Spanky McFarland.
I have an unusual letter from an unusual screen star, 6-year-old Spanky McFarland! In spite of his age, Spanky has been entertaining us for years now as the hero in the "Our Gang" comedies. We will next see him in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture "O'Shaughnessy's Boy," for this little veteran of the screen is being borrowed for that full-length picture. Yes, indeed, Master George Robert Phillips McFarland is growing up. He writes "I go to school every day at the Hal Roach Studio." This is his first year, and although he looked forward to attending school, at the close of his letter, he writes with some eagerness, "one more week of school and then vacation. I am going to the beach and have a good time." And he further proves he is a real boy by telling me of some of the jokes they play on the teacher!
If it seems surprising that an active boy of six could sit down and write a long letter in a very legible hand, we must remember that the little stars in Hollywood have splendid teachers and special advantages. Spanky is unusually bright for his age.
I was interested to see carefulness in detail in his writing, a characteristic not in evidence usually in the yet unformed scripts of children. Mistakes in spelling have been neatly erased and written over again, and a letter not formed correctly has been retouched carefully.
The pen pressure is heavy and firm, portraying the same quality of sturdiness which he displays on the screen. Good judgment is shown in the spacing and margins. The left margin is much straighter than my own! Such sense of proportion as is shown by the salutation and closing, even if he were supervised at the time, shows that he is observant, learns quickly, and can keep his mind on what he is doing until it is finished. Children as a rule are easily distracted. The long letter Spanky undertook would require considerable concentration and patience. I was very touched by the very small signature. Spanky hasn't "gone Hollywood!" He's a real boy.
Tomorrow I will analyze the handwriting of Freddie Bartholomew, giving some of the difference found in the handwriting of an English school boy. Spanky is all American, while Master Freddie is typically English.