Summary
Jerry Tucker (born Jerome Harold Schatz, November 1, 1925 – November 23, 2016) was an American child actor, most notable for having played the "rich kid" in the Our Gang short subjects series semi-regularly from 1931 to 1938.
Jerry Tucker | |
|---|---|
 Jerry Tucker in Captain January (1936) | |
| Born | Jerome Harold Schatz November 1, 1925 |
| Died | November 23, 2016 (aged 91) |
| Occupation | Film actor |
| Years active | 1931–1992 |
| Spouse | Myra K. Heino (1944 - 2 August 2012) (her death) |
Life and career edit
Tucker was born Jerome Harold Schatz[1] in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ruth (Keno) and Leonard Schatz.[2] His German Jewish surname was changed to "Tucker" for his acting career.[3] Tucker first appeared in the 1931 Our Gang short Shiver My Timbers. He appeared in seventeen Our Gang comedies through 1938's Three Men in a Tub.
In addition to his Our Gang appearances, Tucker appeared in the Marie Dressler film Prosperity, again as a spoiled rich kid. He also appeared as one of Mother Peep's children in the Laurel & Hardy feature film Babes in Toyland (1934). He also appeared with Shirley Temple in Captain January in 1936, playing the "know-it-all" boy who forgets his answers on the test. On radio, Tucker played "the juvenile lead" on Jones and I, which was broadcast on CBS in the early 1940s[4] and Roy Barry on the soap opera Hilltop House.[5]
Tucker went on to serve in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War. He served aboard the USS Sigsbee. During World War II, he sustained an injury that caused him to limp, when his ship was hit by a Japanese kamikaze. Afterwards he married Myra K. Heino and had a successful career as an electrical engineer with RCA before retiring. His wife died in August 2012.
Tucker died on November 23, 2016, of natural causes at Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, New York.[6] He was 91.
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Sidewalks of New York | Little Boy Sitting on Curb | Film debut, Uncredited |
| Shiver My Timbers | Jerry | Short | |
| 1932 | The Miracle Man | Boy | Uncredited |
| Blonde Venus | Otto | Uncredited | |
| The Phantom President | Boy | Uncredited | |
| Prosperity | Boy | ||
| If I Had a Million | Crying Boy With Balloon | Uncredited | |
| No Man of Her Own | Little Boy in the Library | Uncredited | |
| 1933 | Torch Singer | Mickey | Uncredited |
| Bedtime Worries | Jerry | Short | |
| Wild Poses | Jerry | Short | |
| 1934 | You Can't Buy Everything | Jerry – Young Clinic Patient | Uncredited |
| Hi'-Neighbor! | Jerry – Rich Kid | Short | |
| Washee Ironee | Jerry | Short | |
| Mama's Little Pirate | Jerry | Short | |
| Babes in Toyland | Schoolboy | Uncredited | |
| Shrimps for a Day | Jerry | Short | |
| 1935 | Anniversary Trouble | Jerry | Short |
| Beginner's Luck | Jerry | Short | |
| Teacher's Beau | Jerry | Short | |
| Sprucin' Up | Jerry | Short | |
| Little Sinner | Jerry | Short | |
| Annie Oakley | Boy at Shooting Gallery | Uncredited | |
| Ah, Wilderness! | Boy with Fireworks | Uncredited | |
| Our Gang Follies of 1936 | Jerry, Audience Member | Short | |
| 1936 | The Pinch Singer | Jerry | Short |
| Anything Goes | Junior | ||
| Silly Billies | Boy At Camp | Uncredited | |
| Captain January | Cyril Morgan | ||
| San Francisco | Choirboy | Uncredited | |
| Sing, Baby, Sing | Wilson's 'Son' | Uncredited | |
| Two Too Young | Student | Short | |
| General Spanky | Kid Army Member | Uncredited | |
| 1937 | Glove Taps | Kid | Short |
| Love Is on the Air | Youngster Rooting for Tiger | Uncredited | |
| Tovarich | Urchin Stealing Groceries | Uncredited | |
| Wells Fargo | Boy | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | Three Men in a Tub | Spectator | Short |
| The Devil's Party | Child | Uncredited | |
| Dick Tracy Returns | Junior | Serial | |
| 1939 | The Man Who Dared | Boy Playing Football | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Always Tomorrow: The Portrait of an American Business | Young Coke Drinker | Final film, Uncredited |
Radio edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939–1940 | Hilltop House | Roy Barry | |
| 1940–1941 | King Arthur, Jr. | ||
| 1941–1942 | Jones and I | ||
| 1942 | The Andersons |
References edit
- ^ "FamilySearch.org". FamilySearch. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "The Jerry (Tucker) Schatz Collection". Archived from the original on October 5, 1999.
- ^ "Reflections of a Little Rascal". Newsday. February 21, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ Lesser, Jerry (January 3, 1942). "Radio Talent: New York" (PDF). Billboard. p. 9. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- ^ "Thursday's Highlights" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. 14 (6): 48. October 1940. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- ^ "Jerry Schatz, child actor in 'Our Gang' comedies, dies at 91". Newsday. November 24, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
External links edit
- Jerry Tucker at IMDb
- Jerry Tucker at the TCM Movie Database
- Jerry Tucker at AllMovie
- Jerry "Tucker" Shatz Papers. University of Maryland.
- Prosperity (1932) Archived April 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Jerry played the part of Buster.