Spanky's memories
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Carl Switzer
frontrowkid2002 — 18 years ago(March 23, 2008 03:15 PM)
In looking over the posts on Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, I read the anecdote where he urinated on the klieg lights of the movie set. I recall hearing Spanky MacFarland tell that story when he appeared on a college campus in the town where I used to work as a newspaper reporter. Spanky's appearance was the topic of my Sunday feature that week. I even recorded his talk to the students, many of whom had grown up watching the old Our Gang comedies on TV. This was about 1973, and I guess Spanky was making the circuit at that time. I don't recall that he criticized Alfalfa in any way. He did comment that he (Alfalfa) had been shot in an argument but did not elaborate. Tom Corrigan, son of cowboy star Crash Corrigan, was the stepson of the guy who shot Alfalfa in a rather meanlingless argument over a $50 debt. If you log onto Alfalfa Switzer, the complete story is told from the viewpoint of Tom Corrigan, who said his stepfather was a very cruel man. MacFarland talked about the various kids in the gang. I don't think he mentioned Bobby Blake, but did recall Buckwheat, Darla, and some of the others. A video of his speech, along with clips from the old movies, can be found by logging onto Goggle.