- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGeorge Robert Phillips McFarland
- George 'Spanky' McFarland was born on October 2, 1928 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for General Spanky (1936), Bedtime Worries (1933) and Beginner's Luck (1935). He was married to Paula Jeanne Wilkinson and Doris. He died on June 30, 1993 in Grapevine, Texas, USA.
- SpousesPaula Jeanne Wilkinson(August 1, 1949 - ?)Doris(? - June 30, 1993) (his death, 3 children)
- ChildrenGeorge Gregory McFarlandVerne Emmett McFarlandBetsy McFarland
- Catchphrases: "Okey-dokey!" and its variant, "Okey-doke!". He said "Okey-dokey", much more often than "Okey-doke".
- Michael Jackson was a huge fan of the Our Gang series, and visited the elderly McFarland at his Dallas-area home. As they looked over George's photo albums, a picture of Spanky sitting on the front steps of his home caught Michael's eye. Unbeknownst to any of them before that day, both the McFarlands and the Jacksons had resided in that home, several decades apart.
- Spanky's famous double and triple-takes were taught to him by Stan Laurel, while a great deal of his mannerisms (rolling of eyes, hands on hips, and his trademark exasperated expression) were inspired by Oliver Hardy. He, Laurel and Hardy were working together, but in different shorts, that were produced and directed by Hal Roach.
- Was an ardent golfer who, in his later years, could be frequently seen on the pro-am circuit.
- Received his big break through a one minute Wonder Bread commercial, after which his aunt sent him for a screen test with Hal Roach.
- Spanky's real-life nickname as a child was "Sonny".
- [on his years with the Little Rascals] I wouldn't take a million dollars for the experience...and I wouldn't take a penny to do it again. As a kid I had everything I wanted, we had a good life but when it was over...it was over.
- [During a 1988 recollection on a career than spanned 84 films in seven years] I was probably 5 or 6 years old before I realized that all kids weren't in movies.
- [said often, when sure of his lines] Okay, Toots.
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