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 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 (left) with Dorothy Carole (wearing headband) with Dorothy
Lewis, Dorothy. Alfred Ridste, Carole, and Lawrence
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".
Carole playing dress-up with her brother Eight year old Carole
Carole (left) with her mother and sister
She attended Sturges junior high where she played on the volleyball team and sang a solo in the school's Halloween recital. At San Bernardino high school she tried to start an all female football team but was told it was unladylike. Friends described her as being "boy crazy" and she was always getting crushes on older boys. 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." According to family sources she was sexually molested by a relative during her childhood. She developed a womanly figure and entered her first beauty contest at the age of twelve. 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 (front) with her mother and sister Dorothy Carole (left) with her sister Dorothy
Carole and her mother Clara in San Bernardino in 1923
