Shirley Jean Rickert

This filmography was made in collaboration with Matthew Lydick.

Heidi (small part as member of minuet)

Oct. 15, 1937 - 20th Century-Fox - 10 reels - Shirley Temple feature

©Oct. 15, 1937.

1938

• On January 5th of this year, The Tacoma News Tribune carried an article about Shirley, who was currently in town visiting her grandparents. It mentions that, when not at school at whichever studio she was working at, Shirley attended the Gardiner Street school. "Among the things Shirley likes to do are going to school, eating her spinach, playing drums, picking up sticks and playing on the rings."
• In 1966, speaking to the Buffalo Evening News Magazine, Shirley had this to say: "Worst for a child star was the transition period when you became an adolescent. From the time I can remember, I auditioned for jobs. We were turned down lots of times. About the time I was 12, though, nobody wanted us. It was very frustrating for a child. I was the meal ticket by then. When I didn't work, mother and I went hungry. We never actually starved. But many times we were just plain hungry, believe me. I grew up with a big fat inferiority complex...I earned $75 to $150 a week during the '30s. There were no laws then about trust funds for child stars. Like a lot of others, none of the money was ever put away for me. There was hardly any jealousy among the youngsters. Our mothers watched each other like hawks and so on. Stage mothers are something else. They are the very worst. When I was young, I never played with other children for fear I'd break something. I worked with them. Acting was easy. All children are natural actors, unless a child is a real dunce. They live in a world of make-believe anyway. Sounds a little grim, doesn't it? In many ways it was a pleasurable experience. I mean, not many people have been a child star. You have, maybe, a little more self-esteem. It's something to tell your children."

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1940

Five Little Peppers In Trouble (small part: Kiki)

Sep. 1, 1940 - Columbia - 7 reels - Five Little Peppers feature

©Aug. 24, 1940. Also featuring Edith Fellows and Tommy "Butch" Bond. Shirley plays piano (or at least pretends to) while Fellows sings "The Blue Danube Waltz" by Johann Strauss.

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1942

The Major And The Minor (role- college girl)

prem. Sep. 16, 1942 - Paramount - 10 reels - Ginger Rogers & Ray Milland feature

©Oct. 16, 1942.

Get Hep To Love (role: student)

Oct. 2, 1942 - Universal - 8 reels - Jane Frazee & Robert Paige feature

Also featuring Gloria Jean and Donald O'Connor. ©Aug. 25, 1942.

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1943

• During the 1940s, Shirley started taking bit roles as dancers and also did some choreography.

Best Foot Forward (role: dancer)

prem. June 29, 1943 - MGM - 10 reels - Technicolor - Lucille Ball & Harry James feature

©July 14, 1943. Released Oct. 8, 1943.

In Old Oklahoma (role: dancer)

Dec. 6, 1943 - Republic - 11 reels - John Wayne & Martha Scott feature

©Oct. 13, 1943.

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1944

• On February 3rd of this year, The Yukon Sun (OK) listed James William Riedel, 20, of Mustang Field, and Shirley Jean Rickert, 18, of Hollywood, CA, as among those obtaining a marriage license.
• During World War II, Shirley drove a truck for the Army Air Corps. As she said in 1962: "I pushed a ton-and-a-half cargo truck as a civilian Army employee during the war. I enjoyed riding horses. For awhile I was a stunt rider."

Meet The People (role: dancer)

prem. June 1, 1944 - MGM - 10 reels - Lucille Ball & Dick Powell feature

©Mar. 23, 1944.

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1946

• Shirley must have been discharged from the military around this time, as her film activity picks up again after a two-year gap. She remembered being in numerous Esther Williams films (which would mainly be from the late '40s and early '50s), though I've yet to verify any of them.

If I'm Lucky (role: dancer)

Sep. 2, 1946 - 20th Century-Fox - 78 min. - feature

Starring Vivian Blaine, Perry Como, Harry James and Carmen Miranda. ©Aug. 31, 1946.

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1947

• On November 1st of this year, Jimmie Fidler reported the following in his syndicated column: "Shirley Jean Rickert, one-time blond child beauty of the Our Gang comedies and now an MGM dancer, is readying a divorce suit against her husband, UCLA student James Rydell."

The Long Night (role: girl in theater)

May 28, 1947 - Select/RKO - 101 min. - Henry Fonda feature

©Aug. 6, 1947. Also starring Barbara Bel Geddes, Vincent Price and Ann Dvorak.

Good News (role: dancer)

prem. Dec. 4, 1947 - MGM - 93 min. - Technicolor - June Allyson & Peter Lawford feature

©Dec. 5, 1947. Released Dec. 26, 1947.

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1951

Royal Wedding (role: dancer in Haiti number)

prem. Mar. 8, 1951 - MGM - 93 min. - Technicolor - Fred Astaire & Jane Powell feature

Released Mar. 23, 1951.

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1952

The Pace That Thrills (role: girl)

prem. Mar. 21, 1952 - RKO - 63 min. - feature

Starring Bill Williams, Carla Balenda, Robert Armstrong, Frank McHugh and Steve Flagg. ©Feb. 5, 1951.

Singin' In The Rain (role: chorus girl)

prem. Mar. 27, 1952 - MGM - 12 reels - Technicolor - feature

©Mar. 11, 1952 (in notice: 1951). Released Apr. 11, 1952. Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds.

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1953

I Love Melvin (role: chorus girl)

Mar. 20, 1953 - MGM - 77 min. - Technicolor - Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds feature

©Feb. 2, 1953 (in notice: 1952).

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1954

• Near the beginning of this year, Shirley began to train at the New Follies Theatre in Hollywood to become a burlesque stripper. She became known professionally as Gilda and Her Crowning Glory (in reference to her long hair, which she would let fall down below her waist). She almost immediately made "The A-B-C's of Love," and toured the U.S. and Canada for the next seven years as part of a variety show that included singers, strippers and comics. The earliest live performance I've been able to confirm was at the New Follies Theatre on March 26th.
• Somewhere along the line, since her 1947 divorce, Shirley married David Measures.

The A-B-C's Of Love (role: Gilda the Golden Girl)

Jan. 1954 - Billiken/Mishkin - 64 min. - Gilda feature

Credited as Gilda. An adult film. The release date is according to the TCM website, though it's somewhat questionable. Given that Shirley got into burlesque dancing in 1954, and that the earliest screening I've been able to confirm happened on March 28th, I'm guessing that the shooting of the film may have been what happened in January.

The Human Jungle (role: stripper)

prem. Sep. 28, 1954 - Allied Artists - 6 reels - Gary Merrill & Jan Sterling feature

©Sep. 26, 1954. Released Oct. 3, 1954.

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1955

• On January 24th of this year, the United Press reported the following: "'Gilda,' former Our Gang comedy star, made her debut as a burlesque dancer at Minsky's Saturday (the 22nd), but her heart isn't in it. 'A stripper's life is one of the dullest in the world,' the 23-year-old flaxen haired beauty said in discussing her 15 minute 'feature' act. 'You just do the job and go home,' she said. 'There's no roses waiting at the door.' Gilda, whose real name is Shirley Measures, has been in show business nearly all her life, ever since she played the part of the sweet little sister to such pranksters as Jackie Cooper, Farina and Alfalfa, in Our Gang comedies 20 years ago. Still sweet, but sexy as a French postcard, Gilda wants to do serious character parts in movies. She figures burlesque is good training. 'One reason I picked burlesque was to get recognition and get to the top quickly,' she said. 'I've been a dancer all my life, and I'm one of the few strippers who can keep time to music. My biggest gimmick is my hair,' she said, tossing a yard of shimmering gold around her shoulders. 'I start my strip with it up in a chignon, and gradually let it down.' Then she demonstrated by piling her 3-foot long tresses on top of her head in a sort of grecian bun, held by a coronet of jewelled pins. Suddenly, with a wiggle and a toss of her head, her hair twisted and fell to her waist. Gilda attended the Lillian Hunt school of burlesque on the west coast to prepare for her debut in the bigtime, but she has other goals beside stardom.
  "She says that from this point on, 'I'm writing down everything that happens to me, and plan to write a book on burlesque as it actually is. They're always picturing the comics as beat up old drunks, and the girls as something you wouldn't dare bring home to mother. Actually, the morals in this business are higher than in Hollywood.' Gilda said she plans to call her book 'Silver Shoes,' after the silver shoes which every aspiring stripper must buy as basic attire. Although she enjoys her work, she said it is difficult keeping in condition, 'because I like to cook and to eat,' but four shows daily and five on Saturdays keep her 'in shape.' For the record, her vital statistics are: 35 inch bust, 23 inch waist and 36.5 inch hips. Gilda stands 5 foot 5 inches in bare feet and weighs 126 pounds."

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1956

• On August 25th of this year, Shirley was divorced from David Measures. Within the following year, she would marry her booking agent, Jack Edwards.

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1957

• On March 1st of this year, Rick Du Brow of UPI reported that Shirley Jean Measures lost custody of her 7-year-old daughter the previous year to the child's grandmother.
• On September 14th, the Associated Press reported the following: "Shirley Jean, the original little blonde vamp in the 'Little Rascals' TV films, has been a burlesque star under the name of Gilda for the last five years. The movies, originally the 'Our Gang' series, were made 25 years ago but today's kids can watch little Shirley Jean on TV while Pop enjoys her more sophisticated adult performance at the Fox burlesque house here. The former Shirley Jean Rickert now is the wife of Jack Edwards, Miami booking agent. Gilda's face looks remarkably like Shirley Jean's. There the resemblance ends. 'I was washed up in the movies at 12,' Gilda recalls, 'after the Our Gang and playing with Mickey Rooney in the Mickey McGuire series. Oh, I swam in some Esther Williams pictures and did some bits, but I was pretty much out of entertainment until I worked up a burlesque act five years ago. I have stayed off the regular burlesque circuits because I make more money playing independent theaters and night clubs. I can play the Miami clubs in the winter tourist season and be with my family. (I have a 6-year-old daughter named Melody who looks so much like Shirley Jean that it scares you!) I've got two ambitions - to clean up burlesque and to become a dress designer. Burlesque is the only thing left that's anything like vaudeville. Both trained many of our great actors, especially comedians. I contend that burlesque doesn't have to be smutty and can attract women as well as men.'
  "Gilda had a go-around with a Toledo theater a few weeks ago because she refused to liven up her act. 'The girls play it stronger there than anyplace else in the country,' she says, 'but the theater had its biggest Saturday. I've learned more about timing and showmanship in burlesque than I did in 20 years in the movies.' She designs her own costumes (first layer) and makes gowns for several dancers. The return to 1920 styles she calls 'ridiculous.' 'If girls were supposed to look like boys,' she contends, 'they would have been built like boys.' "

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1958

• On October 29th of this year, The Independent of Pasadena, CA, reported the following: "Burlesque stripper Shirley Jean Measures, 32, yesterday stipulated to the granting of custody of her 7-year-old daughter to the child's maternal grandmother. Superior Judge Harold W. Schweitzer granted custody to Mrs. Ruth F. Rickert, of 665 South Cochran Ave., who told the court she has raised Melody for the past four years. Mrs. Measures, who dances under the name of 'Gilda,' divorced her husband, David H. Measures, 37, Aug. 25, 1956. In the stipulation prepared by Atty. Herbert G. Staples, the dancer said it was in the 'best interest' of the child to live with her grandmother. Mrs. Rickert told the court the child's father, a bartender, hasn't visited the girl in more than eight months."
• By December, Shirley was performing in Detroit, where she also did a children's TV show on Saturday mornings.

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1959

• Sometime during this year, Jack Edwards died. After this, Shirley went back to being Shirley Jean Measures, a name she retained for the rest of her life.
• On November 22nd of this year, the Buffalo Courier Express reported the following: "After an eventful 30 years in show business, Shirley Jean Measures has retired. Her retirement age: 33. In those three decades, she made the circuit. She started as a star - a child star in Hollywood - and went on to movie bit player and dancer and finally became a stripteaser in theaters and nightclubs across the country. Now she is through with all of that. Now she has settled down in Buffalo. She is a barmaid. 'I guess I did things backwards,' she said. 'Some girls are waitresses or barmaids, get discovered, and become successful in show business. It happened just the other way around for me, but I'm happy.'
  "'I was in show business for 30 years,' she said. 'I've just had enough. I don't care if I never step on a stage again.' Shirley Jean decided to settle in Buffalo when friends offered her a job as a barmaid at the Billboard, Swan and Ellicott. She has been working at the nightclub for several weeks. She wanted to settle down so her daughter, Melody, 8, could live a normal life. Traveling from city to city, living out of a suitcase, eating in hash houses, is not the kind of life Shirley Jean wants for her daughter. 'My husband died a year ago,' she said, 'and Melody was living with my mother while I was on the road. Then my mother died. I didn't want Melody to travel, and I wouldn't let anyone else care for her, so I just decided to quit and try to live a normal life'...
  "'I never thought I'd ever become a burlesque dancer,' she said, 'but the pay was very good. When the chance came, I took it. But now, Gilda is dead. Long live Shirley Jean.' Behind the bar, she is slightly distracting. She wears her platinum blonde hair in a long pony-tail and smiles as if she enjoys her work. 'I've never been a barmaid before,' she said, 'but I was always interested in being one. Maybe someday I'll be able to open my own club. It's fun. And I can mix a pretty good cocktail, too.' " Elsewhere, the article claims that Shirley was in the Our Gang series for four years and made about 100 films, but the rest of it is probably relatively accurate. The age of her daughter at any given time varies widely depending on which newspaper article one is reading. This one says she was 8 in 1959, while another says she was 7 in 1956, and still another says she was 5 in 1961, and it doesn't appear that Shirley had more than one child.

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1960

• In the 1966 article for the Buffalo Evening News Magazine, Shirley stated that she had been a typist for E. F. Smith Associates for six years, which would mean that she was hired in 1960. She also states that she initially did dressmaking when she first moved to Buffalo, but this must have been in addition to her regular jobs. It's also unclear whether she initially lived in the city of Buffalo itself, or in the suburb of Grand Island, but it's fairly clear that she was in Grand Island within a few years after moving to the area. At some point, she began working in the sales department of the Regional Professional Theater in Buffalo.

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1962

• On June 2nd of this year, the Buffalo Evening News Magazine reported that Shirley was playing a lead role in Goodbye My Fancy for the Island Theater Group in Grand Island. For the next production, Ethan Frome, Shirley was set to be in charge of lighting and stage production. She was also working in the PTA and Campfire Girls. The article also adds a few other jobs that Shirley had after leaving the film business: saleslady, hat-check girl, night club photographer, professional softball player (left fielder for the Hollywood Shamrocks) and professional roller skater.

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1965

• On August 9th of this year, the Buffalo Evening News reported the following: "The Grand Island Theater Group's fall production of the musical comedy Plain & Fancy will be sponsored by the Grand Island Junior Chamber of Commerce as a fundraising project...The Grand Island presentation will be directed by Mrs. Elizabeth Beach. Mr. and Mrs. William Pinkow will be vocal and music directors and Shirley Jean Measures, choreographer. Performances will be given Oct. 15-17 in the Grand Island Junior-Senior High School."

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1966

• On February 26th of this year, the Buffalo Evening News listed Mary, Mary by the Island Theater Group among its upcoming openings. It was set to play Thursday to Sunday, which would mean March 3rd to 6th. Listed first among the players was Shirley Jean Measures.
• On March 26th, the Buffalo Evening News Magazine published an article on Shirley, in which she spoke at length about her years in show business. She gets a few details wrong, stating that Spanky was in the Our Gang series at the same time as her, that she was in the series for four years, freelanced for several years, and then spent three years with Mickey McGuire. At the present time, she was still a typist for E. F. Smith, where she had been for the last five years. "My only connection now with show business, you might say, is the Island Theater Group. I directed Thurber's Carnival for them, and I'm going to direct Seven Days In May. Sometimes I am the electrician."

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1967

• On October 26th of this year, the Buffalo Evening News reported the following: "The Island Theater Group will conduct tryouts for Barefoot In The Park from 7 to 9 PM this evening and Friday (the 27th) in the Community Center on Fix Rd. Mrs. Shirley Jean Measures will direct the play."
• On November 29th, the Buffalo Evening News reported the following: "Neil Simon's popular comedy Barefoot In The Park will be performed by the Island Theater Group Dec. 7-9 at 8:30 PM in the Huth School on Grand Island. Shirley Jean Measures will direct a cast which includes Liz Baker as the bride's mother, Gayle Vaillancourt as the young bride, Jerry Gauvin as the groom, R. C. Jarron and William Askew."

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1968

• On June 6th of this year, the Buffalo Evening News reported the following: "A comedy on politics, The Girls In 509, will be presented this evening, tomorrow and Saturday (the 8th) by the Island Theater Group on the stage of the Huth Rd. Elementary School, Huth Rd., Grand Island. The players' final production of the season is co-sponsored by the Grand Island Rotary Club. In director Pat Zoltoski's cast are Elizabeth Beach, Kitty Zoeckler, Shirley Jean Measures, Michael Fischetti, Richard Waring, Robert Jarron and Jack Martin. Curtain time is 8:30."
• On August 6th, the Buffalo Evening News reported the following: "The Grand Island Theater Group will conduct tryouts for the musical Oklahoma! at 8:30 PM Monday and next Tuesday in the Community Center at Fix Rd. and Legion Dr. The production will be presented Oct. 25-26 in the Grand Island High School on Ransom Rd. Mrs. Shirley Jean Measures will direct. Mr. and Mrs. William Pinkow will be in charge of musical arrangements."
• On October 25th, the Buffalo Evening News included Oklahoma! among the shows opening that day. Two performances, at 8:30 PM on the 25th and 26th would be given at the Grand Island Junior-Senior High School on Ransom Rd. Shirley Jean Measures was listed as the director.
• On October 26th, the Buffalo Evening News reported the following: "The Island Theater Group opened its eighth season Friday with a well-paced rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Sibby Ditando and Jean Lange play the leading couple. Show-stealers are Ron Gellatly as Ali Hakim, the itinerant peddler who becomes involved in the local romances, and Lucille Gervase as Ado Annie, the girl who "Cain't Say No.' In spite of some third act difficulties with lines, the show moved along well, under the direction of Shirley Jean Measures. The 24-piece orchestra, conducted by William Pinkow, overpowering on occasions, otherwise provided a well-rehearsed background."

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1971

• On May 3rd of this year, the Buffalo Evening News reported the following: "Elizabeth Beach in the title role heads director Ron Swick's cast of 35 in Auntie Mame, the concluding presentation of the Island Theater Group opening May 14 in the Huth Rd. School auditorium, Grand Island. Major supporting roles are held by Shirley Jean Measures, Bill Anderholt, Chuck Van Dusen and Scott Davis...Performances continue May 15, 21 and 22 with an 8:30 PM curtain each night."

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1972

• On May 3rd of this year, the Buffalo Evening News reported the following: "Courtyard Theater plans to open its comedy The Death And Life Of Sneaky Fitch by James L. Rosenberg on May 13 at 8:30 PM, additional performances Fridays and Saturdays through early June." Listed among the cast is Shirley Measures.
• At some point in the middle of this year, Shirley moved to Springfield, MA, where she became a sales representative for the Stage West theater group.
• On December 9th, the Recorder of Greenfield, MA, reported on a performance of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler at Stage West in nearby Springfield. Playing the role of Berte was Shirley Jean Measures.

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1973

• On October 6th of this year, the Transcript-Telegram of Holyoke, MA, reported the following: "The Holyoke Lions Club will meet at noon on Thursday (the 11th) at the Holyoke House, Suffolk St. Guest speaker will be Shirley Jean Measures, group sales representative for Stage West who will host a slide presentation."

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1974

• On March 25th of this year, the Transcript-Telegram of Holyoke, MA, reported that Stage West would be presenting the children's play "The Brave Little Tailor" the week of April 30. Teachers wanting to bring their classes to the performances would need to contact Shirley Jean Measures.
• On April 3rd, the Transcript-Telegram of Holyoke, MA, reported the following: "The United Methodist Women will hold their monthly meeting tonight at 7:30 in the church vestry of the United Methodist Church, South Hadley. Mrs. Shirley Jean Measures of Stage West will present the program, entitled From Child Star To Company Manager."
• On April 18th, the Transcript-Telegram of Holyoke, MA, reported that "The Brave Little Tailor" would be performed on April 30th, and May 1st to 4th.
• On November 6th, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported the following: "The winter meeting of the Connecticut Valley Simmons Club will be Nov. 16 at the home of Mrs. James Duffy, 20 Brown St., Palmer...Shirley Jean Measures, sales manager at Stage West, will speak on From Child Star To Sales Manager, and will illustrate her talk with slides. Ms. Measures started her career at age two in Our Gang comedies, came to Stage West in 1972 as secretary, and has played in such Stage West productions as The Drunkard."
• On December 30th, Shirley made a personal appearance at Stage West in West Springfield, MA. The Marx Brothers film "Monkey Business" was shown, preceded by one of Shirley's Our Gang appearances. Shirley also answered questions and presided over a trivia contest.

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1975

• On February 8th of this year, the Recorder of Greenfield, MA, reported on the upcoming Annual Creative Arts Festival at Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Shelburne Falls. Among the events scheduled to happen on Friday the 14th, was a slide lecture and discussion on child acting by Shirley Jean Measures of Stage West.
• On February 20th, the Transcript-Telegram of Holyoke, MA, reported that Shirley "showed movies and discussed the making of a play and action behind the scenes" at Willimansett American Legion Hall on Friday, which would also be February 14th. Assuming the newspaper reporting is accurate, she must have had a busy day that Friday.
• On April 8th, the Daily Hampshire Gazette of Northampton, MA, included a review of The Guardsman, the latest Stage West production which was set to continue through April 12th. Shirley Measures provided the choreography.
• On September 2nd, the Bridgeport Post (CT) reported that Shirley would be giving her slide show on Monday the 8th in the hall of the Trumbull Congregational Church.
• On September 11th, the Transcript-Telegram of Holyoke, MA, reported the following: "The Franco American Women Voters Association will hold the initial meeting of the 1975-76 season, Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the parish hall of the Nativity of the B.V.M. Church on Chicopee St. Mrs. Eva Matte, president, will conduct the business session. Guest speaker will be former child star in Hollywood, Shirley Jean Measures, now sales director at Chateau de Ville Dinner Theatre. A star of 'Our Gang' and 'Little Rascals' movies, she will show movies she starred in and show slides of Chateau de Ville."
• On October 28th, Shirley was a featured speaker at a Rotary dinner meeting in Suffield Inn in Hartford, CT.

Woman Is episode (guest appearance)

Mar. 4 - WGBY/PBS - 30 min. - TV episode

Local program in Springfield, MA.

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1976

• By June of this year, Shirley had moved to Connecticut and become sales manager at the Hartman Theater Company in Stamford. In addition to the business side of things, she also occasionally acted with the company.
• On September 6th, the Bridgeport Sunday Post (CT) reported the following: "Shirley Measures, sales director of the Hartman Theater company, will speak to the members of the Exchange club at their weekly luncheon meeting on Thursday (the 9th) at the Italian center."
• On October 6th, Shirley was a guest speaker at a meeting of the Fifth Wheel club in Fairfield, CT.
• On November 18th, Shirley was a guest speaker at a meeting of the Chai Chapter of the Women's League for Israel.

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1977

• On June 19th of this year, the Bridgeport Sunday Post reported the following: "Shirley Jean Measures, the sales director for Hartman Theater, tells us that advance ticket orders for the theater's third season student matinees are being filled rapidly. 'With more than five months to go to the first student performances, more then 650 Connecticut and New York school students have already signed up to see the Hartman's productions,' she said."
• Around mid-July, Shirley became director of consumer marketing for the Fairfield Processing Co. of Danbury, CT. It was during her time with this company that they organized their first annual Stuffed Toys Contest. Contestants entering the contest would create needlecraft dolls and animals, with the only requirement being that they had to stuff the toys with Poly-Fil, a product of the Fairfield company. Shirley spent the next couple of years distributing the toys to children's hospitals around the country. This is all according to the Bridgeport Sunday Post of July 31st.
• On November 30th, Shirley appeared on the Carolyn Churchman radio program on WXLW in Indianapolis.
• On December 1st, Shirley distributed hundreds of stuffed toys at Noble I Gym in Indianapolis.
• On December 2nd, The Indianapolis Star reported that Shirley had worked as a management consultant, for a radio station and in regional theaters.
• On December 6th, The Evening Sun of Baltimore, MD, reported the following: "Toys and checks will be presented December 7 at parties to be held at three city hospitals by the men and women of Variety Club Tent 19...Festivities will include - besides toys - clowns, ice cream, cookies and a former member of 'Our Gang Comedies,' Shirley Jean Measures."

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1978

• On January 5th of this year, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported the following: "'Everything I've ever done in my whole life has led up to this,' says Shirley Jean Measures, gesturing around a room filled with stuffed dolls and animals in all the colors of the rainbow, each an example of needlecraft art. Ms. Measures, former child star of Our Gang and Little Rascals comedies in Hollywood, came to Fort Worth to present about 500 toys to youngsters at Fort Worth Children's Hospital on Wednesday (the 4th)."
• On February 23rd, The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, WA, reported the following: "Children in five Spokane hospitals will receive more than 100 stuffed toys today from representatives of the Washington State Grange and Fairfield Processing Corp., Danbury, Conn., co-sponsors of the First Annual Stuffed Toy Contest, a Fairfield spokesman said. Mary Richmond, director of women's activities for the grange, and former child film star Shirley Jean Measures, director of consumer marketing at Fairfield, will present the toys to youngsters at Sacred Heart Medical Center, St. Luke's Memorial Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children and Deaconess Hospital. All toys from the national contest are donated to hospitals following judging, the spokesman said."
• On March 7th, the Durham Morning Herald (NC) reported the following from Chapel Hill: "Shirley Jean Measures, a star of the old Our Gang-Little Rascals comedies, presented more than 100 stuffed toys to children at North Carolina Memorial Hospital Monday (the 6th). The toys, all hand-made, were award-winning entries in a national stuffed toy contest sponsored by the National Grange and the Fairfield Processing Corporation."
• On November 8th, The Hartford Courant (CT) reported the following: "Shirley Jean Measures, the little blonde with spit curls in the Our Gang and Little Rascals silent comedies of 40 years ago, will be in Hartford Sunday (the 9th) at the benefit Dolls, Dollhouses and Miniature show. The 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. show will be in the ballroom of the Hartford Hilton. Proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society. The former child star, who is currently the manager of the Golden Fleece store in New Milford, will display her miniature needlepoint kits and small-scale furnishings and run some of her old films."

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1979

• At some point, Shirley began selling machine shop parts around Connecticut for Kar Products, Inc., a company based in Des Plaines, IL. The fact that newspaper articles covering her activities with Fairfield dry up by this time suggests that this happened around 1979.

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1982

Hawkes Eyeview episode (guest appearance)

May 20, 1982 - WGBY/PBS - 30 min. - TV episode

Local program in Springfield, MA.

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1984

Our Gang: Inside The Clubhouse (archival)

May 8, 1984 - Lang/Camellia City Telecasters - 93 mins. - TV documentary

Includes footage from "Helping Grandma," and "Bargain Day."

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1986

Classic Comedy Teams (archival)

1986 - Bergamn-Harris/Movietime/GoodTimes - video documentary

Includes footage from "The Stolen Jools."

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1993

• On August 29th of this year, Shirley was featured in an Associated Press article. During this period, she would occasionally make personal appearances to help kick off Our Gang showings in local theaters. Otherwise, she was still working for Kar Products.

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1994

• Shirley attended the Sons of the Desert 9th International Convention at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, NY, from July 13th to 17th. On July 15th, she was one of several Our Gang kids taking questions as part of a celebrity panel.
• On August 12th of this year, Shirley was featured in an article for The Hartford Courant. In addition to her job with Kar Products, she was also designing clothes for Common Thread during this period. She had been married three times, two of which ended in divorce and one of which ended in death, and had no intention of marrying again.

The Our Gang Story (archival)

1994 - Film Shows/GoodTimes - 120 min. - video documentary

Includes footage from "The Stolen Jools" and "Fly My Kite."

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1995

• On July 10th of this year, Shirley, along with Tommy Bond, Dorothy De Borba, and Jerry Tucker, attended a dinner at the Fox Hollow Inn in Woodbury, NY, sponsored by the local chapter of Sons of the Desert.

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2001

• From July 26th to 29th, Shirley took part in the 5th annual Thelma Todd Celebration at Lawrence Heritage State Park in Massachusetts. Joining her were Jerry Tucker and Jean Darling.
• On October 6th, Shirley attended the West Out West 34th Annual Banquet at the Pickwick Banquet Center in Burbank, along with several other Our Gang kids.

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2002

• On May 11th of this year, Shirley gave demonstrations of various quilting techniques at the Berkshire Country Day School in Stockbridge, MA.
• Also during this year, Shirley lost everything but her car, house slippers and purse, in an apartment fire in Esperance, NY. After this, she moved to nearby Milton.

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2003

• On April 26th of this year, Shirley took part in the 18th Annual Doo Dah Parade at Ocean City, NJ.
• From June 12th to 14th, Shirley took part in the 32nd Memphis Film Festival in Memphis, TN.
• During this year, Shirley appeared as "The Chef" in a production of Woody Allen's Don't Drink The Water put on by a repertory company called Stillwater Players Among Others.

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2005

• On December 13th of this year, a newsstory was written about Shirley, reporting that she was currently living under public assistance and in ill health. She had had several heart attacks and suffered from emphysema, requiring her to use an oxygen tube.

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Shirley Jean Rickert's payroll history

The following is a list of most of Shirley's history at the Roach studio, with the amounts she was making from week to week. The dates given are Saturdays, the last day of each week at the studio. The only exceptions would be Saturdays that were also holidays, in which case the Friday date is used for those weeks.

• Aug. 2, 1930 - 60.00 charged to prod. G37 (Helping Grandma)
   Initially a day player, Shirley was given $10 checks on all six of the workdays this week.
• Aug. 9, 1930 - 30.00 charged to prod. G37
   Shirley was given $10 checks on Aug. 4th, 5th and 6th.

After this, another week or so passed before Shirley was signed to a longterm contract.

• Aug. 23, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G37
• Aug. 30, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G37
• Sep. 6, 1930 - 75.00 charged to prod. G38 (Love Business)
• Sep. 13, 1930 - 75.00 charged to prod. G38
• Sep. 20, 1930 - 75.00 charged to prod. G38
• Sep. 27, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G38
• Oct. 4, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G38
• Oct. 11, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G38
• Oct. 18, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G38
• Oct. 25, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G38
• Nov. 1, 1930 - 75.00 charged to prod. G39 (Little Daddy)
• Nov. 8, 1930 - 75.00 charged to prod. G39
• Nov. 15, 1930 - 75.00 charged to prod. G39
• Nov. 22, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G39
• Nov. 29, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G39
• Dec. 6, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G39
• Dec. 13, 1930 - 25.00 charged to prod. G39

Much of the week ending Dec. 20th and the entirety of the week ending Dec. 27th are missing from the payroll ledger, but filming began on Bargain Day during this period.

• Jan. 3, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G40 (Bargain Day)
• Jan. 10, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G40
• Jan. 17, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G40
• Jan. 24, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G40
• Jan. 31, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G40
• Feb. 7, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G40
• Feb. 14, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G40
• Feb. 21, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G40
• Feb. 28, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G41 (Fly My Kite)
• Mar. 7, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G41
• Mar. 14, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G41

After this, Shirley's contract was terminated and she moved on to film projects away from the Roach studio. She did, however, return to the studio six months later to work in the Boy Friends comedy Love Pains, though I don't have the payroll information for that. She also turned up at the studio almost four years later for one day of work.

• June 15, 1935 - 7.50 charged to "publicity"
   On June 15th, $47.50 was charged to "publicity," and a list of six checks issued to six day players, all child actors, added up to the same amount. There were, around this time, photo sessions in which the Our Gang kids modeled clothing, and a taller blonde girl in some of the photos could be Shirley.

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See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.

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© Robert Demoss and Matthew Lydick.

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