Jackie Cooper Movies
American actor Jackie Cooper was in movies at the age of three; his father had abandoned the family when Jackie was two, forcing his mother to rely upon the boy's acting income to keep food on the table. Shortly after earning his first featured part in Fox Movietone Follies of 1929. Cooper was hired for producer Hal Roach's "Our Gang" two-reeler series, appearing in 15 shorts over the next two years. The "leading man" in many of these comedies, he was most effective in those scenes wherein he displayed a crush on his new teacher, the beauteous Miss Crabtree. On the strength of "Our Gang," Paramount Pictures signed Cooper for the title role in the feature film Skippy (1931), which earned the boy an Oscar nomination. A contract with MGM followed, and for the next five years Cooper was frequently co-starred with blustery character player Wallace Beery. Cooper outgrew his preteen cuteness by the late 1930s, and was forced to accept whatever work that came along, enjoying the occasional plum role in such films as The Return of Frank James (1940) and What a Life! (1941). His priorities rearranged by his wartime Naval service, Cooper returned to the states determined to stop being a mere "personality" and to truly learn to be an actor. This he did on Broadway and television, notably as the star of two popular TV sitcoms of the 1950s, The People's Choice and Hennessey. Cooper developed a taste for directing during this period (he would earn an Emmy for his directorial work on M*A*S*H in 1973), and also devoted much of his time in the 1960s to the production end of the business; in 1965 he was appointed vice-president in charge of production at Screen Gems, the TV subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. From the early 1970s onward, Cooper has juggled acting, producing and directing with equal aplomb. Modern audiences know Cooper best as the apoplectic Perry White in the Christopher Reeve Superman films. In 1981, Cooper surprised (and sometimes shocked) his fans with a warts-and-all autobiography, Please Don't Shoot My Dog. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1931
Percy Crosby's popular newspaper comic strip Skippy comes to life in this 1931 film. Designed as a vehicle for Our Gang's Jackie Cooper -- then all of nine years old -- Skippy jettisons most of the trenchant cynicism of Crosby's creation (the strip was something of a 1930s Calvin and Hobbes) in favor of sentiment. Skippy, the son of the local health inspector (Willard Robertson) conspires with his best friend, Sooky (Robert Coogan), a poor kid, to raise enough money for a dog license. The mutt in question is eventually shot by the mean dogcatcher, and the effect on Skippy and Sooky (not to mention the audience) is devastating. The tragedy leads Skippy's dad to soften his disciplinarian stance and to draw closer to his son. Skippy was followed by an even more lachrymose sequel, Sooky, also released in 1931. Twenty-five years later, Jackie Cooper, by that time a prominent TV producer/director, tried to revive Skippy as a weekly series, with future My Three Sons co-star Stanley Livingston in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Robert Coogan, (more)
- 1931
Sooky was the sequel to Paramount's smash-hit sentimental comedy Skippy; both films were based on characters created by comic strip artist Percy Crosby. Jackie Cooper is back as Skippy, with Robert Coogan (younger brother of Jackie Coogan) in the title role. Once again, Skippy is the mischievous kid from a comfortable family environment, while Sooky is the soot-faced urchin from the wrong side of the tracks. Sooky deftly blends comedy and tragedy, ranging from the comic complications ensuing when Skippy tries to help his city-employee father win an election (Willard Robertson), to the heartrending scenes involving the death of Sooky's mother (Helen Jerome Eddy). There is a reasonably happy ending, wherein Sooky is adopted by Skippy's dad. After Sooky, Jackie Cooper moved from Paramount to MGM, where he remained until he grew too old to be cute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Searl, Willard Robertson, (more)
- 1930
Hopelessly in love with little Mary Ann Jackson, seven-year-old Jackie Cooper would like to claim her as a "wife," but doesn't know how to go about it. When the "caveman" approach fails, Jackie tries the candy, flowers and clean-suit technique, only to find he has been beaten to the punch by his kiddie rival Donald "Speck" Haines. Thrilled at being a romantic bone of contention, Mary Ann insists that Jackie and Speck fight a duel in her honor. By the end of the day, the two combatants have all but wrecked the neighborhood with their makeshift swords and shields. A partial remake of the silent "Our Gang" comedy Ask Grandma, "The First Seven Years" features adult actors Edgar Kennedy, Joy Winthrop, and Otto Fries in supporting roles. The film was originally released on March 1, 1930 (A Spanish-language version, "Los Pequenos Papas," apparently no longer exists). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Mary Ann Jackson, (more)
- 1930
Officially an "Our Gang" comedy, "When the Wind Blows" is really a vehicle for adult comic Edgar Kennedy, here playing his usual role of a boastful, clumsy and cowardly cop. On a dark and windy night, Officer Kennedy tries to keep the peace in a small neighborhood, only to be frightened at every turn by loud noises, most of them emanating from the tarpaper shack where Allen "Farina" Hoskins and his brother live. Meanwhile, Jackie Cooper, accidentally locked out of his house, tries to regain entry without alerting his parents, or revealing that his pajama bottoms have been torn asunder. The plot thickens when a burglar shows up, affording both Jackie and Officer Kennedy the opportunity of becoming heroes (but guess who succeeds?) Originally released on April 5, 1930, "When the Wind Blows" was the first "Our Gang" comedy to feature a wall-to-wall musical score, though the familiar Hal Roach background tunes by LeRoy Shield and Marvin Hatley had not yet been composed. The film was also released in a Spanish-language version, which apparently has not survived. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, (more)
- 1930
Originally released on June 21, 1930, the "Our Gang" comedy "A Tough Winter" was designed as a "pilot" film for a proposed series of two-reelers starring legendary black comedian Stepin Fetchit. Beginning with a lengthy sequence in which the Gang helps Stepin read a love letter (which segues into an impromptu song-and-dance), the film comes to a sticky conclusion as the kids try to clean up the aftermath of a messy taffy pull. Some of the best gags involve the hundred-and-one labor saving devices built by Fetchit to allow him ample time to goof off; also worth noting is a climactic bit involving crossed electrical wires, which was later reworked into the Laurel and Hardy feature Saps at Sea (1940). Because the comedy of Stepin Fetchit is today considered offensive by many observers, "A Tough Winter" has been withdrawn from the "Little Rascals" TV package, though it is available on home video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stepin Fetchit, Farina Hoskins, (more)
- 1930
An indisputable classic, the "Our Gang" comedy "Teacher's Pet" is introduced by a brace of pretty twin girls (Beverly and Bette Mae Crane), who recite the opening credit titles. The story proper begins with the Gang members facing the first day of school with fear and loathing. Their beloved teacher Miss McGillicuddy has gotten married, and her replacement is one Miss Crabtree, whom the kids fear will be as ugly and foreboding as her name. Meanwhile, Jackie Cooper hitches a ride from a beautiful and charming young lady. Immediately at ease with his travelling companion, Jackie tells her that he and his pals have conspired to humiliate their new teacher Miss Crabtree with a variety of practical jokes --- and then spend the rest of the day fishing, having been released from school via a series of contrived excuses. Imagine Jackie's surprise when, upon arriving at school, he discovers that Miss Crabtree and the gorgeous woman who gave him a ride are one in the same! At turns hilarious and poignant, "Teacher's Pet" is as entertaining today as it was upon its first release on October 11, 1930. As a bonus, the film represented two firsts: The first appearance of the lovely June Marlowe as Miss Crabtree, and the first utilization of the unforgettable "Our Gang" theme song "The Good Old Days", written and orchestrated by LeRoy Shield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Farina Hoskins, (more)
- 1930
The Our Gang kids reluctantly participate in a stage presentation of Quo Vadis, retitled "The Gladiator's Dilemma" by its pretentious director, Mrs. Funston Evergreen Kennedy (Gertrude Sutton). Alas, none of the kids can remember their lines, the props and settings fall apart at the slightest provocation, and worst of all, a gang of tough kids is determined to disrupt the performance by tossing raw tomatoes and rotten eggs at the youthful thespians. Ultimately, the play degenerates into a slow-motion pie fight, with the kids onstage and the adults in the audience all participating with reckless abandon. Edgar Kennedy plays the director's long-suffering husband, while familiar comedy-film stalwarts Lyle Tayo, Ham Kinsey, Charles McAvoy and Harry Keaton (brother of Buster Keaton) show up in bit parts. Also: keep an eye peeled for former "Our Gang" member Mickey Daniels and teenaged terpsichorean Jerry McGowan, daughter of series producer Robert F. McGowan. "Shivering Shakespeare" was originally released on January 25, 1930. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Ann Jackson, Norman "Chubby" Chaney, (more)
- 1930
Popular child actor (and later radio and TV stalwart) Leon Janney made his one and only "Our Gang" appearance in "Bear Shooters." Ordered by his mother to look after his kid brother Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, nine-year-old Spud (Janney) is worried that he won't be able to join his pals on a hunting trip --- while his pals know that if Spud doesn't go, Spud's mule Dinah can't go either. A compromise is reached whereby Wheezer tags along with the rest of the Gang as they seek out "big game" in a nearby woods. But instead of capturing a bear, as they had hoped, the kids are confronted by a gorilla --- actually a heavily costumed bootlegger (Charlie Hall) who wants to scare the youngsters away from his hideout. Unfortunately for the crook and his partner (Bob Kortman), the kids are a lot more resourceful than they appear. Originally released on May 17, 1930, "Bear Shooters" slipped into Public Domain in 1984, and as such is one of the most readily available "Our Gang" talkies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Janney, Jackie Cooper, (more)
- 1930
In this sequel to the 1930 "Our Gang" comedy "Teacher's Pet," the Gang members eagerly await each school day, so that they can bask in the beauty and charm of their new schoolteacher Miss Crabtree (June Marlowe). Little Jackie Cooper is so smitten by the teacher that he circulates a "perdition" to keep school open all year round. When Miss Crabtree's brother Jack (Creighton Hale) pays a visit to the schoolhouse in his sister's absence, the kids begin to worry that Jack is actually their teacher's fiancé. Remembering that marriage was "the way we lost Miss McGillicuddy" (their previous teacher), the youngsters hatch several schemes to get rid of Jack, culminating with the theft of his clothes. An amusing subplot involves a verbal general-knowledge quiz, in which the kids provide foolish answers gleaned from an old joke book. "School's Out" was originally released on November 22, 1930. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Farina Hoskins, (more)
- 1930
Broadway star Marilyn Miller's second starring film was an adaptation of her 1925 stage hit Sunny. Flashing her celebrated dazzling smile at every possible occasion, Miller is cast as a circus bareback rider, in love with wealthy Tom Warren (Lawrence Gray). Naturally, Tom's aristocratic family are dead set against the romance and do everything they can to degrade and our poor heroine. But Sunny prevails in the end, triumphantly marching to the altar arm and arm with her beloved Tom. The Oscar Hammerstein II-Jerome Kern score includes such lasting favorites as Who (Stole My Heart Away)? Sunny was remade by RKO in 1940 as a vehicle for Anna Neagle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marilyn Miller, Lawrence Gray, (more)
- 1930
The Our Gang kids prepare to enter their scraggily pets in a high-society dog show, where their pal Allen "Farina" Hoskins is working as an usher. Meanwhile, Jackie Cooper tries vainly to prevent his troublesome kid sister (Dorothy "Echo" DeBorba) from jumping into every mud puddle that she sees. And little Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins has a high old time trying to round up his runaway puppies, who change directions every time they hear a bell ringing. A truly delightful two-reeler, "Pups is Pups" expertly combines slapstick, verbal humor and pathos in one neat, entertaining package. Originally released on August 30, 1930, this was the first "Our Gang" comedy to utilize the captivating background music of LeRoy Shield, notably such familiar tunes as the lilting "Teeter-Totter", the rousing "Hide and Go Seek", and the lively "On to the Show", later made famous as the secondary opening theme for Hal Roach's Laurel and Hardy comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farina Hoskins, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, (more)
- 1929
In this musical comedy, a young man from Virginia who is heir to a wealthy estate falls in love with a girl who longs to be a Broadway star. He moves to New York to be with her but discovers that she's a lot more interested in her career than in settling down. Hoping to turn her gaze away from the Great White Way (and onto himself), he buys up controlling interest in the show in which she has just been cast -- and fires her. However, the young man first discovers unemployment makes her no more inclined to walk down the aisle with him, and besides, he now has the Actor's Equity to contend with. The cast includes John Breeden, Lola Lane, DeWitt Jennings, and Stepin Fetchit, and features the songs "The Breakaway," "Walking with Susie," and "The Varsity Drag." At this time, no prints of this film are known to exist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sue Carol, John Breeden, (more)
- 1929
As usual, diminutive Our Gang member Allen "Farina" Hoskins is faced with an adult-sized dilemma. This time, Farina is a self-styled fight promoter, who hopes to strike it rich by staging a "heavyweight" bout between neighborhood fat boys Joe Cobb and Norman "Chubby" Chaney. Unfortunately, for Farina, longtime rivals Joe and Chubby have patched up their differences and are now the best of friends. All this changes, however, when pretty Jean Darling comes between the elephantine duo, whereupon Farina is able to promote the Battle of the Century in his barnyard boxing ring. When originally released on September 9, 1929, Boxing Gloves was advertised as an "all-talking" picture; in truth, however, it hovers hesitantly between a talkie and a silent film. This is never more jarring than during the climactic boxing sequence, in which several scenes are played out in utter silence, with no sound effects of any kind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1929
Accustomed to being the center of attention in his family, little Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins is upset when the spotlight is stolen by his new baby brother. Envious of the new arrival, Wheezer scheme to take the infant back to the maternity hospital whence he came. But Wheezer's sister Mary Ann Jackson and the kids' mother concoct a scheme that is guaranteed to teach the "little rascal" a good lesson. Originally released on October 12, 1929, this "Our Gang" comedy is seen at a disadvantage today due to a substandard soundtrack. Nonetheless, "Bouncing Babies" contains a generous supply of laughs, thanks largely to a typical Hal Roach running gag wherein Wheezer practices an ingenious method of "traffic control." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, Mary Ann Jackson, (more)
- 1929
The success of this "Our Gang" comedy is due in great part to the performances of two adult comedians, Edgar Kennedy and Max Davidson. Warning the Gang members to stay away from an old, crumbling condemned house, Officer Kennedy suggests they dig for buried treasure. They do --- in the same house that Kennedy had told them to avoid. Once inside the ramshackle structure, the kids are terrorized by a crazy but harmless old hermit (Davidson), who eats invisible meals, emits loud and eerie howls, and periodically makes the curious announcement "I know --- but I won't tell ya!" The best gags involved a pair of Chinese handcuffs, which manage to incapacitate both Kennedy and the zany hermit. Initially released on December 7, 1929, "Moan & Groan Inc." was originally included in the "Little Rascals" TV package, but has since been withdrawn due to a handful of mild ethnic jokes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farina Hoskins, Mary Ann Jackson, (more)
- 1929
The popular silent romantic team of Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor made a successful all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing debut in Sunny Side Up. The story is old bromide about a poor girl who falls in love with a rich man, then tries to pass herself off as a woman of wealth. This being a 1929 Fox picture, the supporting cast includes the ineluctable dialect comedian El Brendel, along with squeaky-voiced soubrette Marjorie White. In his feature-film debut, 7-year-old Jackie Cooper shows up as a tenement kid, while Joe E. Brown does a guest bit as a grinning undertaker. The superb DeSylva-Brown-Henderson score includes "If I Had a Talking Picture of You," "Turn on the Heat" (a jaw-droppingly erotic number, in which the gyrations of the chorus girls causes a banana tree to blossom full out!), and the title song. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, (more)
- 1928
This historical shorts present some lesser known slapstick clowns. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1927
New York subway guard Barry Baline (Monte Blue) is struck down by a speeding car on New Years' Eve. The driver, a mentally unhinged millionaire named Johnson Craigle (John Miljan), exchanges clothing with the unconscious Barry. When he awakens, Barry is assumed to be Craigle, leading to a series of amazing adventures, culminating in an episode with a gang of blackmailer-kidnappers. Deciding to assume Craigle's identity for expedience's sake, Barry pretends to play along with the blackmailers' schemes so that he can rescue abducted housemaid Minnie Humphrey (Patsy Ruth Miller). The subway-chase finale reportedly rivalled the similar climax in 1977's The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three. Wolf's Clothing was one of seven 1927 films starring Monte Blue, moneymakers all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Patsy Ruth Miller, (more)
- 1926
The "carnival girl" of the title is played by Marion Mack, most fondly remembered as Buster Keaton's bird-brained lady love in The General. A fine comedienne in her own right, Mack plays it straight as a tightrope walker in love with navy lieutenant Allan Forrest. Villainous strong man George Siegmann, seething with jealousy, does his best to do in Forrest by setting fire to the lieutenant's ship. Diminuitve Frankie Darro, an accomplished acrobat, co-stars as Marion's limber kid brother. Carnival Girl was directed by Cecil B. DeMille's #1 assistant, Cullen "Hezi" Tate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys Brockwell, Frankie Darro, (more)
- 1925
Although Jackie Coogan is dressed up (or rather, down) for this comedy in much the same way he was for Charles Chaplin's The Kid, there are two big differences -- he's four years older than when he made the Chaplin film and starting to lose his childish charm. A fire breaks out at an orphanage in New York's Lower East Side, and young Tim Kelly (Coogan) escapes in his nightshirt. He hides from the cops by ducking into a junk wagon belonging to Max Ginsberg (Max Davidson). Ginsberg takes him in, and when Tim proves himself to be an excellent "rag man," the two become partners. Years before, Ginsberg had invented a type of sewing machine, but Bernard (Robert Edeson), a crooked lawyer, cheated him out of the patent. Tim tracks down the devious Bernard and makes him square things with Ginsberg. The two rag men, now incredibly wealthy, become New York's most exclusive antiques dealers. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Coogan, Max Davidson, (more)
Hal Roach's enduring Our Gang comedy shorts tickled audiences between 1922 and 1944. Originally an off-shoot from the extremely popular Sunshine Sammy series, the Our Gang shorts followed the lively adventures of a group of mischievous children as they played and learned the foibles of life. The series gave many juvenile actors their start, most notably Jackie Cooper, who grew up to be a successful leading man, Robert Blake, who had a television and film career, and Darla Hood, who later staffed a couple musicals and became a successful singer of commercial jingles. In early episodes, a slender Oliver Hardy appears. The Little Rascals is the name ascribed to the syndicated, televised episodes from the series. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
