Shirley Jean Rickert (March 25, 1926 – February 6, 2009) was an American child actress who was briefly the "blonde girl" for the ''

Our Gang ''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. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

'' series in 1931, during the Hal Roach early talkie period.

Career

At 18 months of age, Rickert won a local baby beauty contest, which emboldened her mother to move the family to Hollywood. She made her screen debut at the age of four in the short ''How's My Baby'' (1930), soon followed by her ''Our Gang'' debut, ''

Helping Grandma ''Helping Grandma'' is a 1931 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 103rd (15th talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot An elderly woman named Mrs. Margaret Mack owns a small grocery store, ...

'' in 1931. Rickert's most notable appearances were in the films '' Love Business'' and ''

Bargain Day ''Bargain Day'' is a 1931 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 106th ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Jackie notices that the Gang's baseball equipment is missing and discovers Wheezer and Stymie w ...

'', in which her spit-curls, inspired by those of Ruth Taylor's in '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'', were the centerpiece of her precocious performance. After Rickert left the ''Our Gang'' series, she had a brief movie career, including starring roles as Tomboy Teri Taylor alongside

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

in eight ''Mickey McGuire'' comedies, followed by a string of jobs including driving trucks for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. She later worked in

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

as an exotic dancer, billed as Gilda and Her Crowning Glory (after her long blonde hair), retiring from burlesque in 1959. In the mid-1970s, she became a traveling saleswoman for industrial hardware, surprising potential clients with her starring roles in ''Our Gang''. Later, she performed in local theater productions, helped to maintain a Web fansite, and made occasional public appearances. She also sold her crafts at a local shop with her daughter's family.

Death

Rickert died in a nursing home on February 6, 2009, after a long illness.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Shirley Jean Rickert's home page

Rickerts with childhood photo of herself in Little Rascals
* American child actresses American burlesque performers People from Saratoga Springs, New York Actresses from Seattle Actors from Springfield, Massachusetts 20th-century American actresses 1926 births 2009 deaths Our Gang 21st-century American women {{US-film-actor-1920s-stub