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46-460: The original Bill was passed in 1939 by the State of California in response to the plight of Jackie Coogan , who earned millions of dollars as a successful child actor only to discover, upon reaching adulthood, that his mother and stepfather had spent almost all of his money. Since then, it has been revised a few times, most recently on December 7, 2019. As it stands, money earned and accumulated under

92-544: A glider pilot because of his civilian flying experience. He graduated from the Advanced Glider School with the glider pilot aeronautical rating and the rank of flight officer , he volunteered for hazardous duty with the 1st Air Commando Group . In December 1943, the unit was sent to India. He flew British troops, the Chindits , under General Orde Wingate , on March 5, 1944, landing them at night in

138-747: A 1962–63 NBC series, McKeever and the Colonel . He finally found his most famous television role as Uncle Fester in ABC 's The Addams Family (1964–1966). He later voiced Uncle Fester in The Addams Family animated series (1973–1975) and reprised the character in the TV film Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977). He appeared four times on the Perry Mason series, including

184-413: A 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

230-482: A child actor, Coogan worked with Near East Relief and toured across the United States and Europe in 1924 on a "Children's Crusade" as part of his fundraising drive. His efforts provided more than $ 1 million in clothing, food, and other contributions ($ 14.8 million in 2021 dollars), and he was honored by officials in the United States and Greece. He also had an audience with Pope Pius XI . A Catholic , Coogan

276-585: A contract under the code remains the sole legal property of the minor child. The law requires a child actor's employer to set aside 15% of the earnings in a trust (often called a Coogan Account) and codifies issues such as schooling, work hours, and time off. The current version of the law is codified in sections 6750–53 of the California Family Code and section 1700.37 of the California Labor Code . The law provides that any of

322-536: A full-spread advertisement for the film playing at the Randolph Theatre. The advertisement from First National Pictures featured high praise from Chicago-based newspapers including this review from The Chicago Herald and Examiner : The Kid settles once and for all the question as to who is the greatest theatrical artist in the world. Chaplin does some of the finest, most delicately shaded acting you ever saw anywhere, and for every slapstick furore in it there

368-491: A handwritten note: "Please love and care for this orphan child". Two thieves steal the car and leave the baby in an alley, where he is found by The Tramp . After some attempts to hand off the child on to various passers-by, he finds the note and his heart melts. He takes the boy home, names him John and adjusts his household furniture for him. Meanwhile, the Mother has a change of heart and returns for her baby; when she learns that

414-470: A minor renders services as an "actor, actress, dancer, musician, comedian, singer, or other performer or entertainer, or as a writer, director, producer, production executive, choreographer, composer, conductor, or designer." Under the current law, the court may also approve contracts that involve the transfer of intellectual property. In September 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an expansion to

460-605: A police officer in the Elvis Presley comedy Girl Happy in 1965. In 1940, Coogan played the role of "a playboy Broadway producer" in the Society Girl program on CBS radio. He also starred in his own program, Forever Ernest , on CBS from April 29 to July 22, 1946. Coogan enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor that December, he requested a transfer to Army Air Forces as

506-568: A small jungle clearing 100 miles (160 km) behind Japanese lines in the Burma Campaign . After the war, Coogan returned to acting, taking mostly character roles and appearing on television. From 1952 to 1953, Coogan played Stoney Crockett on the syndicated series Cowboy G-Men . In 1959, he guest-starred in a first-season episode of Peter Gunn . He also appeared on NBC 's The Martha Raye Show . He appeared, too, as Corbett, in two episodes of NBC's 1960 series The Outlaws . In

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552-448: Is a classic, exquisite scene. His action are riotous, convulsive, irresistible. The gentlest grandmother will bust a midriff. He's the best Hamlet alive today. Jackie Coogan is the best child actor you ever saw. Women wept just to see him. The Kid is two fisted. It's right glove is packed with the pearls of tears, its left with the horseshoe of laughter. The picture is perfection. Six reels that seem like one; six reels that are funnier than

598-569: The California Child Actor's Bill , widely known as the "Coogan Act". Coogan continued to act throughout his life, later earning renewed fame in middle age portraying Uncle Fester in the 1960s television series The Addams Family . John Leslie Coogan was born in Los Angeles , California, in 1914 to John Henry Jr. and Lillian Rita (née Dolliver) Coogan. He began performing as an infant in both vaudeville and film, with

644-606: 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. Coogan appeared with then-wife Betty Grable in College Swing , a 1938 musical comedy starring George Burns , Gracie Allen , Martha Raye , and Bob Hope . He appeared as

690-519: The 1960–1961 season, he guest-starred in the episode "The Damaged Dolls" of the crime drama The Brothers Brannagan . In 1961, he guest-starred in an episode of The Americans , an NBC series about family divisions stemming from the Civil War . He also appeared in episode 37, titled "Barney on the Rebound", of The Andy Griffith Show , which aired October 31, 1961. Coogan had a regular role in

736-560: The 1982 documentary Hollywood's Children . After suffering from heart and kidney ailments , Coogan died of heart failure on March 1, 1984, at the age of 69, in Santa Monica , California. Coogan had a long history of heart trouble and hypertension and had previously suffered several strokes . He had been undergoing kidney dialysis when his blood pressure dropped. Coogan was taken to Santa Monica Hospital , where he died from cardiac arrest . At Coogan's request, his funeral

782-681: The Film Society of Lincoln Center gala tribute to Chaplin held on April 4, 1972, at Philharmonic Hall, New York City, with Chaplin in attendance. The Kid premiered on January 21, 1921, at Carnegie Hall in New York City as a benefit for the Children's Fund of the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. The Kid was acclaimed by film critics upon its release. The February 5, 1921 issue of Exhibitor's Herald , contained

828-475: The Library of Congress' National Film Registry. The registry stated that the film is "an artful melding of touching drama, social commentary and inventive comedy" and praised Chaplin's ability to "sustain his artistry beyond the length of his usual short subjects and could deftly elicit a variety of emotions from his audiences by skillfully blending slapstick and pathos." As of January 2021, The Kid has earned

874-507: The Mother advises the Tramp to call a doctor after the Kid falls ill. The doctor discovers that the Tramp is not the Kid's father and notifies authorities. Two men come to take the boy to an orphanage, but after a fight and a chase, the Tramp and the boy remain side by side. When the Mother comes back to see how the boy is doing she encounters the doctor, who shows her the note (which he had taken from

920-457: The Mother and the Kid unknowingly cross paths. The Kid later gets into a fight with another local boy as people in the area gather to watch the spectacle. The Kid wins, drawing the ire of the other boy's older brother, who attacks the Tramp as a result. The Mother breaks up the fight, but it starts again after she leaves and the Tramp keeps beating the "Big Brother" over the head with a brick between swings until he totters away. Shortly afterward,

966-475: The Tramp); she recognizes it as the one she left with her baby years ago. Now fugitives, the Tramp and the boy spend the night in a flophouse . Its proprietor learns of a $ 1,000 reward offered by the authorities and takes the Kid to the police station, while the Tramp is asleep. As the tearful Mother is reunited with her long-lost child, the Tramp searches frantically for the missing boy. Unsuccessful, he returns to

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1012-539: The abandoned child raised by his Tramp character in the silent comedy-drama The Kid (1921). In 1922, Coogan was cast in the title role in Oliver Twist , directed by Frank Lloyd . Coogan was one of the first stars to be heavily merchandised. Peanut butter, stationery, whistles, dolls, records, coins and figurines were among the Coogan-themed merchandise on sale. Coogan had been privately tutored until

1058-628: The age of 10 and then sent to a military academy and prep schools until he was 16. He entered Santa Clara University in 1932, flunked out, and transferred to the University of Southern California , intending to obtain a business or law degree. In May 1935, 20-year-old Coogan was the sole survivor of a car crash on the winding San Diego-Imperial Valley Highway, in eastern San Diego County that killed his father, his 19-year-old best friend, actor Trent ("Junior") Durkin , their ranch foreman Charles Jones, and actor and writer Robert J. Horner. The party

1104-428: The car has been stolen, she faints. Five years pass. The Kid and the Tramp live in the same tiny room; they have little money but much love. They support themselves in a minor scheme: the Kid throws stones to break windows so that the Tramp, working as a glazier , can be paid to repair them. Meanwhile, the Mother has become a wealthy actress and does charity by giving presents to poor children. By chance, as she does so,

1150-519: The doorway of their humble lodgings, where he falls asleep, entering a "Dreamland" where his neighbors have turned into angels and devils. A policeman awakes him and drives him off to a mansion. There the door is opened by the Mother and the Kid, who jumps into the Tramp's arms, and he is welcomed in. Chaplin wrote, produced, directed, edited and starred in The Kid , and later composed a score. Innovative in its combination of comedic and dramatic elements,

1196-399: The film is considered one of the greatest of the silent era. Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance maintains that, with its "perfect blend of comedy and drama, [it] is arguably Chaplin's most personal and autobiographical work.” The film made Coogan, then a vaudeville performer, into the first major child star of the movies. It has been speculated that the depth of the relationship portrayed in

1242-415: The film may have been connected with the death of Chaplin's firstborn infant son just ten days before the production began. First National wanted to release the film as 3 two reel comedies, not a seven reel feature. Chaplin wanted the film released as a complete work. Releasing it as 3 separate short films also meant First National owed Chaplin a much smaller salary. After production was completed in 1920,

1288-515: The film was caught up in the divorce actions of Chaplin's first wife Mildred Harris , who sought to attach Chaplin's assets. Chaplin and his associates smuggled the raw negative to Salt Lake City and edited it in a room at the Hotel Utah . To release the complete film and avoid it being part of his divorce proceedings, Chaplin showed First National executives a cut of the film. He used this screening to re-negotiate his contract. Before releasing

1334-487: The film, Chaplin negotiated to receive an enhanced financial deal based on the success of the final film. This included 50% of the box-office once First National's budget of $ 1.5 Million had been reached and full ownership returned to Chaplin after 5 years. Chaplin eventually removed scenes he believed too sentimental for modern audiences and composed and recorded a new musical score for the film's theatrical reissue. This re-edited version of The Kid had its world premiere as

1380-467: The law to cover child social media content creators. This article relating to law in the United States or its constituent jurisdictions is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This California -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This labor -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984)

1426-810: The mid-1970s. Coogan also appeared in the first season of Barnaby Jones , in the April 1, 1973 episode titled "Sing a Song of Murder". Coogan was married four times and had four children. His first three marriages to actresses were short-lived. Betty Grable and he were engaged in 1935 and married on November 20, 1937, and they divorced on October 11, 1939. On August 10, 1941, he married Flower Parry (d. 1981). They had one son, John Anthony Coogan (writer/producer of 3D digital and film, also known as Jackie Coogan Jr.), born in Los Angeles; they divorced on June 29, 1943. Coogan married his third wife, Ann McCormack, on December 26, 1946. A daughter, Joann Dolliver Coogan,

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1472-509: The new First National release--which proves the contention that Chaplin is almost as good a tragedian as he is a comedian. The Kid may be counted as a screen masterpiece." The reviewer for The New York Times gave more of a mixed reception to the film, writing: "Charlie Chaplin is himself again - at his best, in some ways better than his previous best, and also, it is to be regretted, at his worst, only not with so much of his worst as has spoiled some of his earlier pictures." The reviewer praises

1518-415: The parties may petition a court to approve an entertainment contract, and if the court does so, somewhat different rules apply. Most important, the child cannot escape its responsibilities under the contract by disaffirming them, which a child normally has the power to do. Later revisions extended the scope of minors' entertainment contracts that the court can approve to include contracts according to which

1564-440: The plot, the comedy, the characters, and the "balance of sadness" with Chaplin being "more of a comedian than a clown", but lamented elements of "vulgarity, or coarseness". Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance writes of the legacy of Chaplin's The Kid : " The Kid remains an important contribution to the art of film, not only because of Chaplin's innovative use of dramatic sequences within a feature-length comedy, but also because of

1610-424: The revelations The Kid provides about its creator. Undoubtedly, when Chaplin penned the preface to The Kid , "A picture with a smile—and perhaps, a tear", he had his own artistic credo—and life—in mind." Mary Pickford said of the film, "The Kid is one of the finest examples of the screen language, depending upon its actions rather than upon subtitles". In December 2011, The Kid was chosen to be preserved in

1656-798: The role of political activist Gus Sawyer in the 1963 episode, "The Case of the Witless Witness" and TV prop man Pete Desmond in the final episode, "The Case of the Final Fadeout", in 1966. He was a guest several times on The Red Skelton Show , appeared twice on The Brady Bunch ("The Fender Benders" and "Double Parked"), I Dream of Jeannie (as Jeannie's uncle, Suleiman – Maharaja of Basenji), Family Affair , Here's Lucy , and The Brian Keith Show , and continued to guest-star on television, including multiple appearances on The Partridge Family The Wild Wild West , Hawaii Five-O and McMillan and Wife , until his retirement in

1702-491: The title role (uncredited) in the 1917 film Skinner's Baby . Charlie Chaplin discovered him in the Orpheum Theatre , a vaudeville house in Los Angeles, on the stage doing the shimmy , a then-popular dance. Coogan's father was also an actor. Coogan was a natural mimic and delighted Chaplin with his abilities. Chaplin cast him in a small role in A Day's Pleasure (1919). The following year, Chaplin cast Coogan as

1748-417: The work of any other human being; six reels that are sadder and simpler than anything in pictures; six reels that will atone for anything the movies have ever done. A reviewer from Theatre Magazine glowingly wrote: "[Chaplin's] new picture, The Kid , certainly outdoes in humor and the special brand of Chaplin pathos anything this popular film star has yet produced. There are almost as many tears as laughs in

1794-552: Was Chaplin's first full-length film as a director. It was a huge success and was the second-highest-grossing film in 1921. Now considered one of the greatest films of the silent era, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2011. With much anguish, an unwed Mother abandons her child, placing him in an expensive automobile with

1840-677: Was a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills . As a child star, Coogan earned an estimated $ 3,000,000 (equivalent to $ 66,670,000 in 2023) to $ 4,000,000 (equivalent to $ 88,893,000 in 2023). 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

1886-473: Was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films . Coogan's role in Charlie Chaplin 's film The Kid (1921) made him one of the first child stars in the history of Hollywood. He later sued his mother and stepfather over his squandered film earnings and provoked California to enact the first known legal protection for the earnings of child performers,

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1932-408: Was born in Los Angeles. They divorced on September 20, 1951. Dorothea Odetta Hanson, also known as Dorothea Lamphere (but best known as Dodie), was a dancer and became Coogan's fourth wife in April 1952. They were together over 30 years until his death in 1984. She died in 1999. They had two children together; daughter Leslie Diane Coogan was born in Los Angeles, while son Christopher Fenton Coogan

1978-781: Was born in Riverside County, California. Christopher died in a motorcycle accident in Palm Springs, California in 1990. Leslie Coogan has a son, actor Keith Coogan , who was born Keith Eric Mitchell. He began acting in 1975 and later changed his name two years after his grandfather's death, in 1986. His roles include the oldest son in Adventures in Babysitting and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead . Footage of Jackie with his grandson Keith can be seen in

2024-677: Was open to the public and was attended by several fans. John Astin , Coogan's co-star from The Addams Family , delivered the eulogy . Coogan was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City . His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 1654 Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Boulevard . The Kid (1921 film) The Kid is a 1921 American silent comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin , and features Jackie Coogan as his foundling baby, adopted son and sidekick. This

2070-586: 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 (equivalent to $ 2,727,000 in 2023) of the $ 250,000 (equivalent to $ 5,411,000 in 2023) remaining of his earnings. When Coogan went broke during the litigation, he asked Charlie Chaplin for assistance; Chaplin handed him $ 1,000 (equivalent to $ 22,000 in 2023) in cash without hesitation. The legal battle focused attention on child actors and resulted in

2116-522: Was returning from a day of dove hunting just over the Mexican border. With Coogan's father at the wheel, the car was forced off the mountain highway near Pine Valley by an oncoming vehicle and rolled down an embankment. Durkin had been a costar of Coogan's in the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn films. Jackie, who had been thrown from the rumble seat, suffered two broken ribs and bruises. While

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