American child actress, the second child of Hal Roach actor Dick Gilbert. Her mother was Anna Mahoney and her older brother was Dick Gilbert Jr. Her brief film appearence with the Rascals in "Spanky" lasted approximately twelve seconds (with edits) and consisted of her playing a black-faced cotton-picker, sharing the stage with five other cast members, including Tommy Bond. She had no lines. Her married name was Williams.
In a conversation between her and I in July 2016, she told me,
"I loved the days when I was called to work at the studio. I remember the best thing was the smell of the studio. I expect it was the smell of cut lumber. Also we got a box lunch, so exciting to see what was in the box. The worst day was the day I got picked to be a black face. The black was put on my face early in the day. Making movies was so much hurry up and wait. I managed to rub my eye a couple of times and the makeup girl had to fix my black face. When we were part of the mob we were paid $3. That day I believe I got $5. My Dad continued working at Hal Roach's home until about 1942 when he was able to get a better job in the defense industry. The glory days of Hal Roach [were] winding down. When Hal stepped down and gave [up] the studio [to his] son, it was the end." |
