During the Great Depression, Detroit kids, like most of the country, didn’t have a lot to be cheerful about. But when 9-year-old actor Jackie Cooper came to town to headline an All-Star Musical Revue at the Fisher Theatre, those lucky enough to meet him or see the show had reason to cheer. On May 7, 1932, Cooper was photographed front and center with dozens of children in the lobby of the theater, which was only in its fourth year.
Earlier that day, Cooper had appeared at the WWJ radio studio, where he met young contest winners from the Detroit News-sponsored Seckatary Hawkins Fair and Square Club, which made him an honorary member. Based on Robert F. Schulkers’s wildly popular Seckatary Hawkins children’s comic strips and books, dozens of the clubs emerged across the country, giving kids the opportunity to enter contests for writing, poetry, and drawing.
Cooper already had star power when he appeared at the Fisher Theatre. He first starred in the Our Gang comedy shorts (The Little Rascals) and became known for his roles in the 1931 movies The Champ, a sentimental boxing tale with Wallace Beery, and Skippy, for which he became known as “America’s Boy.” For his acting in Skippy, Cooper was the youngest person to be nominated for the best actor Oscar, a record that still stands. He lost to Lionel Barrymore at the fourth Academy Awards in November 1931.
The L.A.-born actor also appeared in films as a teen and adult, earned the rank of Navy captain during World War II, and starred in television series The People’s Choice and Hennesey before becoming the vice president of program development for Columbia Pictures’ TV division. He later guest-starred on television shows and directed a number of episodes for several series, including M*A*S*H and The White Shadow, each earning him an Emmy award for directing. Younger generations may remember him as newsman Perry White in 1978’s Superman and three of its sequels. Cooper died in 2011 at age 88.
This story originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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