Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 1, 1993 TAG: 9307010244
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: DALLAS LENGTH: Medium
Generations of children carried fond memories of McFarland's black-and-white antics into adulthood. Michael Jackson stayed in McFarland's home in nearby Keller, Texas, to visit with Spanky during Jackson's Dallas stop on his 1984 tour.
McFarland collapsed in his bedroom while dressing late Wednesday morning, said his brother, Rod McFarland. Paramedics tried to revive McFarland for about 30 minutes before transporting him to Baylor University Medical Center in Grapevine.
He apparently died of a heart attack or an aneurysm, his brother said.
McFarland was born Oct. 2, 1928, when his parents, Robert and Virginia McFarland, lived in Dallas. The moon-faced, stocky child was a natural star, first appearing in bread commercials in Dallas theaters.
An aunt sent a snapshot of "Sonny" McFarland to Hal Roach, mentor to Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and producer of the "Little Rascals" and "Our Gang" comedies. The studio dressed the child in a floppy tam-o'-shanter and checkered knickers.
During his screen test, the 3-year-old was supposed to sit quietly in a wagon while the veteran Rascals did the acting. Instead, the little Texan launched into a long monologue about a monkey. The director, the cameraman and the other Rascals weren't certain what to make of it, but the cameras kept rolling. With a minor switch to a beanie and the name "Spanky," a legend was created.
McFarland made 95 of the "Little Rascals" shorts.
McFarland's movie career disappeared with his baby fat.
by CNB