Customer Reviews

Please Don't Shoot My Dog: The Autobiography Of Jackie Cooper

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Some of Jack Cooper's autobiography is enjoyable to read, with some insights into the inner workings of Hollywood--but a lot of it glosses over details and in the end the author doesn't seem honest about himself or his failings.

He covers his somewhat tragic childhood and the still unanswered questions about his father. Then he quickly skips through his adulthood, taking only a little time to tell much about his broadway shows, TV series and productions that he directed. There is never enough detail to make the reader feel satisfied because Cooper is obviously concerned about his image and he has trouble sharing things that make him look bad.

If he has a success, then he claims it is due to him. His ego is quite large. He claims to have given the start to many Hollywood stars or producers and complains when they fail to credit him with their success.

If he has a failure, he either blames others or says that he knew he shouldn't do it but he ignored his own inner voice. Rarely does he share regret or accept that he made many of his own poor choices that resulted in a weak adult career and some bad relationships. It's kind of hard to feel sorry for a guy who never saw his father growing up, then brags about refusing to meet his dad when he had the chance as an adult.

There are some great sections of the book. He spends a lengthy chapter taking on the author of "Only You Dick Daring." It was an expose of what it was like to work with Cooper on the pilot of a TV show--and is one of the best books ever written about the Hollywood system. Yet it made Cooper look like an egotistical nutcase and Jackie defends himself at length here, claiming that other book's author is a liar.

Then he allows others to "speak" in this book through lengthy paragraphs contributed by spouses, business partners and children. Often these contradict what Cooper says and even make him look like a jerk. The long ending section on his separation from his wife and how it damaged his family is difficult to read because the kids and wife are so hurt, yet Cooper is cavalier in his reaction. He doesn't seem to see that almost everything in the book makes him look bad.

The 3 and 1/2-star book is worth reading if you like a little glimpse into what it's like to be an actor and director in Hollywood and New York. There are just too many unanswered questions about his life and career.

I love this book, I read it years ago and lent to someone to read and they never returned the book. I'm so happy to finally have back in my collection.
Jackie Cooper takes us on a personel journey that gives us a glimpse of what it was like to work for the studios when you were just a commodity and not treated like a real person. You will enjoy this honestly written autobiography from one of the great actors who survived childhood to adult in the movie industry and the heartbreaks along the way in his personel life.

Cooper weaves a not so glamourous memoir that begins where he has the opportunity to meet the father that abandoned him when he was born. He passes on the opportunity thus leaving mysteries of his birth and reasons for his father leaving totally a mystery. In his mind he didn't want the answers but his readers certainly do.

We learn that Cooper lived a "Michael Jackson-esque" childhood. That is he was not allowed to play with other kids as he was too valuable a commodity to get hurt playing. And he was virtually working everyday from the time he was about seven.

His mother was an entertainer who played piano in theaters where there were silent films so she was always unavailable. His grandmother became his main guardian and would take him to the movie studio every day in the hopes of getting work. If picked he could get a free lunch which the two of them would split. Those days at the gate got him noticed by Hal Roach and he was put into some of the Our Gang shorts.

He eventually made it to feature length films working a film for his uncle that thrust him into a big star. Some interesting tidbits are how mercilious the director was on occasions to make Cooper cry where scenes called for it such as pretending to kill his dog (thus the title of the book).

There is virtually nothing in the book about his Our Gang times other than saying how he loved the dog (owned by Pete so I guess they called the dog Pete) used in the filming and he was so happy one weekend where he got to take Pete home.

Cooper paints unflattering portraits of Bing Crosby who married his mother's best friend and Wallace Beery who he starred with in the movie The Champ as well as others. He is especially harsh on Beery who he said was the most unfriendly and snobbish person around.

Cooper lived a life among all the big stars of his day and was close to Judy Garland years before The Wizard of Oz. Fans of movie history will love some of the tales of these stars.

As a Little Rascals fan I was expecting some great stories of how the various kid were and was greatly disappointed. That and the unsolved mystery of Cooper's father prevented me from rating the book higher.

This is a fast-reading autobiography that exposes the life of "America's Boy" in a nice way. His life as a movie star prevented him from having a normal boyhood, or making many friends in his life in show business (the Byzantine politics of Hollywood). All in all he led a normal life for an actor (read the details). When his career as a child actor ended he moved into Broadway acting, then as a director and business executive. But he was mostly unhappy and had a changing personal life.

Chapter 1 tells about the time he stopped outside of Kansas City for a car repair. [An accident?] He had a chance to meet the father who abandoned his family when Jackie was 2 years old but turned away. Jackie didn't like to fly so he drove cross-country. Jackie got into films because his aunt married a film director; he had the talent. His uncle didn't comment for this book because they are estranged. This book wanders, it is not in historical order. Jackie joined the Navy during WW II and played drums in a band that entertained the front-line troops. The ladies liked Jackie and Jackie always reciprocated. Jackie drove in sports car rallies (he knew when to quit) and learned to fly an airplane. His career as a business executive and director shows his talents. Jackie tells about his varied experiences but doesn't name many names. But you can still learn about his six decades of life. There is no table of contents or index.

Jackie really disliked Wallace Beery (p.54), "there was no warmth to the man". Then Beery must have been a great actor to portray his character in "The Champ". If Beery wasn't affectionate it may be an occupational disease of actors (see Jackie's own life). This book could not have been published before the 1970s (pp.97-100). You will have no illusions about Hollywood actors after reading this book. Why have child actors had a difficult future? Too much too soon distorts their perception of reality and expectations, given the fickleness of public opinion. The details about show business in the later chapters are educational.

Chapter 42 tells of his fear of flying and how learning to fly an aircraft cured his fears. Jackie reveals two parallel facts. First, manufacturers are cutting corners in order to keep costs down (p.296). Second, these result in lower quality that is being ignored by Federal regulators who know of these problems (p.277). [If some foreign airline doesn't know of these hidden problems that can explain some air crashes.] Jackie lists the five basic causes of air crashes. Does this scare you or educate you?

An entertaining look at the life of a child actor. Funny stories and interesting behind the scenes tales.