In 1952, at age 24, McFarland joined the United States Air Force. Upon his return to civilian life, indelibly typecast in the public's mind as "Spanky" from "Our Gang," he found himself unable to find work in show business. He took less glamorous jobs, including work at a soft drink plant, a hamburger stand, and a popsicle factory. In the mid-1950s, when the "Our Gang" comedies were sweeping the nation on TV, McFarland hosted an afternoon children's show, "The Spanky Show", on KOTV television in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The show included a studio audience and appearances by other celebrities such as James Arness, and it ran "Little Rascals" shorts. Station executives prevented McFarland from developing and expanding the show's format, and by 1960 McFarland had quit the show.