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 Pecks 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 Worlds 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 Coogans parents; whose behavior served as an unfortunate model for countless others who sought fame and fortune through their childrens 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.
#2959749 in eBooks 2013-06-12 2013-06-12File Name: B00D4BDZZ4
Review
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Interesting but mostly biographyBy Steve HarrisonThis is in large part a biography of Frederic Bartholdi focusing on the Statue of Liberty. It is an interesting and entertaining story but be prepared to learn much more about Bartholdi than about the statue.Its also a bit strangely told. Although the author has apparently studied much original source material; the narrative often seems like something put together from a collection of old newspaper articles: facts; events; and people can pop in and out abruptly; without adequate context or background.The book does; however; completely address the idea that the Statue of Liberty was just a "gift of the French people" (a myth so common that my quote comes from the book -- on an entirely different subject -- that I read immediately after this one.)0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Libertys TorchBy Connie MericanLoaded with fascinating details about the history of our Statue of Liberty. Very complete and well researched. I only gave it 3 stars because it was so detailed that it was hard to get through. Not anything you can breeze through. But I am glad I read it because I learned so much.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A good historical storyBy Mark MThis book does a good job of telling an interesting story. The reason it doesnt get 5 stars is that sometimes it feels a bit padded. I have a feeling that the author felt pressed to make the book long enough to publish. Ironically; this topic just doesnt lend itself to a full length book as well as ; say the topic of "the Lost Tribe of Cooney Island".Also; be aware that this book is really a mix of the story of the construction/funding of the statue and a biography of its designer. The book doesnt cover (and likely didnt intend to cover) the history of the statue after it opened; or the ongoing impact the statue has had.