George Robert Phillips McFarland was born October 2, 1928, in Dallas. 10, 1980, 46 years to the day after his mother brought him to audition at Hal Roach Studios. He died of a heart attack in his Los Angeles apartment on Oct. We went to school together, played together, laughed together. Even the big stars had to chase around and audition it seemed like a rat race to me, with no security.” Of being part of The Little Rascals, he added, “I enjoyed it.

In a 1980 interview, he explained, “After the Army, I wasn’t really interested in the hassle of performing. Although Thomas was somewhat in demand for film and stage roles, he opted for a behind-the-scenes job as a film lab technician with Technicolor. He was honorably discharged from active duty, receiving a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. Buckwheat from ‘The Little Rascals,’ who would be spoofed years later by Eddie Murphy on ‘Saturday Night Live’ (RetroVision Archive)Īfter he left the film shorts, Thomas enlisted in the U.S. That portrayal would be deemed quite controversial in the years to come. Thomas initially played Buckwheat - speech impediment and all - as a girl dressed as the stereotypical African-American “pickaninny.” He wore bowed pigtails, a large hand-me-down sweater, and oversized boots. The “Buckwheat” character was originally a female, portrayed by Matthew “Stymie” Beard’s younger sister, Carlena.īut the Buckwheat character slowly morphed into a boy. Thomas first appeared in the 1934 Our Gang shorts as a background player. was born on March 12, 1931, in Los Angeles. Here are The (original) Little Rascals then and now.īuckwheat of The Little Rascals the culturegeist If you’ve ever wondered what happened personally and professionally to the actors from The Little Rascals, the wait is over.

Directed by Penelope Spheeris, the celebrity cameos - led by the Olsen twins, Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Brooks, Reba McEntire, Daryl Hannah, Raven-Symoné, and Donald Trump - really stole the show. It was a feature film loosely based on interpretations of classic Our Gang shorts. Their legend continued on the big screen in the 1994 Universal release, The Little Rascals. Get ready to dive into TV history and take a then-and-now look at the original Little Rascals. Who doesn’t remember the shock of freckles on Alfalfa’s nose and the lock of hair that stood up on his head? Rounding out the popular Our Gang favorites were Spanky, Buckwheat, Stymie, and of course Petey, the dog. The kids from The Little Rascals each had their own distinct personality and image that earned them their nicknames. Producer/creator Hal Roach re-bundled 79 of the shorts to make The Little Rascals TV series, which is still broadcast today. They were born from the 1922-1938 ‘Our Gang’ shorts from MGM. The Little Rascals, which debuted on television in 1955, introduced a band of ragtag children to the world.

The cast of the original little rascals