Flashback Friday: Spanky’s Giant Jam!

George "Spanky" McFarland looked awfully wary while perching in the lap of 7-foot-5 Tex Madsen! This shot captures a classic scene from the 1934 “Our Gang” short “Mama’s Little Pirate,” in which the little rascal discovers a giant’s treasure. The careers of both actors would end up hampered by their size. Roles for giants were understandably limited — and Spanky soon outgrew the “Our Gang” series. Acting jobs proved scarce for the adult McFarland, who had starred in 95 classic film shorts in just 11 years. Before he died in 1993, a bitter Spanky declared, “I started at the top and worked my way down!”