Trivia of Jackie Coogan

 Trivia of Jackie Coogan (26 October 1914 - 1 March 1984)

*He began performing as an infant in both vaudeville and film (following his parents), with the title role (uncredited) in film Skinner's Baby (1917). Charlie Chaplin discovered him in the Orpheum Theatre, a vaudeville house in Los Angeles, on the stage doing the shimmy, a then-popular dance. Charlie Chaplin first gave Coogan a small part in A Day's Pleasure (1919).

*In May 1935, 20-year-old Coogan was the sole survivor of a car crash in eastern San Diego County that killed his father, his best friend 19-year-old actor Junior Durkin, their ranch foreman Charles Jones, and actor and writer Robert J. Horner. The party was returning from a day of dove hunting just over the Mexican border. With his father at the wheel, the car was forced off the mountain highway near Pine Valley by an oncoming vehicle and rolled down an embankment.

*As a child star, Coogan earned an estimated $3 - 4 million.When he turned 21 in October 1935, his fortune was believed to be well intact. His assets had been conservatively managed by his father, who had died in the car accident five months earlier.Coogan soon discovered, though, that nearly the entire amount had been squandered by his mother and stepfather, Arthur Bernstein, on fur coats, diamonds and other jewelry, and expensive cars. Bernstein had been a financial advisor for the family and married Coogan's mother in late 1936.Coogan's mother and stepfather claimed Jackie enjoyed himself and simply thought he was playing before the camera. She insisted, "No promises were ever made to give Jackie anything",and claimed he "was a bad boy".Coogan sued them in 1938, but after his legal expenses, he received just $126,000 of the $250,000 remaining of his earnings. When Coogan went broke during the litigation, he asked Charlie Chaplin for assistance; Chaplin handed him $1,000 cash without hesitation.The legal battle focused attention on child actors and resulted in the 1939 enactment of the California Child Actor's Bill, often referred to as the "Coogan Law" or the "Coogan Act". It required that a child actor's employer set aside 15% of the earnings in a trust (called a Coogan account) and specified the actor's schooling, work hours, and time off.

*Actress Betty Grable was his first wife.They married on November 20, 1937 and appeared together in musical comedy film College Swing (1938).They also briefly toured on vaudeville and Coogan success boosted hers.Sadly, they divorced in 1940 though they remained friends until Gable's death in 1973.

*After World War II, Coogan struggled to find film roles. He only landed on small roles for TV shows. The child mega star had officially become a C-list actor in Hollywood. But Coogan tried to survive and played in as many shows as he could.

*When he was cast as Uncle Fester on TV series The Addams Family (1964), Coogan was 49 years old and nearly broke. After the series ended in 1966, he never lacked work again, with numerous television and film appearances, although most of these were only small parts.Coogan was originally rejected as Uncle Fester. He went home, shaved his head, and did his own Fester makeup and costume. This won him the part.

*By the time Coogan was portraying Uncle Fester, his life had put him through the absolute ringer. In fact, his personal journey from childhood to adulthood seemed to mirror his professional trajectory. As he once jokingly said of his time as Uncle Fester, “I used to be the most beautiful child in the world and now I'm a hideous monster”.However Coogan once confessed that Fester was his favorite role ever, even above his breakout part in The Kid (1921).

*In 1972, Coogan experienced one of the proudest moments of his life. That year, his old co-star Charlie Chaplin received a lifetime achievement award at the Oscars, and had come over to America after long years in exile. Coogan hadn't seen Chaplin in decades.Coogan was in a line with a group of other people greeting Chaplin at the airport, but the elder actor met most of these people with polite yet cold handshakes. When he got to Coogan, everything changed. The funny legend was excited to see his precious, talented boy. As he approached Coogan, he said, “You know, I think I would rather see you than anybody else”.