dvk@mi-cec.UUCP (Dan Klein) (03/02/84)
Jackie Coogan died yesterday of a cardiac arrest. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, the characters he played (Uncle Fester in "The Addams Family", and the kid in "The Kid" [an early Chaplain film]) should be more familiar. Also interesting is his part in the passage of the so called "Coogan Law", which states that the earnings of a minor are to be placed in a trust fund administered by the court. (As a child Coogan earned over $4 million, but at age 21 discovered that his parents had spent it all). Whether poignant or humorous, serious or slapstick, Jackie Coogan's characters were always affable, and always had that "certain something" that draws you to like the actor, and not just the parts he plays. I for one will miss him. Thank you Jackie, for many fond and funny childhood memories. -Dan Klein, Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh