Biography: Mickey Carroll

Mickey Carroll came into the world as Michael Finocchiaro on July 8, 1919. As a very young child growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, he was captivated by the carnival performers that he often saw in the streets. In spite of his very tender age, it didn't take him long to set his sights on becoming an entertainer. He began entering every amateur contest and talent show he could find, and was soon earning forty to fifty dollars a night as a performer.

When Mickey turned seven in 1926, he decided that he wanted to take advantage of an offer for free dance lessons at St. Louis' famous Fox Theater. While there, he met entertainer Jack Haley, who would eventually be his co-star in The Wizard Of Oz, playing the part of The Tin Woodsman. Jack took Mickey to Hollywood, where he quickly landed his first job in film, playing the part of 'Mickey' in approximately seven of the Spanky And Our Gang series of shorts produced by Hal Roach Studios. After this, he continued his career on the vaudeville circuit under the management of his older brother, who helped him get work as a singer, dancer, and emcee.

At the age of nine, Mickey suddenly and inexplicably stopped growing. For the rest of his life, he would stand at only four feet, seven inches tall. This never dampened his Spirit, however; he remained enthusiastic and upbeat about everything that he did in his life. He loved entertaining people and making them laugh.

As his career continued, Mickey had many other interesting jobs. When he was seventeen, he played a bellhop in the "Call For Phillip Morris" live radio ads; at eighteen, he began appearing in shows with Mae West. During this time, he also continued to perform as emcee at several famous Chicago nightclubs owned by his real-life godfather, who was none other than the infamous Al Capone!