "Spanky" McFarland as a baby on the Little Rascals.

George Robert Phillips McFarland was born October 2, 1928, in Dallas. Before he joined Our Gang, McFarland modeled children’s clothing for a Dallas department store. He also was famously seen on Dallas highway billboards and in print advertisements for Wonder Bread.

McFarland’s Aunt Dottie responded to an ad from Hal Roach Studios requesting photographs of “cute kids,” and he was cast as Spanky. The nickname is said to have come from his mother, who urged him not to misbehave in Roach’s office. He had a habit of grabbing things and, in doing so, his mother warned, “Spanky, mustn’t touch!” In later years, he was affectionately called “Spank.”

In the series, Spanky was known as the president of the “He-Man Women Hater’s Club.” At 24, McFarland left showbiz and joined the United States Air Force. Unfortunately, afterwords he couldn’t get out from under the Spanky stereotype and worked odd jobs at a soft drink plant, a hamburger stand, and a popsicle factory. He became an avid speaker about his days as a part of The Little Rascals. In fact, with friend and manager Rick Saphire, he embarked on a college tour to do just that.

Speaking to Do You Remember, Saphire notes, “After Spanky said, ‘Okay, let’s do it,’ he then added — and these were his words — ‘I can’t believe that college kids of today are going to be excited about coming to see a little fat man who hasn’t made a movie in 30 years.’ And I said, ‘Spanky, I guarantee you’re going to get a standing ovation before you even open your mouth.’ As it turned out, I was right."

“I had a ball,” he has said in regard to playing Spanky. “I have no regrets. Even though it was a job, we had a pretty good time making those comedies. As a kid I had most everything I wanted and we had a good life. When it was over, it was over. I wouldn’t take a million dollars for the experience, and I wouldn’t take a penny to do it again.”

His final television performance was in 1993, playing himself in the opening of the Cheers episode “Woody Gets An Election.” He died shortly thereafter, in June of that year, of a heart attack. He was 64. He was posthumously honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in January 1994.