Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Feast of Saint Spanky

My Fellow Comedists,

The old saying is never follow children or animals and Hal Roach decided that he would bring Depression era audiences both with his Our Gang shorts. This week would be the birthday of George McFarland, known for the rest of his life as "Spanky," the original Our Gang scene stealer. The round face, the big eyes, he went from a toddler finding trouble to gang leader over the course of the 30s. The gags were as cheap as they were plentiful. Later dubbed "The Little Rascals" for television, it was wholesale comedy at its purest: volume, volume, volume.

After coming out of the Air Force as an adult, he was never able to shed the "Spanky" persona and eventually landed a kids' show in Tulsa.

Favorite Rascals moments?

Live, love, and laugh,

Irreverend Steve