 Mary Wickes was born to Frank Wickenhauser (1880–1943) and his wife Mary Isabella (née Shannon; died 1965) in St. Louis, Missouri of German, Scottish, and Irish extraction, and raised Protestant.Her parents were theater buffs, and took her to plays from the time that she could stay awake through a matinee.An excellent student, she skipped two grades and graduated at 16 from Beaumont High School.