October 25, 1924
Barty also starred as "Sigmund" in the popular children's t.v.
show "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" produced by Sid and Marty Krofft
in 1974-1976. In 1983, Barty supplied the voice for Figment
in EPCOT Center's Journey Into
Imagination dark ride. He subsequently supplied a reprisal for the
second incarnation, though very brief.
Barty was a noted activist for the promotion of rights for others with
dwarfism. He was disappointed with contemporary Hervé Villechaize's
insistence that they were "midgets" instead of
actors with dwarfism. Barty founded the Little People
of America to help with his activism.
Barty was married to Shirley Bolingbroke of Malad City, Idaho, from 1962 until his
death at age 76. They had two children, Lori Neilson and TV/film producer and
director Braden Barty.
Until the time of his death, Barty was a beloved annual guest-star on
Canada's Telemiracle telethon, one of the most successful (per capita)
telethons in the world.
October 26, 1914
Many years later, he became
known as Uncle Fester on The Addams Family (TV show, 1964-1966). In the
interim, he shocked the United States by suing 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.
Jackie Coogan has his hand and foot prints in concrete out front of
Grauman's Chinese Theater (now Mann's Chinese Theater), Ceremony #19, on
December 12, 1931 (his former wife Betty Grable, Ceremony #68, on February 15,
1943 also). He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of 1654
Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Blvd.
As a child star, Coogan earned an estimated $3 to 4 million, but the money
was taken by his mother, Lilian, and stepfather, Arthur Bernstein, for
extravagances such as fur coats, diamonds, and cars. He sued them in 1938 (at
age 23), but after legal expenses, he only received $126,000 of the approx.
$250,000 left. When Coogan fell on hard times, Charlie Chaplin gave him some
financial support.
The legal battle did, however, bring attention to child actors and resulted
in the state of California enacting
the California Child Actor's Bill,
sometimes known as the Coogan Bill
or the Coogan Act. This requires
that the child's employer set aside 15% of the child's earnings in a trust, and
codifies such issues as schooling, work hours and time-off. Jackie's mother and
stepfather attempted to soften the situation by pointing out that the child was
having fun and thought he was playing. However, virtually every child star from
Baby Peggy on has stated that they were
keenly aware that what they were doing was work.
October 27, 1954
The one-hour show, introduced by Tinkerbell, presented a rotating
selection of cartoons, dramas, movies, and other entertainment. The show ran
for 34 years under various names, including Walt Disney Presents and The
Wonderful World of Disney. The program was the longest-running prime-time
series on network TV.
To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".
October 25, 1924
Billy Barty was born William John Bertanzetti. Barty was one of the most famous 20th century people
with dwarfism.
Barty, an Italian American, was born in Millsboro, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the gang in the Mickey McGuire
serial of silent shorts (a children's comedy series of the 1920s, similar in
tone to the "Our Gang"/"Little Rascals" comedies, starring
a very young Mickey
Rooney in the title role). In The
Gold Diggers of 1933, a
nine-year-old Barty appeared as a baby who escapes from his stroller. Because
of his stature, much of his work consisted of bit parts and gag roles, although
he was featured prominently in W.C.
Fields and Me (1976), Foul Play and The Lord of the Rings (both 1978), Under the Rainbow (1981), Night Patrol (1984), Legend (1985), Masters
of the Universe (1987), Willow (1988), UHF (1989), Life Stinks and Radioland Murders (1994). Barty was known for his boundless energy and
enthusiasm for any productions in which he appeared. He also performed a
remarkable impression of pianist Liberace. He performed with the Spike Jones musical comedy show on stage and television. He was
also the evil side kick on the 1970s Saturday morning TV series Dr. Shrinker.
Barty also starred in a local Southern California children's show,
"Billy Barty's Bigtop," in the mid-1960s, which regularly showed The Three Stooges shorts. In one program,
Stooge Moe Howard visited the set as a surprise
guest. The program gave many Los Angeles-area children their first opportunity
to become familiar with little people, who until then had been rarely glimpsed
on the screen except as two-dimensional curiousities.Barty also starred as "Sigmund" in the popular children's t.v. show "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in 1974-1976. In 1983, Barty supplied the voice for Figment in EPCOT Center's Journey Into Imagination dark ride. He subsequently supplied a reprisal for the second incarnation, though very brief.
Barty was a noted activist for the promotion of rights for others with dwarfism. He was disappointed with contemporary Hervé Villechaize's insistence that they were "midgets" instead of actors with dwarfism. Barty founded the Little People of America to help with his activism.
Barty was married to Shirley Bolingbroke of Malad City, Idaho, from 1962 until his death at age 76. They had two children, Lori Neilson and TV/film producer and director Braden Barty.
Until the time of his death, Barty was a beloved annual guest-star on Canada's Telemiracle telethon, one of the most successful (per capita) telethons in the world.
October 26, 1914
John Leslie "Jackie" Coogan
born in Los Angeles, California. Coogan began his movie career as a child actor in silent films.
Many years later, he became
known as Uncle Fester on The Addams Family (TV show, 1964-1966). In the
interim, he shocked the United States by suing 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.
He began his acting career as an infant in both vaudeville and film, with an uncredited
role in the 1917 film Skinner's
Baby. Charlie Chaplin
discovered him in a Los Angeles
vaudeville house, doing the shimmy, a popular dance
at the time, on the stage. His father, Jack Coogan, Sr. was also an actor. The
boy was a natural mimic, and delighted Chaplin with his abilities in this area.
As a child actor, he is best remembered for his role as Charlie Chaplin's irascible sidekick in the
film classic The Kid
(1921) and for the title role in Oliver Twist,
directed by Frank Lloyd, the
following year. He was also the first star to get heavily merchandised, with
peanut butter, stationery, whistles, dolls, records, and figurines just being a
sample of the Coogan merchandise. He also travelled internationally to huge
crowds. Many of his early films are lost or unavailable, but Turner Classic
Movies recently presented The Rag Man with a new score.
Coogan was famous for his pageboy haircut and his The Kid outfit of
oversized overalls and cap, which was widely imitated, including by the young Scotty Beckett in the Our Gang films.Jackie Coogan has his hand and foot prints in concrete out front of Grauman's Chinese Theater (now Mann's Chinese Theater), Ceremony #19, on December 12, 1931 (his former wife Betty Grable, Ceremony #68, on February 15, 1943 also). He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of 1654 Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Blvd.
As a child star, Coogan earned an estimated $3 to 4 million, but the money was taken by his mother, Lilian, and stepfather, Arthur Bernstein, for extravagances such as fur coats, diamonds, and cars. He sued them in 1938 (at age 23), but after legal expenses, he only received $126,000 of the approx. $250,000 left. When Coogan fell on hard times, Charlie Chaplin gave him some financial support.
The legal battle did, however, bring attention to child actors and resulted in the state of California enacting the California Child Actor's Bill, sometimes known as the Coogan Bill or the Coogan Act. This requires that the child's employer set aside 15% of the child's earnings in a trust, and codifies such issues as schooling, work hours and time-off. Jackie's mother and stepfather attempted to soften the situation by pointing out that the child was having fun and thought he was playing. However, virtually every child star from Baby Peggy on has stated that they were keenly aware that what they were doing was work.
October 27, 1954
Disneyland, Walt Disney's first television series, premieres on
ABC.
The one-hour show, introduced by Tinkerbell, presented a rotating
selection of cartoons, dramas, movies, and other entertainment. The show ran
for 34 years under various names, including Walt Disney Presents and The
Wonderful World of Disney. The program was the longest-running prime-time
series on network TV.
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
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