Carole Landis was born Frances Lillian Ridste on January 1, 1919 in the small town of Fairchild, Wisconsin. She was named after her maternal grandmother Francis Lillian Sentek. Her grandparents had come to America from Germany, Poland, and Norway. Carole's father Alfred Ridste was a railroad worker and her mother Clara Sentek Ridste was a housewife. She had four older siblings - Lawrence, Lewis, Jerome, and Dorothy. Sadly her brother Jerome had died in 1917 after being burned by boiling water. In the Spring of 1919 the family moved to Denton, Montana. Clara began having a relationship with Charles Fenner, a longtime family friend. She filed for divorce and Alfred sued Charles for alienation of affection. The divorce became so messy that Carole and her siblings were put in Foster care for a short time. There is speculation that Charles Fenner may be Carole's biological father. Clara married Charles in December of 1919 but the marriage only lasted eighteen months. She took the children to San Diego, California where she remarried with Alfred.
Carole on her mother's lap with her brothers Lawrence & Lewis
Carole (left) with Dorothy Carole (wearing headband) with Dorothy
The family lived at 4152 Park Boulevard. In 1923 they moved to San Bernardino and bought a house at 175 Bryant Street. That same year Alfred walked out on Clara leaving her to raise the children alone. They were very poor and Carole's older sister Dorothy had to babysit while their mother worked. Carole was a beautiful child with blonde hair and blue eyes. Everyone called her "Baby Doll". She loved dressing up her dolls and planting flowers in the garden. Tragically in July of 1925 her ten year old brother Lewis died after he was accidentally shot with gun. At the age of seven she became starstruck and told her mother "I'm going to be a movie star". Carole went to the movies every week and bought second hand movie magazines. Her bedroom walls were covered with photos of Kay Francis, Mary Astor, and the Gish sisters. When she was nine she impulsively ran onstage during a talent show and began singing "That's My Weakness Now". The family was Catholic and they attended church every Sunday. Her philosophy in life was "Pass the good deed along".
Alfred Ridste with Lewis, Dorothy, Carole, & Lawrence
Eight year old Carole Carole (left) with her mother and Dorothy
Sadly according to family sources she was sexually molested by a relative during her childhood. At Sturges junior high she played on the volleyball team and sang a solo in the school's Halloween recital. She developed a womanly figure and entered her first beauty contest at the age of twelve. In June of 1933 she came in fourth in the Miss Riverside pageant. That Fall she began attending San Bernardino high school. Carole hated going to school and often skipped classes. She said "I always seemed so much older than the other kids my age - they seemed like tots." Friends described her as being "boy crazy" and she was always getting crushes on older boys. When she was a teenager she had several part-time jobs including being an usher and a waitress. Carole won a talent show at the Fox Theater by singing "Yes Sir That's My Baby" and dancing the Charleston. Then she began taking dance classes and performed with a group of local dancers. Her sister Dorothy said "She was really a natural - her life was singing and dancing."
Carole (left) with Dorothy Carole with her mother
