Silent Child Stars in Color: Mary Ann Jackson 001

Mary Ann Jackson. Colorized from Exhibitor's Herald, May 26, 1928.

Of all the girls from the Our Gang and Little Rascals film series, Mary Ann Jackson (1923-2003) always stood out for her then current bob hair cut, face full of freckles, tomboy nature, and being a natural "tiny commediane".

In the above and below images, it may never be known what colors were originally on her dress.

Original Image

Prior to appearing in the Our Gang Comedies from 1928 to 1931. Mary Ann and her sister Charlotte "Peaches" Jackson were well known child actresses. At the age of 2, Mary Ann was already considered a possible successor to Baby Peggy Montgomery. Jackson was the baby star of The Smith Family Comedies from the Pathe Studios. She was rare for being a recognizable child actress before joining the Our Gang series.

The next set of images are from a photo of Mary Ann from 1927 that appeared in Motion Picture News and various other publications. It was described as a photo of her with a giant jar of candy that was gifted to her on her 4th birthday. First there is my attempt to colorize it. 

Snippet of Mary Ann Jackson from Motion Picture News, January 28, 1927. 

Image From Media History Digital Library

Now here is an original movie trade ad showing an artisit's rendering of Mary Ann from this photo:

Trade Ad For the Smith Family Series, from Moving Picture World, July 16, 1927. 

Image from Media History Digital Library.