
Mary Ann Jackson
Acting
Biography
American former child actress who appeared in Our Gang short subjects series between 1928 and 1931. Her career began under the shadow of her actor relatives, mother Charlotte Jackson, and older sister, "Peaches" Jackson". Jackson made her film debut in a 1925 Ruth Taylor short, "Dangerous Curves". Her first big break came with the role of Baby Smith in the comedy short series "The Smiths", which starred Billy Gilbert. Se made her feature debut in 1927's "Smith's Pony". Jackson joined the Hour Gang (Little Rascals) 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's 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. Mary Ann Jackson died of heart attack at her home, at the age of 80. She was cremated and ashes scattered off the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Known For

The gang are all orphans, hoping to be adopted by nice families where "spinach is not on the menu". Wheezer, the youngest child, gets adopted by a wealthy couple, while his older sister Mary Ann does not. The gang all comes to visit Wheezer in his new home, setting off an alarm that causes the police and the fire department to come over. At that time, Wheezer's new mother and father decide to adopt Mary Ann as well. The couple's friends all each adopt a child as well; even Farina is adopted by the maid at Wheezer's new home.
Small Talk

The Rascals have a boxing arena that could pack them in if they could find fighters who would actually mix it up. Harry and Farina notice a rivalry between two very large young kids, Joe and Chubby, that would fill the bill if only the two heavyweights would put aside their gentle natures. Farina gets an idea: tell each of the lads that the other will take a dive in the second round. So the fight begins and the stands are filled; but will the combatants actually throw a punch? Ernie has one more trick up his sleeve to get the fists flying and the crowd on its feet. Sweet science indeed.
Boxing Gloves

Wheezer and Stymie, door-to-door salesmen, meet a lonely little rich girl.
Bargain Day

The film begins with a family at home having a meal. The biggest laugh involved some candles being substituted for asparagus and the hilarity that resulted when the people and dog at them. Later, the decide to go to the rodeo but 1001 problems occur on the way there in the car.
The Rodeo

Fast Freight is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film. It was the 85th Our Gang short that was released. The gang takes a tramp's train ride and end up taking shelter in a haunter house.
Fast Freight

Kitty Lorraine has one purpose in life: turning her daughter Shirley into a star. Kitty controls every aspect of the girl's nascent career -- even blackmailing a stage manager so that Shirley can take a more prestigious gig. But Kitty goes too far when she breaks up her daughter's budding relationship with sweet artist Warren Foster. Heartbroken, Shirley sets off on a series of disastrous but profitable relationships.
Stage Mother

The gang is participating in a program sponsored by the Golden Age Dramatic League. They present their own fractured version of Quo Vadis. Things go from bad to worse when the neighborhood tough kids disrupt the show. The pie fight is given a new twist by use of some slow motion sequences.
Shivering Shakespeare

Steve Allen hosts this collection of clips of some of the greatest comedy teams in movie and television history, including Our Gang, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers, Burns and Allen, The Three Stooges, The East-Side Kids, Abbott and Costello, and Martin and Lewis.
Classic Comedy Teams

Famous actress Norma Shearer's jewels are stolen… (Star-packed promotional short film intended to raise funds for the National Variety Artists Tuberculosis Sanatorium.)
The Stolen Jools

With Wheezer's new baby brother getting all the attention, he tries to send the baby back.
Bouncing Babies

Miss Crabtree, the teacher Jackie has a crush on, rents a room at Jackie's house.
Love Business

While the other kids and animals find things to do on the farm, Farina becomes single-minded in his quest to do nothing at all.
Lazy Days

Joe Cobb is suffering through a toothache as well as having to babysit his little brother Rupert who won't stop crying. Every effort to calm Rupert is undone by an immediate commotion to wake him up. Joe rocks him to sleep, but then the neighbor starts playing his bass fiddle. Joe then rocks the cradle so hard it falls apart, and he trips and stumbles moving Rupert to the baby carriage, which subsequently rolls down hill through traffic with Rupert and a neighbor's monkey enjoying the ride.
Noisy Noises

A servant girl plays matchmaker for the local burgomaster's daughter while setting her own sights on a visiting Irishman.
The Red Mill

Ivy Stevens is a cafe entertainer in love with a shifty salesman who deserts her. In attempting to commit suicide, she is saved by Carl, a Salvation Army officer. Encouraged by Carl, Ivy joins the Salvation Army. When her old flame re-enters her life, Ivy finds she is still attracted and begins another affair with him.
Laughing Sinners

15-year-old Penelope (Penny) Wood has two great interests - Chuck Harris and the hope that some day she might become a famous,great writer. Chuck also has two interests - his home-made glider and the hope that some day he will go to Tech college. His indifference to Penny is her chief source of annoyance. Mervyn Roberts, Penny's uncle who is only five years older than she is, arrives home with a guest, Roger Van Vleck, and Penny falls for Roger's sophistication. Chuck, resentful, continues to work on his glider over his father's objections. His father wants it destroyed but Elmer Tuttle, their hired man, hides it.
Her First Beau

One of a handful of currently unavailable Hal Roach/MGM “Our Gang” silent films, School Begins was a series of gags built around the unenviable ritual of returning to school during the first week of September. School begins and some gang members are forging notes from their mother wanting out. Then too-young Wheezer parades by the school with escaped circus seals following him, causing a disturbance.
School Begins

A man, accidentally locked out of his house is mistaken for a burglar as he attempts to re-enter the house. The gag is that the person mistaking him, is an actual burglar thinking the man to be a rival to his score.
The Burglar

Jackie throws his schoolbook out the window in disgust, but then climbs outside to retrieve it. Finding himself locked out, he tries various means of getting back inside without his parents finding out. When his parents mistake his noises for a burglar, a local policeman is called, but he seems incompetent to catch either the phony burglar or the real one who has shown up in the meantime
When the Wind Blows

The gang decides to go camping with a little bear hunting on the side. A pair of poachers decides to try and scare them off with a gorilla suit but the gang decides to try and capture the gorilla instead.