A supermarket bagger named Bill Green fools a news show into believing he's Buckwheat. An angry "Spanky" McFarland is interviewed along with an incoherent Mr Green.
This Bill English is a complete riot! Look at him trying to pass himself off as playing Buckwheat and when you ask him something about the character he has no idea what you're talking about. And hats off to George McFarland for defending the real Buckwheat, Billie Thomas and not wanting to challenge that old fool!
The host's request for George McFarland to come up with some questions to trip Bill English up was asinine. Why should he trick the guy into proving he's not Buckwheat. George McFarland knew damned well he wasn't Buckwheat. Playing games with him is just a waste of his time.
Themaddprof Yes, Mr. McFarland was a class act. He could have embarrassed that impostor but chose not to. Shame on Maureen O'Boyle, she came off as badly as those folks over @ 20/20. Maybe the faux Buckwheat had some type of brain damage that made him think he was the real Buckwheat. Poor soul.
We lived in Arizona in the early 1990’s and also was told that Buckwheat was the bagger at the supermarket we shopped in. We believed it! This is terrible! May the real Buckwheat Rest In Peace.
The think I enjoyed most about this clip was seeing Spanky. He came across as a very solid, sharp, decent, pragmatic fellow. It's nice to know that that's the sort of person he was as an adult.
"They pronounced me dead in Arizona but I'm still living". Wow...what a strange person if he is indeed not Buckwheat. Spanky still looked like Spanky even as an older man.
I'm actually the real Buckwheat. Just ignore the fact that I'm white. Also, it's good to see that all those years later, Spanky still refused to take shit off anyone!
+David Johnson He wasn't the type to put up with crap. He was one of the few rascals to fight for the right to royalty checks when Our Gang began appearing on TV.
It's entirely possible that Bill Green really believes that he was Buckwheat. It may have started out as a lie when he was younger, and then after telling it so many times, his mind began to accept it as fact.
OMG! I cannot believe what I'm seeing! How can somebody imitate buckwheat, who was an adorable child actor that we adore? And good for Spanky (and I see that his family including his son, feels offended by this) for defending for his best friend against this imposter. And on top of that, he (Mr. Bill English) doesn't even know a lot about Buckwheat's info. and he doesn't even look like Buckwheat. Seriously, this man Mr. English has some serious issues for doing that.😡
@DisWldFrk90 The woman you mentioned was Laura Jane Kenny, who wrote an autobiography called "Fleeing the Fates of the Little Rascals". A casual flip through the book was enough to convince me she really was telling the truth. As for the Bill English debacle, Spanky's last words on the matter "I'm just teling you what I know" shows real class on his part in refusing to show English up.
Keep in mind that this happened in 1990. The majority of the "Our Gang" cast disappeared into obscurity after the show (50 years earlier) and most of them never regained any kind of career. And it wasn't like there was Wikipedia back in the day where they could research in a minute.
Normally I could cut some slack if William Thomas had been one of those Rascals who seemingly disappeared for a while such as Mickey Daniels. In this case, I cannot. William Thomas had been interviewed multiple times as an adult (he was greeted by more than 500 fans at the 2nd annual Sons of the Desert meeting), was known by many with his career in the Technicolor corporation for decades, and there were many people alive who were publicly traceable who they could have asked about in regards to Buckwheat. One being Hal Roach himself. I feel, in this case, they really could have done their research properly and discovered who the real Buckwheat was and what happened to him. It seems in this case they simply heard a rumor and jumped on it without bothering to verify it.
One thing that Bill English is right about is that they were multiple child actors they played Buckwheat the 1st was played by Carlene Beard who is Stymie's sister then they was Willie Mae Taylor who played the second Buckwheat who is also a female then William Thomas played Buckwheat throughout the series until it ended
@@gaynorpatterson2915 the part that had me laughing is he said spoke with Sparky's mother I said to myself this guy is definitely off his crazy meds 🤣🤣🤣
"Spanky and I did a film together in a haunted house ... He said 'Who dat' and when I said 'Who dat,' all you can see was my eyeball." Howard Stern used that little sound bite on his radio show for years after this interview and it cracked me up every time that he did
Over the years there have been lots of bozos like this grocery bagger who have claimed "Our Gang" credentials -- either pretending that they were known members of the Gang (Darla, Alfalfa, etc. or non-existant ones (like, say, "Stinky"). For the truth, cleck out Leonard Maltin's book. I happen to have known the real Darla, who, as an adult, was just as charming as when she was a kid.
Mine too. Lived off Mill ave between southern and Baseline while going to ASU. Drove him home one time, he lived over by mill and university near Casey Moore's.
@@svetknot9271 Did he always end sentences with "My god" when he was telling stories? Lol, I searched online and it says he passed in 1994 as well. The man was OUT THERE lol
I know...I would have been mad as Hell if some jackass tried to pass himself off as my old friend, knowing that he was long dead! I would have been furious about that...good for "Spanky" for not wanting to stoop to this guy's level! >:(
I remember a woman who had small roles in Our Gang had to prove she really was a former member by showing a really old paycheck she had received from the Hal Roach Studios during that time. This guy had no proof....because he was not Buckwheat. Can't believe this guy kept going with this even after he was caught. Funny cause the first Buckwheat (that he claimed to be) was actually a girl....a really little girl lol. Can't blame Spanky for not wanting to talk to him.
Leonard Maltin wrote a book on our gang, and covered the 'Buckwheat' casting thoroughly, giving the 3 actors who played him. 2 were girls, and only appeared in a few shorts. In all the dozens of other shorts, the 'Buckwheat' character was played by Billie Thomas, and Billie Thomas only. This character is not female, so basically he is claiming to be Billie Thomas ( Billie was the studio spelling). Well, he ain't. Look at his ears - they don't change. Thomas was born in 1931; does the claimant look that old? More data on imdb.com. Funny thing is, Maltin says phonies usually pretend to be Spanky!
"Whatchu tlkin about? I am Mr Buckwheat" i wanna laugh my ass off, but its sick to impersonate a man thats dead and his real close friend Spanky confirming so to your face.
Doctor Feelfunny This reporter doing the show should have been fired also for asking the imposter stupid questions. He is an imposter humiliate him an be done with it. How dare she and he. Spanky McFarlane carried himself like a true gentleman.
This guy is not buckweat. There were Never 3 Buckwheats as he mentioned. There was Farina Played by Allen Hoskins who does in 1980. Then Stymie Played by Matthew Bears who does in 81. Finally Buckweat Played by Bill Thomas who actually replaced Stymie until 1944 when the Little Rusal was canceled. Billy "Buckweat” Thomas does of a heart attack in Out of 1980.
There actually were three Buckwheats if you check the records. Whether this guy actually knew that or not, I have no idea. But Carlena Beard played the role once, then Willie Mae Taylor played the role 3 times, then all other times it was Billy Thomas. Never Bill English.
The other 2 that played Buckwheat were girls, so yes there were 3 Buckwheats and Billy Thomas was the third, but he is the only MAN that ever played Buckwheat
Reminds me of when the homeless guy said he was Peter Criss (the original drummer/Cat Man from KISS) and than the real Criss confronted him on a talk show!
Fallout from this incident included the resignation of a 20/20 producer, and a negligence lawsuit filed by the son of William Thomas.The impostor, Bill English, died in 1994, still claiming to be the real Buckwheat cast member.
Billie Thomas first appeared in the 1934 Our Gang shorts For Pete's Sake!, The First Round-Up, and Washee Ironee as a background player. The "Buckwheat" character was a female at this time, portrayed by Our Gang kid Matthew "Stymie" Beard's younger sister Carlena in For Pete's Sake!, and by Willie Mae Taylor in three other shorts. Buckwheat is Stymies little sister. In the episode called "The First Round Up" they use the name. In "For Pete's Sake" they say its Stymies sister.
He is trying to make himself into something when he didn't have anything throughout his life. That's all there is to this story. He is not buckwheat you could tell he doesn't even know anything about the character and if you were smart, he would have at least steady the character he claims to be. He made a fool of himself....utter fool.
This was embarrassing on so many levels. First of all, in 1975 or so, Tom Snyder had the show featuring Spanky, Darla, Stymie and Buckwheat (Bill Thomas). Everyone who knows anything about The Little Rascals knows that Bill Thomas WAS Buckwheat. The producer of the segment was an IDIOT and should have been fired for not doing proper research. The Current Affair lady is equally bad, asking this fake Buckwheat to pop his eyes out.....she also knows almost nothing about the comedies.
Yeah there was a little girl Buckwheat first. but Billie Thomas is the only man ever to play Buckwheat. I don't remember them ever calling Stymies sister anything in For Pete's Sake, the character is not called Buckwheat.
Too funny. Spanky was quite graceful & Mr. English was doing what he could for his "15 mins of Fame!" As a bagger, whatever he got from ABC for the interview was big time! ROFL
the lesson I learned is that they are most likely more often than not just running with a story regardless of the facts. Why not? It's easier, cheaper and almost no one questions it if it's on TV. It's sad and kinda scary.
I love Mr. McFarland.....but his attire in this interview makes him look like he is being taped from prison. The "I can't believe it's not Buckwheat" dude reminds me of the "best cry ever" guy and Danny Glover. I used to love the noise at the end of "A Current Affair"....."Whaaam!!"
BRIERFOX In his later years, Spanky lived near where I grew up, in the North Texas suburb of Keller. He was often seen around town in those work coveralls he’s wearing in this video! He must have really found them comfortable. :)
I can't believe that everyone has been hoodwinked by this interview. It's obvious that this is Buddy Rich in blackface. Don't ask him about his eyes. Give him a pair of drumsticks!
"Spanky and I did a film together in a haunted house and said 'Who dat?' And when I said 'Who dat?' you could see my eyeballs." Probably the best tagline to ever regularly air on the Howard Stern show in the 90's. Howard was at his best when he was racist.
I saw the real Buckwheat with Spanky and a couple of other members of Our gang on The Tomorrow show with Tom Snyder. This man is not Buckwheat. He doesn't even look like him.
The man's name is Bill English, not Bill Green. Regardless... LMAO! O'Boyle: "Tell us something only Buckwheat would know." England: "Well, Spanky and I did a film in a haunted house. He said, 'Ah-rahl-alm uh,' an' I said, 'Uff-rahl alm ounp,' an' all you could see was my eyes!" Yep... I guess only Buckwheat woulda known that. Frickin' hilarious! Sad. Pitiful. But hilarious.
I have to question the blame being aimed at the producer. Producers do not do the ground work, they have staff whose job it is to check facts. I am guessing that a staff member didn't do his homework and as a result the producer had to take the fall.
After she asked this man a tough question that regarding in haunted house. Even through very poor video quality, I still able to see this black man had rolling his eyes behind his eye socket to search for answers from inside of his brain. It turned out empty sound of 'A' a-a-a-a-a-a it means, "nothing" HA-HA.
Definitely not. 20/20 really did air an episode identifying this guy as Buckwheat then later apologized saying it was wrong, the real one was dead. This guy went around telling so many people he was Buckwheat that it was even in his obituary when he died in 95.
In 1990, the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 aired a segment purporting to be an interview with Buckwheat, now a grocery bagger in Arizona. However, the interview was actually with a man named Bill English, who claimed to be the adult Buckwheat. By the next week, 20/20 had learned of their error (George "Spanky" McFarland personally contacted the media following the broadcast), that the true Buckwheat had been dead for 10 years, and admitted their mistake on-air.
The little rascal children had so much character. Children then seem more alert and cerebral than many do now. Better food, breast fed, outside play, no tv or computers, and a cleaner environment. Sigh Spanky was a hoot! "I'm bug hunt'n"
This is just proof that people have been dying and lying for fame for a long time before the digital age! This man went to the ends of the earth (unconvincingly) to prove he was someone he wasn’t just for clout! Nothings changed except the platform!
Sad on several levels. He is an old guy bagging groceries that's probably never done anything notable & he probably told a lie to impress someone. It grew & suddenly he had a little local claim to fame. He was a novelty at the store he worked at,people sad hi,nice to meet you etc(local celebrity kinda thing) Then it got to big & he was exposed embarrassing him & hurting the family & friends of the real Buckwheat. I actually feel for the guy,he wanted to be special so bad he lied about who he was
@DisWldFrk90 Actually, William Thomas was the ONLY Buckweat...they put him in a dress and pigtails to pass him off as a girl. I believe the did the same thing with Farina too (the character started as a girl, but then "became" a boy, but was played by the same actor-a male).
Maybe he's crazy and really believes he is Buckwheat. Or maybe he just wanted to be famous. Good on Spanky for defending his friend (the real Buckwheat), who is not there to speak for himself.
@junedeon No if you check the records there were three. Carlena Beard (Stymie's sister) played the role once and then Willie Mae Taylor played it three times. After that Billie Thomas had the role. They did dress him in a dress to pass him as a girl until he got older, you're right about that. But 4 times it was a girl.
I suspect you're right. He could be a total fraud, but it could well be just what you said: some old guy just hoping to get a little notice and it got out of control.
Bill English in heaven with God: Bill:Obviously you know who I am am God:Err No?! Bill: Buckwheat of The Little Rascals! God:No your not! Bill:Yes I am damn it! God:If you are him do the Buckwheat signature face Bill:I'm too old to do that face!
Spanky really stepped up on behalf of his friend who wasn't there to defend himself... Now that's loyalty
He also criticized Eddie Murphy's impersonation of Buckwheat on SNL.
@@uhdudewhy7980 oh
@@uhdudewhy7980 why
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_%22Buckwheat%22_Thomas#Controversies
Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas and George "Spanky" McFarland were best friends till Buckwheat died. They were like brothers from another mother.
This Bill English is a complete riot! Look at him trying to pass himself off as playing Buckwheat and when you ask him something about the character he has no idea what you're talking about.
And hats off to George McFarland for defending the real Buckwheat, Billie Thomas and not wanting to challenge that old fool!
The host's request for George McFarland to come up with some questions to trip Bill English up was asinine. Why should he trick the guy into proving he's not Buckwheat. George McFarland knew damned well he wasn't Buckwheat. Playing games with him is just a waste of his time.
I love the way George McFarland side step the antics of the host. He was a real class act.
He was very respectful. I give him a lot of credit for that.
George "Spanky" McFarland was a class act in real life as well as the films, as this shows.
I heard George McFarland was going to play Spanky's father in the 1994 movie The Little Rascals, but he died before production began
Themaddprof Yes, Mr. McFarland was a class act. He could have embarrassed that impostor but chose not to. Shame on Maureen O'Boyle, she came off as badly as those folks over @ 20/20. Maybe the faux Buckwheat had some type of brain damage that made him think he was the real Buckwheat. Poor soul.
Spanky was a nice kid and a nice man, he didn't go down into the gutter like this news reporter was trying to drive this interview down in
@@RangeRover1961 Maureen was doing her job.
We lived in Arizona in the early 1990’s and also was told that Buckwheat was the bagger at the supermarket we shopped in. We believed it! This is terrible! May the real Buckwheat Rest In Peace.
This was a terrible insult to the memory of little Buckwheat. Good on George - "Spanky" - for putting the kay-bosh on this crank.
The think I enjoyed most about this clip was seeing Spanky. He came across as a very solid, sharp, decent, pragmatic fellow. It's nice to know that that's the sort of person he was as an adult.
"They pronounced me dead in Arizona but I'm still living". Wow...what a strange person if he is indeed not Buckwheat. Spanky still looked like Spanky even as an older man.
Buckwheat and Stymy passed away a year after Darla's passing
I saw him in person one time when I was a little girl in Tulsa, Oklahoma and he definitely looked like Spanky then in the late 50s!!
If this doesn't prove that people will do anything for attention- nothing will.
I distinctly remember hearing of the passing of William 'Buckwheat' Thomas in 1980, and it was a dark day.
That's not Buckwheat, that's his brother Kickoats
Sparky grew up to be a very classy man .
I'm actually the real Buckwheat. Just ignore the fact that I'm white.
Also, it's good to see that all those years later, Spanky still refused to take shit off anyone!
+David Johnson He wasn't the type to put up with crap. He was one of the few rascals to fight for the right to royalty checks when Our Gang began appearing on TV.
I suppose today you can pick what gender and orientation you choose so why not color? 😁
It's entirely possible that Bill Green really believes that he was Buckwheat. It may have started out as a lie when he was younger, and then after telling it so many times, his mind began to accept it as fact.
The people who lived around him do back up that he was a mentally ill man who probably really did think he was Buckwheat.
Yeah, we call that a mental illness.
This is absolutely the funniest shit ever. He said "I's mista buckwee"🤣
OMG! I cannot believe what I'm seeing! How can somebody imitate buckwheat, who was an adorable child actor that we adore? And good for Spanky (and I see that his family including his son, feels offended by this) for defending for his best friend against this imposter. And on top of that, he (Mr. Bill English) doesn't even know a lot about Buckwheat's info. and he doesn't even look like Buckwheat. Seriously, this man Mr. English has some serious issues for doing that.😡
civil war ken burns theme
@DisWldFrk90 The woman you mentioned was Laura Jane Kenny, who wrote an autobiography called "Fleeing the Fates of the Little Rascals". A casual flip through the book was enough to convince me she really was telling the truth. As for the Bill English debacle, Spanky's last words on the matter "I'm just teling you what I know" shows real class on his part in refusing to show English up.
The mountain of evidence notwithstanding, this guy looks absolutely nothing like Buckwheat. He looks like black Herman Munster.
Adam Ohm ni
Baaahahahahahaaa!!!
Keep in mind that this happened in 1990. The majority of the "Our Gang" cast disappeared into obscurity after the show (50 years earlier) and most of them never regained any kind of career. And it wasn't like there was Wikipedia back in the day where they could research in a minute.
Normally I could cut some slack if William Thomas had been one of those Rascals who seemingly disappeared for a while such as Mickey Daniels. In this case, I cannot. William Thomas had been interviewed multiple times as an adult (he was greeted by more than 500 fans at the 2nd annual Sons of the Desert meeting), was known by many with his career in the Technicolor corporation for decades, and there were many people alive who were publicly traceable who they could have asked about in regards to Buckwheat. One being Hal Roach himself. I feel, in this case, they really could have done their research properly and discovered who the real Buckwheat was and what happened to him. It seems in this case they simply heard a rumor and jumped on it without bothering to verify it.
One thing that Bill English is right about is that they were multiple child actors they played Buckwheat the 1st was played by Carlene Beard who is Stymie's sister then they was Willie Mae Taylor who played the second Buckwheat who is also a female then William Thomas played Buckwheat throughout the series until it ended
And this dude ain’t any of them. Hes delusional. 😂
@@gaynorpatterson2915 the part that had me laughing is he said spoke with Sparky's mother I said to myself this guy is definitely off his crazy meds 🤣🤣🤣
This should be a bonus DVD feature, because it's as funny as the original Our Gang shorts: "I's Buwheat." ""Are not. " I IS TOO."
"Spanky and I did a film together in a haunted house ... He said 'Who dat' and when I said 'Who dat,' all you can see was my eyeball." Howard Stern used that little sound bite on his radio show for years after this interview and it cracked me up every time that he did
This guy didn't need any drugs, he was crazy already.
Spanky, was such a cool guy. He was so classy that he won't challenge the guy on the air.
Over the years there have been lots of bozos like this grocery bagger who have claimed "Our Gang" credentials -- either pretending that they were known members of the Gang (Darla, Alfalfa, etc. or non-existant ones (like, say, "Stinky"). For the truth, cleck out Leonard Maltin's book. I happen to have known the real Darla, who, as an adult, was just as charming as when she was a kid.
Everyone knows that Buckwheat was assasinated during an episode of Saturday Night Live back in the 80's.
Bill bagged my groceries several times in the 80s. Quite a character.
Did you believe he was Buckwheat?
Mine too. Lived off Mill ave between southern and Baseline while going to ASU. Drove him home one time, he lived over by mill and university near Casey Moore's.
@@svetknot9271 Did he always end sentences with "My god" when he was telling stories? Lol, I searched online and it says he passed in 1994 as well. The man was OUT THERE lol
@@nick56677 never heard him say that to my recollection. But he did always call me "youngblood".
Shit-talking imposter! 'I'm Buckwheat, except I can't answer simple questions about my film roles or emulate my famous expressions.'
Buckwheat died in 1980 and worked for Technicolor
I know...I would have been mad as Hell if some jackass tried to pass himself off as my old friend, knowing that he was long dead! I would have been furious about that...good for "Spanky" for not wanting to stoop to this guy's level! >:(
“Bill, I worked with Buckwheat, I knew Buckwheat, Buckwheat was a friend of mine. Sir, you’re no Buckwheat.”
I remember a woman who had small roles in Our Gang had to prove she really was a former member by showing a really old paycheck she had received from the Hal Roach Studios during that time. This guy had no proof....because he was not Buckwheat. Can't believe this guy kept going with this even after he was caught. Funny cause the first Buckwheat (that he claimed to be) was actually a girl....a really little girl lol. Can't blame Spanky for not wanting to talk to him.
Leonard Maltin wrote a book on our gang, and covered the 'Buckwheat' casting thoroughly, giving the 3 actors who played him. 2 were girls, and only appeared in a few shorts. In all the dozens of other shorts, the 'Buckwheat' character was played by Billie Thomas, and Billie Thomas only.
This character is not female, so basically he is claiming to be Billie Thomas ( Billie was the studio spelling). Well, he ain't. Look at his ears - they don't change. Thomas was born in 1931; does the claimant look that old? More data on imdb.com.
Funny thing is, Maltin says phonies usually pretend to be Spanky!
I think the most impostors I have found have claimed to be Darla! Her and Froggy.
"Why don't you give us that ole' Buckwheat face" lmao I can't with this!
Oh my! BLM ain't gonna like that One Bit ! No sir!
sweetpidi yes that was crazy right
I thought the same thing. That's what they ask people to do when there's a crowd around. "Make your mouth real wide and your eyes real big". Smh lol
I don't even know how these talking heads get or keep their tv jobs, shit
"Whatchu tlkin about? I am Mr Buckwheat" i wanna laugh my ass off, but its sick to impersonate a man thats dead and his real close friend Spanky confirming so to your face.
Bill English, not Green. The real Buckwheat's son sued and won. Also, the 20/20 producer directly responsible was forced to resign. So that's nice.
Doctor Feelfunny This reporter doing the show should have been fired also for asking the imposter stupid questions. He is an imposter humiliate him an be done with it. How dare she and he. Spanky McFarlane carried himself like a true gentleman.
@@rickyparrilla2426 She too hot to be fired.
@@dannyspelman1468 LoL. Now you thinking with your other head. LoL.
@@rickyparrilla2426 Hahahaha! :')
0:58 George should have said, when you reference me please use my Hebrew name "Spanky". LOL
my first reaction was "WHAT"
AHAHAH that shit was so funny
omfg his eyes open wide
My average job interview "I don't know, it's been so many years!"
The real Buckwheats son had something to say about that. Sad he had to defend his fathers death.
This guy is not buckweat. There were Never 3 Buckwheats as he mentioned.
There was Farina Played by Allen Hoskins who does in 1980.
Then Stymie Played by Matthew Bears who does in 81. Finally Buckweat Played by Bill Thomas who actually replaced Stymie until 1944 when the Little Rusal was canceled.
Billy "Buckweat” Thomas does of a heart attack in Out of 1980.
Jesus! They all died a year from each other?
There actually were three Buckwheats if you check the records. Whether this guy actually knew that or not, I have no idea. But Carlena Beard played the role once, then Willie Mae Taylor played the role 3 times, then all other times it was Billy Thomas. Never Bill English.
The other 2 that played Buckwheat were girls, so yes there were 3 Buckwheats and Billy Thomas was the third, but he is the only MAN that ever played Buckwheat
There were other black kids in Our Gang too. Sunshine Sammy Morrison was the first, and he was replaced by Eugene "Pineapple" Jackson
This is funny af. Spanky is like those guys who expose stolen valor 😂
Reminds me of when the homeless guy said he was Peter Criss (the original drummer/Cat Man from KISS) and than the real Criss confronted him on a talk show!
That guy looked more like Vinnie Vincent.
This guy was crazy. Out of his mind nuts.
Spanky played it real cool and let the guy hang himself.
Fallout from this incident included the resignation of a 20/20 producer, and a negligence lawsuit filed by the son of William Thomas.The impostor, Bill English, died in 1994, still claiming to be the real Buckwheat cast member.
He's claiming to be the "first" Buckwheat, who was in fact a female character and actress.
thank u!it was stymie little sister
Buckwheat was shot. I saw it live on SNL
Spanky was like “Boy you ain’t Buckwheat!!!!”
Billie Thomas first appeared in the 1934 Our Gang shorts For Pete's Sake!, The First Round-Up, and Washee Ironee as a background player. The "Buckwheat" character was a female at this time, portrayed by Our Gang kid Matthew "Stymie" Beard's younger sister Carlena in For Pete's Sake!, and by Willie Mae Taylor in three other shorts.
Buckwheat is Stymies little sister. In the episode called "The First Round Up" they use the name. In "For Pete's Sake" they say its Stymies sister.
He is trying to make himself into something when he didn't have anything throughout his life. That's all there is to this story. He is not buckwheat you could tell he doesn't even know anything about the character and if you were smart, he would have at least steady the character he claims to be. He made a fool of himself....utter fool.
This was embarrassing on so many levels. First of all, in 1975 or so, Tom Snyder had the show featuring Spanky, Darla, Stymie and Buckwheat (Bill Thomas). Everyone who knows anything about The Little Rascals knows that Bill Thomas WAS Buckwheat. The producer of the segment was an IDIOT and should have been fired for not doing proper research. The Current Affair lady is equally bad, asking this fake Buckwheat to pop his eyes out.....she also knows almost nothing about the comedies.
mhertz25 I thought the Current Affair lady was a total embarassment. TV back in the day...smh goodness.
mhertz25 The producer ended up resigning after basically being told if she didn't she would be fired. It was humiliating.
True!
How ridiculous. Why would they give air time to this guy that is so obviously an imposter. And crazy as hell too. It's just disrespectful.
Yeah there was a little girl Buckwheat first. but Billie Thomas is the only man ever to play Buckwheat. I don't remember them ever calling Stymies sister anything in For Pete's Sake, the character is not called Buckwheat.
Too funny. Spanky was quite graceful & Mr. English was doing what he could for his "15 mins of Fame!" As a bagger, whatever he got from ABC for the interview was big time! ROFL
the lesson I learned is that they are most likely more often than not just running with a story regardless of the facts. Why not? It's easier, cheaper and almost no one questions it if it's on TV. It's sad and kinda scary.
Eddie Murphy is Buckwheat. He's actually 85 years old.
I love Mr. McFarland.....but his attire in this interview makes him look like he is being taped from prison. The "I can't believe it's not Buckwheat" dude reminds me of the "best cry ever" guy and Danny Glover.
I used to love the noise at the end of "A Current Affair"....."Whaaam!!"
BRIERFOX In his later years, Spanky lived near where I grew up, in the North Texas suburb of Keller. He was often seen around town in those work coveralls he’s wearing in this video! He must have really found them comfortable. :)
I can't believe that everyone has been hoodwinked by this interview. It's obvious that this is Buddy Rich in blackface. Don't ask him about his eyes. Give him a pair of drumsticks!
He's shredded wheat..lol
This man got a loooong head 😂😂😂
Buckwheat was assassinated 39 years ago anyway, how can people forget that? SNL covered it exclusively.
"Spanky and I did a film together in a haunted house and said 'Who dat?' And when I said 'Who dat?' you could see my eyeballs." Probably the best tagline to ever regularly air on the Howard Stern show in the 90's. Howard was at his best when he was racist.
"As they say, hindsight is 20/20." Oh snap! :D
With all the people claiming to be Elvis and Jim Morrison, It's bound to happen with Buckwheat. Lol!
I saw the real Buckwheat with Spanky and a couple of other members of Our gang on The Tomorrow show with Tom Snyder. This man is not Buckwheat. He doesn't even look like him.
The man's name is Bill English, not Bill Green.
Regardless... LMAO!
O'Boyle: "Tell us something only Buckwheat would know."
England: "Well, Spanky and I did a film in a haunted house. He said, 'Ah-rahl-alm uh,' an' I said, 'Uff-rahl alm ounp,' an' all you could see was my eyes!"
Yep... I guess only Buckwheat woulda known that. Frickin' hilarious! Sad. Pitiful. But hilarious.
I have to question the blame being aimed at the producer. Producers do not do the ground work, they have staff whose job it is to check facts. I am guessing that a staff member didn't do his homework and as a result the producer had to take the fall.
Spanky has real class...
Very true. He was probably my favorite of all the kids on that show!
After she asked this man a tough question that regarding in haunted house. Even through very poor video quality, I still able to see this black man had rolling his eyes behind his eye socket to search for answers from inside of his brain. It turned out empty sound of 'A' a-a-a-a-a-a it means, "nothing" HA-HA.
Mr. English...crazy as all hell!
That man is an imposter. The truth is that I am the real Buckwheat.
Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas was the ‘REAL’ Buckwheat. Not this guy from this video interview!
Are you sure this isn't an SCTV sketch???
Definitely not. 20/20 really did air an episode identifying this guy as Buckwheat then later apologized saying it was wrong, the real one was dead. This guy went around telling so many people he was Buckwheat that it was even in his obituary when he died in 95.
+ferociousgumby I remember watching this interview (the one here, not the 20/20 one). It's real.
I'M the real Buckwheat! (and so's my wife!)
I guess that's the saying it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody
In 1990, the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 aired a segment purporting to be an interview with Buckwheat, now a grocery bagger in Arizona. However, the interview was actually with a man named Bill English, who claimed to be the adult Buckwheat. By the next week, 20/20 had learned of their error (George "Spanky" McFarland personally contacted the media following the broadcast), that the true Buckwheat had been dead for 10 years, and admitted their mistake on-air.
Wasnt there more then 1 Buckwheat tho?
The older shows have a older child but I am not sure if they called him buckwheat or not.
The little rascal children had so much character. Children then seem more alert and cerebral than many do now. Better food, breast fed, outside play, no tv or computers, and a cleaner environment. Sigh
Spanky was a hoot! "I'm bug hunt'n"
This is just proof that people have been dying and lying for fame for a long time before the digital age! This man went to the ends of the earth (unconvincingly) to prove he was someone he wasn’t just for clout! Nothings changed except the platform!
Sad on several levels. He is an old guy bagging groceries that's probably never done anything notable & he probably told a lie to impress someone. It grew & suddenly he had a little local claim to fame. He was a novelty at the store he worked at,people sad hi,nice to meet you etc(local celebrity kinda thing) Then it got to big & he was exposed embarrassing him & hurting the family & friends of the real Buckwheat. I actually feel for the guy,he wanted to be special so bad he lied about who he was
"Damn it, I'm Buckwheat!"
I'm gumby damn it !
😂😂😂😂😂😂🤦🏽♀️
Spanky played it cool and refused to play games with the man.
Oh, Apple Sauce, Banky, I alive, HERE I IS!
She is a cutie, but she works for A Current Affair
No, Eddie Murphy is the real Buckwheat!
Stymie was played by Matthew Beard. He passed away in 1981.
@DisWldFrk90 Actually, William Thomas was the ONLY Buckweat...they put him in a dress and pigtails to pass him off as a girl. I believe the did the same thing with Farina too (the character started as a girl, but then "became" a boy, but was played by the same actor-a male).
Maybe he's crazy and really believes he is Buckwheat. Or maybe he just wanted to be famous. Good on Spanky for defending his friend (the real Buckwheat), who is not there to speak for himself.
@junedeon No if you check the records there were three. Carlena Beard (Stymie's sister) played the role once and then Willie Mae Taylor played it three times. After that Billie Thomas had the role. They did dress him in a dress to pass him as a girl until he got older, you're right about that. But 4 times it was a girl.
Everybody knows the real Buckwheat was shot by John David Stutts on Saturday Night Live in the early 80s.
that was trully one of the funniest things i have ever seen
Absolutely classic footage right here 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I suspect you're right. He could be a total fraud, but it could well be just what you said: some old guy just hoping to get a little notice and it got out of control.
Everyone knows Eddie Murphy was Buckwheat!!
I guess the philosophy of Bill English is, "Die with the lie".
this guy who claimed to be Buckwheat is an obvious liar
there seriously needs to be a sarcasm font identifier, right next to bold and italics..
This man saying he is Buckwheat is NOT O'Tay! 😠
Wow...train wreck
Bill English in heaven with God:
Bill:Obviously you know who I am am
God:Err No?!
Bill: Buckwheat of The Little Rascals!
God:No your not!
Bill:Yes I am damn it!
God:If you are him do the Buckwheat signature face
Bill:I'm too old to do that face!