Mary Ann Jackson

 Mary Ann Jackson (January 14, 1923 – December 17, 2003)

She was a child actress who appeared in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1928 to 1931. Jackson made her film debut in a 1925 Ruth Taylor short, Dangerous Curves Behind. Her first big break came with the role of Baby Smith in the comedy short series The Smiths. Jackson joined the Our Gang cast in 1928, at the tail end of the silent era. Often used as the second female lead or the spunky older sister of "Wheezer" (Bobby Hutchins), Mary Ann's snappy delivery came in handy during the series' somewhat rocky transition to sound. With her bob hairstyle and freckles, tomboyish Mary Ann was a vast departure from the winsome miniature heroines who would populate the series before and after her tenure. Jackson left the Our Gang series in 1931, at age 8, and appeared in a few two-reel Mickey McGuire comedies. Jackson felt that children distorting themselves for a part in a short or feature was "sick". She told her mother: "This is not for me. I don't want the responsibility or the rejection. I'm not an actress, I'm not talented, leave me alone, let me get on with my life!" Jackson eventually took a job at the May Company in downtown Los Angeles, and made only a few brief forays into acting. In 1941, she doubled for Edith Fellows. Mary Ann Jackson married at age twenty, but was widowed. She married again, and spent many years with her second husband and her two children in the San Fernando Valley. Jackson died on December 17, 2003 at age 80, after suffering a heart attack.