Working Kid: A Memoir of a Child Actor of the 1950s and 1960s (2021)

 

Though many of you have probably never heard the name Mimi Gibson, if you are a fan of movies and/or TV shows of the 1950's and 60's, you have seen her. As a child actress she has appeared in such films as The Wings of Eagles (1957), Houseboat (1958), The Ten Commandments (1956), The Three Faces of Eve (1957), The Children's Hour (1961) and much more. She even provided the voice of Lucky in Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). She was just as prolific in TV appearing in episodes of shows like Climax!, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Jimmy Durante Show, Leave it to Beaver, My Three Sons, The Red Skeleton Show and The Jack Benny Program.

 Looking back at her time as child star in this memoir, she does not wear rose colored glasses. Throughout this book she is often brutally honest and never afraid to speak her mind. Not only does she admit that this isn't the job she would have chosen, but she writes frankly about some of the abuse of child actors she had seen firsthand (if you are a fan of Lorretta Young or Miriam Hopkins, you might quickly become disillusioned reading this book). Her words about casting directors are especially biting. She heavily advocates for better treatment of child actors on and off set. This is something she has truly taken to heart and over her adult life, she has done much to make sure child actors see the money they rightfully earned. Due to her writing, it becomes easy to understand why many child actors had their lives turn out so bleak (though thankfully that was not the case with Mimi). 

Yet this book does have its lighter parts as well. She doesn't paint her childhood as without it joys. She speaks very kindly of those who treated her well, including Sophia Loren, John Wayne, Red Skelton, Ben Cooper, Fred MacMurray, Anothony Quinn and interestingly enough John Ford. And she tells some great stories of the fun she was able to have during her childhood and her love of the costumes. 

For me the highlight of the book was the last two chapters where she wrote about nearly every movie and TV show she worked on. This gives us a wonderful first-hand look at the good, the bad and the ugly in the life of a child actor. It is equally honest in talking about the moments of joy as it is about some of the hardships. 

Though this is a brief book, it does still provide great personal insight into a part of the movie and TV business that is often overlooked.