Captain Sharp would lose his life on September 12, 1942, when the HMT Laconia, was sunk northeast of Ascension Island off the coast of West Africa by Kriegsmarine U-156, a Type IXC boat then attached to the 4th U-boat Flotilla. It must have been quite the comfort after days after a hurried dash to the coast. Many others drowned, either because they couldnt swim or were trapped. There are no actual transcripts of these speeches, but they have been reconstructed from Churchills notes given to Charles Eade. After all, it must not have been hard to imagine England falling next to the Nazi war machine. The 1994 children's comedy The Little Rascals was a hilarious and heartwarming tribute to the series of short films of the same name. Looking in the distance, as if talking more to herself than me, she described how Colin had been aboard a ship that had been bombed by the luftwaffe and his body had never been discovered. So, where is Tedford today, and what happened to him? That very same day, the Nazis occupied Paris. 5 August 1994 (p. B2). Yet, any relief those aboard felt was quickly dashed as shortly thereafter six Luftwaffe planes came down from the skies. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. The original Spanky, George McFarland, passed away a year before the movie was released, having appeared as Spanky in 95 Our Gangfilms between 1932 and 1942. Hold No. What ship was he on that was bombed? The child actor who played Spanky in the 1994 remake of The Little Rascals held an AMA (Ask Me Anything) Q&A session on Reddit on Thursday evening, and was greeted with hundreds of questions from . The kids believe there is a "magic lamp" amongst them so they all grab lamps and start rubbing them and making wishes. But he admitted, he could not remember correctly if that is exactly what he heard. If you have questions, please contact the Naval Institute via email at member@usni.org or by phone at 800-233-8764. Stars Wally Albright Sherwood Bailey Bobbie 'Cotton' Beard See production, box office & company info Watch on Dove Channel S1-2 with Prime Video Channels More watch options Add to Watchlist He was 79. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata. The Rascal revival was on, and it continues this day. Lorenzo is an example of the Machiavellian villain, typical of many Elizabethan tragedies and dramas. The ferrying trip took three to four hours. It was fourth English pounds. Because of the losses of the other requisitioned transports, Captain Sharp postulated, based on the figure of 2,653 men he had rescued during Operation Alphabet that his ship could accommodate 3,000 persons. Whatever Happened To George "Spanky" McFarland From 'Little Rascals'? Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. He states that The time taken to record everybodys name, rank, service number and regiment or corps would have been time consuming and served no purpose (vii). GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) _ George Spanky McFarland's acting career ended when he was a teen-ager. But, for the work he did do in his early years, he should be incredibly proud that he was able to take on the role of such an iconic character. This rumor has nothing to it, of course: King World Productions has owned and licensed the rights to The Little Rascals for over thirty years. WHERE ARE THEY NOW: the Cast of 'the Little Racals' - Insider Colin at the age of 22, as he would have been in 1940. 'Little Rascals' bully Butch dies at age 79 - TODAY With the advent of television, the Our Gang shorts (shown under the name The Little Rascals became standard after-school viewing fare for generation after generation of youngsters. So shortly before the 80th anniversary of the Lancastrias sinking, my sister, dad and mum, took the ferry across. (one code per order). It's simply the case, they both told me, and in a departure from todays tendency to overshare, that those who served in The War, such as both their parents, did not discuss these things in too much detail. UPDATED 1/10/2023 The Little Rascals, which debuted on television in 1955, introduced a band of ragtag children to the world. Whatever Happened To Alfalfa From The Little Rascals? - Looper Added to this is the fact that unlike Dunkirks victory in defeat, which continues to provide the source material for so many TV shows and films, a tragedy of Lancastrias proportions is unlikely to stir British patriotism. Contact us Lorenzo Character Analysis in The Spanish Tragedy | SparkNotes The ship went down in 20 minutes. Both the 20,000 ton liner Oronsay and the Franconia were damaged by bombs and strafing, the former had her bridge devastated while the damaged Franconia was able to limp back to England for repairs. When sent to newspapers or other publications it prevented particular information from being made public for reasons of state security. Bond . Whatever Happened to Spanky from 'The Little Rascals'? - DoYouRemember? In 1955, while the Rascals were just beginning their run in NYC, George "Spanky" McFarland hosted the Little Rascals films in a clubhouse setting on CBS affiliate KOTV in Tulsa, Oklahoma. creating and saving your own notes as you read. If it can be proved that Captain Sharp ignored the Ministry of Defence instructions not to exceed the maximum loading capacity of 3000 persons, grounds for compensation claims could be enormous. How did a Bunch of Farmers Beat the Most Powerful Military in the World? Within the next 24 hours, Saint Nazaire was overcrowded with British soldiers and refugees. This material may not be reproduced without permission. See What the Cast of The Little Rascals is Up to Now! - Life & Style Colin, I discovered, was by this point based at a weapons and equipment storage base at Nantes, the old historical capital of Brittany located about 40 miles from the sea. What do you think of Michaels touching article? About 124,000 troops were assembling and the Admiralty had dispatched some 30 merchant vessels of all sizes to the rescue. The ship was among twenty others that participated in the evacuation of 2,653 British, French, and Polish troops from Norway when Operation Alphabet began on May 24,1940. Carl Dean Switzer, the actor who as a child played Alfalfa in the Our Gang comedy film series, dies at age 31 in a fight, allegedly about money, in a Mission Hills, California, home. Known collectively as the Grocers, the vast majority of these personnel were located, at least initially, far behind the main defense lines and most would never have expected to see conflict. As 19-year-old Henry Harding from Wales would later recount: Everything was thrown open you could help yourself to whatever it was you wanted, so we took chocolate.Then, with German planes already in control of the skies above, they headed out to converge on what author Johanthan Fenby describes as the last escape hatch left.. Switzer played Alfalfa from the mid-1930s to the early 1940s. He pushed back, saying he had been ordered to take as many as possible without respect to international law. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Indeed, more people died in this tragedy than that of the death toll from the sinking of the Titanic and Lusitania combined. "Little Rascals in '90s World" Spanky (George McFarland) | What Ever Happened to the Little Rascals We strive for accuracy and fairness. After receiving news of the Lancastria disaster, Churchill had placed a D-notice on the incident, forbidding any knowledge of the sinking reaching an already demoralized public. Remembering Life and Death of Spanky from 'The Little Rascals' And like the Vice figure, Lorenzo has a foil. Want 100 or more? The Lancastria Tragedy comprises an introduction, eleven numbered chapters, and a concluding chapter titled In Closing, as well as endmatter including an About the Author section, Sources, and a three-page Index of proper nouns. They were all anxious to leave. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Stephen Wynn, a retired police constable with 30 years service in Essex, began writing prior to his retirement. As a child and. *scoff* Reply Add a new comment Copyright www.historyisnowmagazine.com 2012-2023. Armed with this new information, I went back to the CWGC archives and just minutes later I was staring at a picture of what appeared to be my Grand Uncles name on a memorial plaque at the Commonwealth War Graves section of Dunkirk Town Cemetery. The connections are obvious: Bill Cosby is black, Ted Turner is from Atlanta; hence their alleged interest in protecting the reputations of the groups these programs supposedly besmirch. Just a few of the easily recognizable names that were a fond part of the childhoods of generations of kids: beloved characters from the 221 Our Gang comedy. This rumor is similar to another claim that circulated in the mid-1990s: that Ted Turner had bought up the rights to the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard to keep it off of television because of its demeaning portrayal of Southerners. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows. Advertisement Little Rascals: Where Are They Now? - Screen Rant by Mia 2 years ago Discovered at only the age of 3, George McFarland stole hearts with the lead role in Little Rascals. Copyright 2011-2022 Naval Historical Foundation. 'The Little Rascals': Where is the Cast Now as Movie Enters - Newsweek The now-36-year-old actor was arrested in Texas after police responded to his hotel room for a report of a possible overdose. They included Pioneer and Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Royal Engineers, and Royal Air Force personnel, some Polish and Czech troops, civilian refugees, embassy staff, employees of Fairey Aviation of Belgium and their families. Chapter 5 focuses on the actual sinking of the Lancastria while Chapter 11 focuses on its aftermath. As thousands crammed onto the assembled ships, news was already spreading in the port that Frances newly appointed leader, Marshall Ptain, had that morning agreed to open armistice talks with Germany. useful bibliography and discussion. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: January 21. Published Sep 5, 2021 While some of the cast from 1994's The Little Rascals have continued acting, others have ventured out towards other career options. He made money working odd jobs, including stints as a hunting guide and bartender, and had several run-ins with the police. He was an actor, known for Bedtime Worries (1933), Second Childhood (1936) and General Spanky (1936). Play trailer 2:25 5 Videos 77 Photos Comedy Family Television syndication package of the classic 1929-1938 shorts from the "Our Gang Comedies" movie series. A fight broke out, during which Stiltz shot and killed Switzer. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. I Wish Cotton Was A Monkey - Spanky, Cotton & Stymie in Little Rascal's The History of Pirates and Their Lasting Impact on Society, Why are China and Taiwan even Separate? Many thanks. She did not return to Liverpool in time to take part in the famous Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk, which evacuated 338,226 Belgian, British, and French troops between May 26 and June 4,. Therefore, destroyers, fishing boats, and other small craft had to ferry the evacuees to Lancastria while being bombed and machine-gunned by the Luftwaffes Junkers Ju 11 bombers of Kampfgeschwader 30. John Lee Colin Thomas, lost on the Lancastria on June 17, 1940. The Sinking of the British Ship Lancastria in June 1940: A Personal Oh where are the Racist Police? (The series is currently syndicated on TNN.) Things were dire. Only it had Baby John Colin Lee Thomas' ' written on the back. Calling all members of the He-Man Woman Haters Club! One account stands out from the rest however. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. These days, when she's not traveling the world, the newly married Brittany lives in Los Angeles . SparkNotes PLUS She said there was a grave somewhere in France but of course, there is nothing beneath it. As far as I recall her saying, no one had visited it. Further digging eventually revealed that Colin had actually died some 335 miles south of Dunkirk, off the coast of the small port town of Saint-Nazaire, aboard the SS Lancastria, the sinking of which, as I would soon discover, remains the largest single loss of life in British maritime history. By that point in her life, Claire rarely had much of an appetite except on the rare occasion she would pour a cup of leftover lukewarm coffee over a bowl of Kellogg's corn flakes, garnished of course with raisins. "The Little Rascals." "The Little Rascals" was released in August 1994. My uncle told me that he remembered someone once telling him that Colin had died during the British evacuation at Dunkirk apparently due to the betrayal of a shipmaster who had given the ships departure time and location to the Germans. On June 14th, an urgent call went out to the crew of Lancastria, then docked in Liverpool, to make haste for the French port of Saint Nazaire. By Lois Oladejo Nov 16, 2020 03:20 A.M. Decades after famous child star George McFarland warmed hearts as Spanky in the old 30s-40s show, "The Little Rascals," many still remember him as the precious little boy they all loved. Chapter 4 Secret Session Speeches by Churchill provides extracts of five speeches made between June 20th 1941 and December 10, 1942, including one made in response to the sinking of HMT Lancastria on June 17, 1941. Despite it, or perhaps because of it, accounting for more than a third of all losses in the war up to that point, and wanting to maintain British morale, Churchill felt justified in putting a censorship notice on the media and even survivors from talking about it. "I. Thousands onboard perished. Judging from the photos, his Little Rascals costar Zachary Mabry (who played Porky) was in attendance at the lovely ceremony, and Bug announced his wedding on Valentine's Day via Instagram. A handful of soldiers standing on the Lancastrias rapidly sinking hull as it descended into the water, proudly and defiantly singing the war time classics of Roll Out The Barrel and There Will Always Be An England. Roach's approach was to make films featuring kids being kids, full of fun and spontaneity, not films full of precocious children acting like adults. | Not a member of the Naval Institute? As a novelist and a screenwriter, he enjoys promoting one story or another. Alfalfa The film featured a number of child actors whom audiences adored. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Initiated in 1889and then revised in 1911, 1920, and 1939it sets out offences related to spying, sabotage, and related crimes. You'll Barely Recognize Spanky From Little Rascals Now Darla was born on November 8, 1931 in Leedey, Oklahoma, and was a part of The Little Rascals from 1935 to 1941, starting at the age of 4 in Our Gang Follies of 1936 and continuing until she was the ripe old age of 10 with 1941's Wedding Worries, for a total of 50 films. Overwhelmed by the might of the Nazi blitzkrieg, French defenses had quickly collapsed in the days following the last departure from Dunkirk. Renews July 5, 2023 Alfalfa, the. During his near-decade stint in the entertainment industry, he saw minor success following his debut starring role in The Little Rascals. Movies. Many survivors perished from hypothermia or suffocated on fuel oil. About Us and Partners/Links | Contact us | Copyright notice | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions. See what the cast of The Little Rascals looks like now. An error based on a very simple oversight, and yet one that remarkably no one else had picked up on either. Rick Saphire, an entertainer turned manager, who worked with the former head of the He-Man Woman Hater's Club in his adult years, emphasizes, "You know, he was Spanky. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Sept. 25, 2005, 9:47 AM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. Not quite. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Naval Historical Foundation 1306 Dahlgren Avenue, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374 1-202-678-4333 info@navyhistory.org. 10 Things You Didnt Know about Karin Bohn, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Alycia Debnam-Carey, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Jason Mraz, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Tiera Skovbye, Five Actors Who Should Play Tom Brady in a Biopic, The Evolution of Kelly Macdonald From Trainspotting to Now, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Caesar Mack, 6 Things You Didnt Know About Trevor Noah, 7 Things You Dont Know About Single White Females Bridget Fonda, 8 Things You Didnt Know About Fubars Arnold Schwarzenegger, 7 Things You Didnt Know About Froms Hannah Cheramy, 10 Things You Didnt Know About Stavros Niarchos. Having been an articled clerk prior to the war, Colin was one of many support troops, engineers, repair men, transport and communications staff, wireless operators, air force ground crew, store minders, cooks, bakers, and clerks that supplied the main British Expeditionary Force. These characters also drew heavily on the traditional Vice figure in English literature. Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer was the most famous and popular member of the Little Rascals comedy shorts series. Lets find out. And he was proud of it. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! for a group? Your email address will not be published. As those at the base rushed to depart, numerous reports document a rushed frenzy ensuing to burn and destroy any equipment, vehicles and armaments that could not be carried out to prevent them from falling into German hands. Claire had told me that she had decided to sign up to the war effort following news that her older brother Colin, serving as a soldier in France, was missing in action. Tragic Details About The Little Rascals - Grunge You'll also receive an email with the link. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Claire would recount to me her experiences as a young woman working with what was then known as the Auxiliary Territorial Service, which tasked women with a range of vital roles during the Second World War. Required fields are marked *. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. June 28, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 RMS was a sign of distinction and quality. The Our Gang shorts were later syndicated to television as The Little Rascals.Tennessee Hayride by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/) Artist: http://audionautix.com/Our website: Page http://www.kincheloecam.com/Our youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/user/bh2471Our Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/butch.kincheloecam Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. Nonetheless, old episodes of Amos 'N' Andy continued to run successfully in syndication for many years until another round of protests during the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s finally prompted CBS to permanently withdraw it from syndication (and attempt to destroy the negatives) in 1966. The series has been syndicated to television many times and the video rights to some episodes were licensed to Cabin Fever Entertainment in 1997, but Bill Cosby has never owned any part of the rights to The Little Rascals. She was 578 ft. in length and 16,000 gross tons, designed to accommodate 2,200 passengers in three classes. My Great Great Grandfathers son, would it be my Great Nephew, he is was on this vessel, and lived to tell about it, on the RMS Lusitania off the south coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. The Little Rascals was a beloved childrens tv show turned into a classic '90s movie. This character exploited the popular disapproval of the early sixteenth-century Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, whose The Prince portrayed a picture of a political ruler who (very broadly speaking) used manipulation over persuasion and fear over love to ensure the loyalty of his subjects. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. What Happened to Thora Birch Since Her Days as a Child Actress? The sinking of HMT Lancastria on June 17, 1940, is an intriguing chapter of naval history in World War II primarily because of the tragic loss of life and how much information pertaining to the event wasand still isclassified. He would appear in multiple movies and TV shows while still a child, most notably A Bugs Life and The Amanda Show. Now I had found my uncle, I dove into the Lancastrias story; a story I ashamedly hadnt even known the existence of. Tedford was just 6 years old when he first appeared on screen as Spanky in the 1994 movie The Little Rascals.The original Spanky, George McFarland, passed away a year before the movie was released . I spoke with both my dad and his older brother, my uncle, as a starting point. I thought about Claire all those years ago telling me about her beloved brother. Unfortunately, it is the brutal reality that for most those who died onboard Lancastria is just one of many tragedies during the war. Oxford University-trained historian and author of more than a dozen books Jonathan Fenby stated that 1,738 perished (Fenby 2005, p. 247), but as there are no official figures published, there are great discrepancies in the numbers calculated by a variety of authors, and other estimates range from 2,000 to 9,000. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. A good example of how Hollywood stereotyped black people is noticed in this clip. He graduated from Athens High School in 2006 and then earned an associates degree in Liberal Arts at the Trinity Valley Community College, both of which are located in Texas. There were multiple air raids and, in addition, the British feared possible U-boat attacks, so Captain Sharp decided to wait for a Royal Navy and/or RAF escort. Ive found him I remember murmuring out loud to my housemate as I scrolled down. Let us know below. A minute later siren on the ship sounded. This list of sources is concerning as there are at least a dozen sources that would have provided additional information to flesh-out his brief narrative, namely Winston Churchills 1949 The Second World War, Vol. Carl Dean Switzer, the actor who as a child played Alfalfa in the Our Gang comedy film series, dies at age 31 in a fight, allegedly about money, in a Mission Hills, California, home. However, he was told to embark as many as possible. It occurred to me that not one member of his family had visited it in the past eight decades. That is until a hot summer's day in August, 2019. What Happened To The Original Cast of The Little Rascals - DoYouRemember? He was previously married to Paula Jeanne Wilkinson and Doris. And why didnt anyone in my family seem to know the answers? It was both Britain's darkest hour, and witness to a tragedy that remains little known to thi Our Gang (also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals) is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures.