Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King

A Biography of Hollywood's Legendary Child Star

By (author) Diana Serra Cary

Not available to order

Publication date:

01 September 2004

Length of book:

328 pages

Publisher

Scarecrow Press

ISBN-13: 9780585466873

Discovered by Charlie Chaplin in 1919, four-year-old Jackie Coogan soared to overnight stardom for his title role in the silent masterpiece, The Kid. A string of successes followed, including Peck's Bad Boy, Oliver Twist, and A Boy of Flanders, earning Coogan a fortune of four million dollars. Dubbed 'The Millionaire Kid' by the press, he later had to sue his parents in a futile attempt to recover his squandered fortune. His later years were marked with penury and the cruel diminishment of his childhood fame. As an adult, he found work in character roles and gained unexpected but fleeting fame as 'Uncle Fester' in the series The Addams Family. He continued to make guest appearances on television until his death in 1984. In Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King, Diana Serra Cary reveals the little-known and even less understood private life of this famous child star and his dysfunctional family. She looks at the highs and lows of an actor who reached the height of fame before ten and whose subsequent career took an inevitable fall. Cary also examines the conduct of Coogan's parents, whose behavior served as an unfortunate model for countless others who sought fame and fortune through their children's success. The author, a major child star (the former Baby Peggy), employs her own hard-won insight to explore the career and family woes of another in this fascinating account about one of the greatest child stars of all time. Includes more than 30 photos.

Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Acknowledgments
Chapter 3
Chapter 1 Baby Lillian
Chapter 4
Chapter 2 On the Road
Chapter 5
Chapter 3 The Man in the Front Row Seat
Chapter 6
Chapter 4 The Genius
Chapter 7
Chapter 5 Inside the Cathedral
Chapter 8
Chapter 6 Owning the Store
Chapter 9
Chapter 7 Fame, Friends, and Family
Chapter 10
Chapter 8 The Boy King
Chapter 11
Chapter 9 The Regency
Chapter 12
Chapter 10 In the Limelight
Chapter 13
Chapter 11 Introducing Dad
Chapter 14
Chapter 12 Death and Drama in the Real World
Chapter 15
Chapter 13 Fatal Turn
Chapter 16
Chapter 14 Aftershocks
Chapter 17
Chapter 15 The Great Betrayal
Chapter 18
Chapter 16 Picking Up the Pieces
Chapter 19
Chapter 17 Behind Enemy Lines
Chapter 20
Chapter 18 Second Honeymoon
Chapter 21
Chapter 19 Uncle Fester, Big Daddy, and King Lear
Chapter 22
Chapter 20 The Coogan Legend: An Assessment
Chapter 23 Filmography
Chapter 24 Bibliography
Chapter 25 Index
Chapter 26 About the Author

Diana Serra Cary has written the most penetrating and perceptive biography yet on a child star.... She accomplishes this because she knows first-hand what it was like growing up famous in the 1920s and having the adoration of the movie-going public.... The author's style is irresistible.... Her sprinkling of vaudeville jargon makes that period in life more vivid than an ordinary retelling by a less informed writer. She supplements her insider info with interviews she has conducted with Coogan's personal friends, family and coworkers.... This is an extremely well-written, well thought out, meticulously researched volume....No other writer could have done Jackie Coogan justice. How I wish there were more writers like Diane Serra Cary...