The youngest actress on the Sennett lot celebrated her fourth birthday anniversary last month(sic). Her name is Mary Ann Jackson, but the exhibitors throughout the country call her "the box-office baby," for the S. R. O. sign must be hung out when Mary Ann's comedies are advertised.
She is a solumn-faced infant with twinkling eyes, who seldom speaks and is the very pattern of obedience.
"Only very good children can be used in pictures," declares Mack Sennett, "for directors have no time to waste on those who can't obey at once. I am particularly proud of discovering this baby, if you can all it a discovery.
"Mary Ann is the baby sister of Peaches Jackson, who was a very well-known child actress several years ago. Their mother had three children and when one worked Mrs. Jackson had to sit on the set, so the baby accompanied her. One day Bobby Jackson, the young brother, was playing extra on one of our pictures in which we had a grocery store. There was a long counter and a great shelf full of pies. Gags for our pictures are frequently developed on the set and the sight of these two properties gave the director an idea.
"'We'll spread the pies out on the counter,' he planned, 'and get a baby to walk through them!'
"Mrs. Jackson's baby, then 2 years old, sat as usual beside her mother. She was seized and told to take a walk from pie to pie, which she did, planting a small shoe firmly in the exact center of each piece of pastry. Then they wiped off the custard and gave her back to her mother and everybody thought that was that.
"But I saw the rushes that night (rushes are the daily output of uncut film made in the studio), and when that solemn infant crossed the screen I knew that here was an answer to the producer's prayer. I signed her to a long contract next day, with no idea what I was going to do with her, but after a while we developed the 'Jimmy Smith comedies,' using Raymond McKee, Ruth Hiatt and this kid and a dog. The baby made such a hit that exhibitors demanded more of her and now she is featured at the head of the cast.
"She is another instance of personality being ahead of beauty, for Mary Ann is not a pretty child."