Spanky McFarland

Spanky McFarland

Profile

Nickname: Spanky McFarland
Played By: George "Spanky" McFarland
Born: 1928
Relatives: Emerson (father), Gaye (mother), Wilma (stepmother), Dorothy, Patsy (sisters), Dickie Moore, Breezy Brisbane, Porky (brothers), Grandmother
Clubs: The International Silver String Submarine Band, former member of Ancient And Honery Order Of Wood Chucks, former member of He-Man Woman-Hater's Club, The Wise Owl Club, former member of All-For-One Club, Sekret Revengers, 1-2-3-Go Safety Society
First Short: Free Eats
Last Short: Unexpected Riches

Character

Spanky McFarland is one of the most famous and recognized Rascals in the entire series, but his debut seems a bit odd as his family structure and status was always changing. He is first seen as the younger brother of Breezy Brisbane in Spanky but much later as the younger brother of Dickie Moore in Birthday Blues. At times, his surname ranges from possibly being McComas, Moore, Treacy or McFarland. Of course, each situation can not be possible unless Spanky was some sort of foster kid before getting adopted by the McFarlands. This theory could explain his homes at times with the Bleak Hill Boarding School and in the Happy Home Orphanage.
Earlier on, Spanky's best friend is Scotty Beckett, sometimes following the older kids on adventures and camping trips and often out-thinking them and coming better prepared. On a camping trip, Spanky and Scotty are the only ones to be smart enough to hitchhike to the camping site and bring food. After Scotty moves on, Spanky becomes friends with Alfalfa Switzer, who he met while his mother was dragging him into a local talent show, a memory he is not fond of at all. While Spanky is not against having his younger brother Porky tagging along, he is definitely against babysitting his baby sister, Baby Patsy and even Darla's brother, Junior. He also seems to have an older brother who later enters the army in Helping Hands, which could be Brisbane since Dickie would only have been eighteen at the time. (In the short, the brother's name is Bill, but this could be another name for Brisbane.)
In his youth, Spanky had a lot of spirit, often killing the bugs in the McComas house and discovering his father's stash of hidden cash. He's been a member of several clubs that never lasted very long. His mother wanted him to be an an entertainer, and Spanky wisely realized he wanted none of it, but he turned noble enough to try and win the cash when a cute girl needed it. Despite his aversion to talent shows, Spanky is a born entertainer with a bit of the mannerisms of Oliver Hardy, as seen when he gets irked by Alfalfa's ego, but he seems more involved in the behind-the-scenes aspects of the business as a producer and director, finding other kids with talent, as evident in his cellar shows. Doted over by his grandmother, he can be seen singing on corners, earning spending money on the golf course or throwing complicated stage shows in the cellar of his home, harkening back to the plays Breezy did in the barn on his father's property back when Spanky was killing bugs with a hammer. He can sing, tell jokes and pull off a weightlifting demonstration, something he calls his "old act." If only Porky wouldn't steal his thunder...

Quotes:

• "Oh, yeah?" - Spanky in Spanky
• "Says you?" - Spanky in Spanky
• "Don't you order no spinach." - Spanky in The Pooch
• "Boy, I like chocolate clake." - Spanky in The Pooch
• "I don't want any!" - Spanky in Hook And Ladder
• "For the love of Pete, kiss him so I can go to sleep!" - Spanky to Mary Kornman in "Fish Hooky"
• "I don't think I'll taste so good. Mom says I'm spoiled." - Spanky in The Kid From Borneo
• "I don't know what this is, but let's see you drink it!" - Spanky in The Kid From Borneo
• "No wild man's going to eat me up!" - Spanky in The Kid From Borneo
• "I don't wanna be shot, pop!" - Spanky in Wild Poses
• "Don't rush me, big boy..." - Spanky to Jerry in Hi'-Neighbor!
• "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool mom!" - Spanky in "Anniversary Trouble"
• "Don't rush me, big boy..." - Spanky to Leonard in The Lucky Corner
• "If I catch two fish, I'll give one to the minister." - Spanky in Little Sinner
• "Dog biscuits - have one." - Spanky in Roamin' Holiday
• "They must have tooken his brains out." - Spanky in Men In Fright
• "Porky, I'll never forget you, you saved my life!" - Spanky
  • "Oh, that's nothin'." - Porky in Practical Jokers
• "Gee, how was I to know Alfalfa would faint when I told him he was going to fight Butch with swords?" - Spanky in Duel Personalities

Notes/Trivia

• See also: Spanky As Seen In Other Media.
• Spanky is one of the only main characters (the other being Waldo) to not get replaced after their absence although Happy seemed to replace him for a few shorts.
• Spanky seems to have been positioned to replace Wheezer since his first appearance in Free Eats since Wheezer was barely given much material until his last appearance in Mush And Milk.
• Came The Brawn was originally Spanky’s last appearance but when Our Gang moved to MGM five shorts later, he returned in Aladdin's Lantern. Little Sinner was almost his final appearance in the series when Hal Roach planned a series of shorts with him as the son of Oliver Hardy (without Stan Laurel), but the alternate series never materialized.
  • Hide And Shriek was almost the series finale instead of Dancing Romeo so Spanky wouldn't have return in Aladdin's Lantern.
• Spanky, Butch, Joe, Stymie, Mickey, Mary and Farina are the only Rascals to return to the series after being let go for being too old. After being let go following Feed 'Em And Weep
• The only shorts Spanky doesn't appear in are Feed 'Em And Weep, The Awful Tooth, Hide And Shriek, The Little Ranger and Party Fever.
• Spanky also appears in the non-"Our Gang" short, "One Track Minds." He also appeared in the films "Here Kentucky Kernels," "Comes the Band" and "Johnny Doughboy" (alongside Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer).
• Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat and Froggy are the only characters to cross-dress ("go drag") in the shorts.
• Spanky, Alfalfa, Pete and Waldo are the only characters to have their names in the title.
  • Spanky has his name in Spanky and General Spanky.
• Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Porky, Darla, Butch, Woim, Waldo and Big Shot Jones are the only Hal Roach characters to appear in the MGM films.

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