 Jackie was somewhat of an oddball. Jackie would often fish ... using
dynamite; only had one outfit, which was a big black overcoat; and
always kept a cannon in the bedroom. Yes, a cannon.But wait,
there's more!
As an adult, Jackie had a treehouse in the backyard. Also rode a
motorcycle. And was bald, with bulging eyes unlike anything you have
ever seen.
Jackie's niece and nephew referred to Jackie as an uncle.
Speaking of the nephew, he was a bit odd, too, as evidenced by the
fact that he had a pet octopus. In fact, the whole family was a
little -- How shall we say it? -- weird. But that was part of what
made them so appealing. Their neighbors thought they were strange,
yet this family thought their normal neighbors were strange. Again,
it's part of what made them so appealing.
The entire family had a few unusual pets, including hawks, bats
and an alligator. Not to mention that the cat was a lion, and they
also had spiders, two piranhas and a vulture, as well as a
man-eating plant.
This was no ordinary family that Jackie was a part of; in fact,
it was something that you would expect to see on a television
sitcom.
There's one other thing you should know about Jackie: He was once
married to actress Betty Grable. She was his first wife, and he
would later marry three more times.
[to top of second column]
 |
 You see, Jackie was the actor known as Jackie Coogan, but he was
best known as Uncle Fester on "The Addams Family" show!
It was in his role as Uncle Fester that he did all of the above
strange things on "The Addams Family." He also played many other
memorable roles during his career, including that of Charlie
Chaplin's sidekick in "The Kid" and the title role in "Oliver
Twist." He was one of the very first child actors to become a big
star, and he was the first star to get a major merchandising deal,
with his likeness appearing on numerous products.
In addition to his "Addams Family" legacy, Jackie Coogan played a
role in getting the California Child Actor's Bill passed into law.
Jackie earned more than $4 million as a child actor, but his mother
and stepfather took most of it.
By the time Jackie sued, most of the money had already been
spent. He received only $126,000 after his legal expenses. Charlie
Chaplin, who discovered Jackie Coogan as a child actor, helped him
financially. The Child Actor's Bill, which gave child actors certain
rights over their contracts and their money, is often referred to as
the Coogan Law.
[By
PAUL NIEMANN]
Paul Niemann's column has appeared in
more than 80 newspapers and counting. He is the author of the
"Invention Mysteries" series of books and can be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2009
(Other
columns) |
