Shirley Jean Rickert (March 25, 1926 – February 6, 2009) was an American child actress who was briefly the "blonde girl" for the Our Gang 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 in 1931. Rickert's most notable appearances were in the films Love Business and Bargain Day, 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 Taylor alongside Mickey Rooney 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 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. She was 82.
Filmography Year Title Role Series1930 How's My Baby The Baby Night Work uncredited orphan Follow Thru uncredited child 1931 Helping Grandma Shirley Our Gang Love Business Little Daddy The Stolen Jools Bargain Day Shirley Our Gang Fly My Kite1932 Love Pains uncredited girl Once in a Lifetime 1933 Mickey's Touchdown Tomboy Taylor Mickey McGuire Mickey's Tent Show Mickey's Covered Wagon1934 Mickey's Minstrels Mickey's Rescue Mickey's Medicine Man The Scarlet Letter Humility Crakstone I'll Fix It uncredited girl 'Neath the Arizona Skies Nina One Hour Late uncredited girl 1935 Straight from the Heart The Drunkard Julia I Live My Life uncredited child 1936 Crash Donovan 1940 Five Little Peppers in Trouble Kiki Five Little Peppers1942 The Major and the Minor uncredited student Get Hep to Love 1943 Best Foot Forward uncredited dancer In Old Oklahomaaka War of the Wildcats 1944 Meet the People 1946 If I'm Lucky 1947 Good News 1951 Royal Wedding 1952 The Pace That Thrills uncredited girl Singin' in the Rain uncredited dancer 1953 The A-B-Cs of Love Gilda 1954 The Human Jungle uncredited stripper
References
External links
Shirley Jean Rickert's home page Rickerts with childhood photo of herself in Little Rascals