Shirley Jean Rickert

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 talkie period.

Career

Rickert's most notable appearances were in the films Love Business and Bargain Day, in which her spit-curls were the centerpiece of her precocious performance. After Rickert left the Our Gang series, she had a brief movie career, 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.

In the mid-1970s, she became a traveling saleswoman for industrial hardware. Late in life, she performed in local theater productions, helped maintain a Web site for her fans and occasionally appeared at film festivals and conventions. 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.