Please Dont Shoot My Dog
Please Don't Shoot My Dog by Jackie Cooper with Dick Kleiner
Hardcover: 351 pages
Publisher: William Morrow & Company, Inc.(1981)
ISBN-10: 0688036597
Please Don't Shoot My Dog in Jackie Cooper's own words as told to Dick Kleiner is a great insight into Hollywood through the eyes of a childhood star. A star that made the transition from child actor to adulthood with continued successes in movies, on stage, and on Television as an adult.
Mr. Cooper makes the story of his life interesting by salting the book with insight into the true lives of many of the actors he shared the movie screen with. As a child star his mom kept him grounded as to what was real and what was imagination. The one thing he did not get a grasp on was managing his career and money.
As many celebrities have experienced, someone else managed his accounts, investments, and appearances. The adult Jackie Cooper learned the hard way, but he always recovered by exploiting his own talents to provide for himself and his family.
Well, this Autobiography isn't like any I've read before. The first thing I noticed was that it seemed that Jackie Cooper was unforgiving for the life he had. He seemed angry. And as I read on I saw some things that I felt as well. The fact that he grew up without a father. He was told at first that he died but later told he had not. He even had an opportunity to meet his father once..but didn't take it.
Jackie had an up and down career and up and down marriages. There was a bit of *name dropping* in his story of his younger years, but that subsided.
I hadn't known that he did as much stage work as he did, nor did I realize how much directing he came to do.. so, although I found it a bit uneasy to read parts it was interesting.
As always I had hoped there would be more about the times and what the movie industry was like back then etc. but this one didn't have that. It was a straight out *this is my life* type of book.
No matter what his faults, I still think he was a fantastic child actor, I am sorry, as I am with all of them, that he didn't have much of a childhood. And you can't help but feel badly when a kid misses out on a normal childhood. (back then being much different than it would be now).
But he came thru the childhood and made a living acting and directing as an adult which many did not. Jackie Cooper was a survivor.
Hardcover: 351 pages
Publisher: William Morrow & Company, Inc.(1981)
ISBN-10: 0688036597
Please Don't Shoot My Dog in Jackie Cooper's own words as told to Dick Kleiner is a great insight into Hollywood through the eyes of a childhood star. A star that made the transition from child actor to adulthood with continued successes in movies, on stage, and on Television as an adult.
Mr. Cooper makes the story of his life interesting by salting the book with insight into the true lives of many of the actors he shared the movie screen with. As a child star his mom kept him grounded as to what was real and what was imagination. The one thing he did not get a grasp on was managing his career and money.
As many celebrities have experienced, someone else managed his accounts, investments, and appearances. The adult Jackie Cooper learned the hard way, but he always recovered by exploiting his own talents to provide for himself and his family.
Well, this Autobiography isn't like any I've read before. The first thing I noticed was that it seemed that Jackie Cooper was unforgiving for the life he had. He seemed angry. And as I read on I saw some things that I felt as well. The fact that he grew up without a father. He was told at first that he died but later told he had not. He even had an opportunity to meet his father once..but didn't take it.
Jackie had an up and down career and up and down marriages. There was a bit of *name dropping* in his story of his younger years, but that subsided.
I hadn't known that he did as much stage work as he did, nor did I realize how much directing he came to do.. so, although I found it a bit uneasy to read parts it was interesting.
As always I had hoped there would be more about the times and what the movie industry was like back then etc. but this one didn't have that. It was a straight out *this is my life* type of book.
No matter what his faults, I still think he was a fantastic child actor, I am sorry, as I am with all of them, that he didn't have much of a childhood. And you can't help but feel badly when a kid misses out on a normal childhood. (back then being much different than it would be now).
But he came thru the childhood and made a living acting and directing as an adult which many did not. Jackie Cooper was a survivor.
posted by DesLily | 5:25 AM
6 Comments:
Well, that one was clearly a bit different to the usual biographies you read. But it does sound very interesting nevertheless. I know I've seen him in things but can't think what. He's very familiar as an adult so I must have seen some films he was in.
It is such a shame to miss out on your childhood. I would think it could definitely lead to an angry adulthood, and a lot of emotional baggage...lol Great review Pat :D
Jackie was certainly a survivor and I think the story behind the title of his book is one of the worst Hollywood stories I've ever heard.
cjh
Sounds like it was a good read. I too always feel sorry for the child actors who have so much responsibility at a young age and don't get to just be kids.
cath: we emailed about it lol
kelly: life is always a trade off of some sort or another..he did mention how he at least came thru it unscathed like many other young actors.
cj: yeah not a very nice director to tell him they would kill the dog if he didn't cry on "q"..
kathleen: to many have to much money and go the way of drugs and such...what a shame..and kudos for those who make it thru!
That is interesting Pat. I haven't read his book, but my memory of the one TV show he directed that I was in, is---he wasn't very warm. Most every Director I have worked with, with some exceptions, of course---no matter how small the part I was playing---were always very nice, friendly and warm, making me feel comfortable and important, in the sense that even my tiny little part was important to 'the whole'....Cooper did NOT do that. It wasn't a bad experience, but it wasn't memorable in any kind of positive way. I think I felt his anger at life, you know? I will have to read his book at some point.
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