Jackie Coogan: The Child Star Who Sued for His Fortune

At twenty-three, Jackie Coogan went to court over the fortune associated with his childhood work. The famous version says his parents stole four million dollars and the lawsuit created a law protecting fifteen percent of every child actor's pay. The documented record is more complicated—and more revealing. This episode separates Coogan's reported claim, the 1939 out-of-court settlement, the original Coogan law, and the modern 15-percent rule created sixty years later. 00:00 Who Owned the Money? 01:10 The Face on the Contract 02:29 The Family Business 03:45 After His Father 05:00 The Four-Million-Dollar Suit 06:20 What the Headlines Could Not Decide 07:39 The Settlement 09:07 The First Coogan Law 10:24 The Law People Mean Today 11:48 Who Owned the Dream Backlot After Midnight is a narrated Hollywood-history documentary series. Every dream factory has a graveyard. Next case: Did Cleopatra really bankrupt Fox? Primary sources include contemporary 1938–1939 newspaper reports, the Library of Congress, California legislative records, and the current California Family Code. Archival images are identified on screen. Original graphics and synthetic illustrations are clearly labeled. Selected sources: Library of Congress child-actor-law history: https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2022/06/mor... 1939 Coogan-law history: https://blog.wilawlibrary.gov/2018/04... California SB 1162 legislative analysis: https://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/99-00/... Current California Family Code section 6752: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/fa.... This episode uses a licensed synthetic narrator and clearly labeled synthetic title art and illustrations. Research, writing, legal attribution, rights review, editing, and final editorial decisions are human-directed. #HollywoodHistory #JackieCoogan #FilmHistory