Jackie Coogan — Blue Book of the Screen (1923) 🇺🇸

History has been called the summation of the life stories of the persons who mould their times!

On October 26, 1914, Jackie Coogan was born in the city of Los Angeles, where he was destined to win, even as a mere infant, the love and plaudits of the entire civilized world. His father, John H. Coogan, had been born in Syracuse, New York, where his father, in turn, had been reared and had become an established apothecary. Jackie’s mother was also of the theatre world. So that Jackie, it can plainly be seen, comes to his mimetic genius and talents by a most direct descent.

Shortly after Jackie’s birth, the Coogans went east and it was in New York that Jackie made his real first appearance in a theater. His father was on the stage, delivering a song prior to entering upon his dance, when he noticed that the audience was gleefully smiling. He looked around and beheld his twenty month old son, clad in the sketchiest summer attire, walking out to him.

With the quick wit of the trained actor, Jack senior took command of the situation, introduced his son, and set him to doing some of the dance steps with which the youngster had amused visitors at the Coogan home.

Charlie Chaplin had long been desirous of filming the story eventually called The Kid; he had postponed the production time and again because he could not find the right child to play in the picture. Grauman, long a friend of Chaplin’s, knew of this ambition and felt sure that Jackie Coogan was the child for Chaplin’s story. Accordingly, he brought the comedian down to the hotel where the Coogans were living. Charlie was enraptured with the boy and eventually Jackie was signed up to a contract.

The instantaneous success of Jackie is universally known. The organization of his own starring company is also history; his pictures include Peck’s Bad Boy, “My Boy,” “Trouble,” “Oliver Twist” and “Daddy.” Shortly after The Blue Book of the Screen is published, “Toby Tyler,” his latest production, will be released.

After much spirited bidding, Metro secured Jackie and it is at Metro in Hollywood that the young star is making his newest pictures. His first under this contract is “Long Live the King,” an adaptation from Mary Roberts Rinehart’s novel of the same name. Incidentally, it will be the first vehicle in which Jackie will be seen in other than ragged raiment.

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Jackie prefers hammer, nails and old box to any mechanical toy made.

Jackie Coogan has to go to school.

Collection: The Blue Book of the Screen (1923)