La Drolesse
Past the Bleachers
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| Date of birth: |
1921-07-07 |
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Appearances
 Jackie Searl was a well-known child actor who never made it to the ranks of a Jackie Cooper or Freddie Bartolomew, Jackie nevertheless gained a film following in the 30s.
A bratty counterpart to Jane Withers & Mitzi Green in films, the blond, freckled, clean-cut Jackie was born in Anaheim, California in 1921 and started on L.A. radio in "The Children's Hour" at the age of three. By the end of the 20's film beckoned and Jackie hit it big playing mean little Sid Sawyer in the early Mark Twain film classic Tom Sawyer (1930 - Jackie Coogan was Tom Sawyer in this version).
Paramount Pictures promptly signed the youngster up, kept him busy with Finn and Hattie (1931), Huckleberry Finn (1931), Skippy (1931) and Topaze (1933).
Jackie was infamous at playing sissified brats, obnoxious squealers and sandbox bullies. A natural scene-stealer he was aptly labeled on the Paramount sets as "The Kid Everybody Wants to Spank." Jackie's acting range is keenly seen in No Greater Glory (1934), Columbia Pictures version of The Boys of Paul Street, which was later made into the film A Pál utcai fiúk (1969). Other moments on the screen for Jackie where he didn't play the "obnoxious brat" are Hearts of Humanity (1932) and as an adorable doormouse in Alice in Wonderland (1933).
He continued playing secondary parts into his teens with roles in Ginger (1935), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), That Certain Age (1938) and Small Town Deb (1941). He joined the service in WWII and tried to resurrect his career following his discharge but had a tough time of it. In the 1960s he played character parts, nominally as minor heavies, in such films as The Couch (1962) and Shotgun Wedding (1963) and on many TV dramas. He retired in the 1970s and died in Tujunga, California in 1991.
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