On This Day

American actor Jackie Coogan (24) divorces actress Betty Grable (22) after 2 years of marriage

John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films.

John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Coogan's title role in Charlie Chaplin's film The Kid (1921) made him one of the first child stars in the history of Hollywood.

He later sued his mother and stepfather over his squandered film earnings and inspired California to enact the first known legal protection for the earnings of child performers, the California Child Actor's Bill, widely known as the "Coogan Act".

Coogan continued to act throughout his life, later earning renewed fame in middle age portraying Uncle Fester in the 1960s television series The Addams Family.

Historical Significance

John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films.

Key People

Jackie Coogan

actor

American actor

Betty Grable

Musician

American actress and pin-up girl

Events Before

  1. First jazz concert is held at Carnegie Hall, performed by Benny Goodman and his band

    The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert by Benny Goodman, Columbia Records catalogue item SL-160, is a two-disc LP of swing and jazz music recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16,…

  2. World's first science fiction TV program is a broadcast of the play R.U.R. by Karel Čapek

    Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is the genre of speculative, science-based fiction that imagines advanced and futuristic scientific or technological progress.

  3. "Bringing Up Baby" film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, is released

    Bringing Up Baby is a 1938 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, and starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures.

  4. First public experimental demonstration of Baird color TV occurs in London

    First public experimental demonstration of Baird color TV occurs in London

  5. UK Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden resigns, stating Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has appeased Nazi Germany

    Arthur Neville Chamberlain was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party from May 1937 to October 1940.

Events After

  1. American entertainer Danny Kaye (28) weds American songwriter Sylvia Fine (26) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, until his de

    American entertainer Danny Kaye (28) weds American songwriter Sylvia Fine (26) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, until his death in 1987

  2. "The Grapes of Wrath", directed by John Ford and based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, starring Henry Fonda

    "The Grapes of Wrath", directed by John Ford and based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, starring Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell, is released

  3. American actress Lana Turner (19) weds American bandleader Artie Shaw (29) in a Las Vegas elopement; divorce after 4 mon

    American actress Lana Turner (19) weds American bandleader Artie Shaw (29) in a Las Vegas elopement; divorce after 4 months

  4. Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14 (radiocarbon dating) at the University of California Radiation Laboratory

    Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14 (radiocarbon dating) at the University of California Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, California

  5. Hattie McDaniel becomes 1st African American woman to win an Oscar for "Gone With The Wind"

    Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893 – October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian.

More from the 1930s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 11, 1939?
John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Coogan's title role in Charlie Chaplin's film The Kid (1921) made him one of the first child stars in the history of Hollywood. He later sued his mother and stepfather over his squandered film earnings and inspired California to enact the first known legal protection for the earnings of child performers, the California Child Actor's Bill, widely known as the "Coogan Act".
Why is American actor Jackie Coogan (24) divorces actress Betty Grable (22) after 2 ... significant?
John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films.
Who was involved in American actor Jackie Coogan (24) divorces actress Betty Grable (22) after 2 ...?
Key figures include Jackie Coogan (actor), Betty Grable (Musician).

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