Jackie Cooper

Served with the Navy in the South Pacific toward the end of World War II. Then, quietly and without publicity or fanfare, compiled one of the most distinguished peacetime military careers of anyone in his profession. In 1961, as his weekly TV series Hennesey (1959) was enhancing naval recruiting efforts, accepted a commission as a line officer in the Naval Reserve with duties in recruitment, training films, and public relations. Holder of a multi-engine pilot license, he later co-piloted jet planes for the Navy, which made him an Honorary Aviator authorized to wear wings of gold-at the time only the third so honored in naval aviation history. By 1976 he had attained the rank of captain, and was in uniform aboard the carrier USS Constellation for the Bicentennial celebration on July 4. In 1980, the Navy proposed a period of active duty at the Pentagon that would have resulted in a promotion to rear admiral, bringing him even with Air Force Reserve Brigadier General James Stewart. Fresh on the heels of a second directing Emmy, he felt his absence would impact achieving a long-held goal of directing motion pictures, and reluctantly declined. (The opportunity in films never materialized.) Holds Letters of Commendation from six secretaries of the Navy. Was honorary chairman of the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation and a charter member of VIVA, the effort to return POW-MIAs from Vietnam. Upon retirement in 1982, he was decorated with the Legion of Merit by Navy Secretary John F. Lehman Jr.. Other than Stewart, no performer in his industry has achieved a higher uniformed rank in the U.S. military. (Glenn Ford was also a Naval Reserve captain, and director and Captain John Ford was awarded honorary flag rank upon his 1951 retirement from the Naval Reserve).

Superman

7.1

Superman II

6.7

Superman III

5.5

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

4.6

The Twilight Zone

8.4

Columbo

8.1

Murder, She Wrote

7.5

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

7.3

Hawaii Five-O

7.1

The Return of Frank James

6.3

Kojak

7.0

The Rockford Files

7.5

St. Elsewhere

5.5

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

7.4

Treasure Island

6.5

Ironside

6.8

The Champ

7.1

McCloud

7.1

Ziegfeld Girl

6.5

Chosen Survivors

5.4

Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman

7.5

Surrender

4.9

What's My Line?

6.8

The F.B.I.

5.5

Skippy

6.0

Police Story

6.9

Pups Is Pups

6.1

The Devil Is a Sissy

6.9

Sunny Side Up

7.3

The Colgate Comedy Hour

7.0

Studio One

4.7

Journey into Fear

5.6

The First Seven Years

5.2

School's Out

6.8

Suspense

4.7

The Navy Comes Through

5.6

Ghost Story

7.1

Boxing Gloves

6.0

The Bowery

5.1

Bear Shooters

5.2

Teacher's Pet

7.2

To Tell the Truth

7.4

The Astronaut

5.7

Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring

5.4

The Christmas Party

4.9

The Making of 'Superman II'

7.6

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

5.7

The Mike Douglas Show

5.1

The Merv Griffin Show

5.6

Bear Facts

6.8

When the Wind Blows

6.1

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies

8.5

Helping Grandma

6.8

Little Daddy

7.0

That Certain Age

5.0

The Making of 'Superman: The Movie'

6.3

The Philco Television Playhouse

6.0

Robert Montgomery Presents

5.2

Tales of Tomorrow

6.0

Broadway to Hollywood

4.6

White Banners

5.8

Tough Guy

4.6

Gallant Sons

7.2

Shivering Shakespeare

5.7

A Tough Winter

5.4

Love Business

6.9

Streets of New York

5.6

You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman

6.0

The Dick Powell Show

5.0

Hec Ramsey

6.8

Lux Video Theatre

6.0

Syncopation

6.8

O'Shaughnessy's Boy

6.0

Boy of the Streets

5.0

Bouncing Babies

6.1

The Love Machine

4.2

Hollywood Cavalcade

5.1

Texaco Star Theater

7.3

The United States Steel Hour

5.8

The Steve Allen Show

5.0

Divorce In The Family

6.0

Peck's Bad Boy

5.7

Moan & Groan, Inc.

5.5

Dinky

6.7

The Day the Earth Moved

6.3

The Making of 'Superman III'

6.7

Rodeo Dough

5.3

Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood

7.0

The Invisible Man

8.3

Lana Turner... a Daughter's Memoir

7.3

General Electric Theater

6.0

Cowboy G-Men

5.3

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

7.0

The Danny Kaye Show

6.3

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

5.3

Producers' Showcase

6.3

Telephone Time

6.3

Lone Cowboy

3.5

Everything's Ducky

7.5

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

6.5

Shadow on the Land

8.0

Judy Garland: By Myself

7.5

Kilroy Was Here

5.0

Hollywood on Parade No. B-1

6.0

Bargain Day

6.0

Danger

8.0

The George Gobel Show

7.0

Glamour Boy

6.0

Fox Movietone Follies of 1929

3.0

Where Are Your Children?

4.0

Life with Henry

5.0

Newsboys' Home

6.0

Sports on the Silver Screen

10.0

When a Feller Needs a Friend

2.0

The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers

7.0

Stand Up and Be Counted

7.0

Calhoun

6.0

Sooky

1.0

Her First Beau

5.0

Rascal Dazzle

7.0

Inside the Dream Factory

6.0

Mobile One

5.0

Hennesey

6.0

Your Show of Shows

5.5

The People's Choice

4.0

The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre

6.0

The Elgin Hour

7.0

Capital News

6.0

The Ghosts

0.0

The Our Gang Story

0.0

Gangster's Boy

0.0

Men of Texas

0.0

Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1

0.0

Seventeen

0.0

Hollywood on Parade No. A-3

0.0

The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 2

0.0

What a Life

0.0

The Spirit of Culver

0.0

Mobile Two

0.0

French Leave

0.0

Soaring Stars

0.0

The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 1

0.0

Scouts to the Rescue

0.0

Young Donovan's Kid

0.0

Big John Morrison

0.0

Stork Bites Man

0.0

Hollywood’s Children

0.0

No Earthly Reason

0.0

Two Bright Boys

0.0

The Big Guy

0.0

Ticket to Hollywood

0.0

Hooray for Hollywood

0.0

The Great Adventure

0.0

Pursuit

0.0

Mantrap

0.0

Revlon Mirror Theatre

0.0

Medallion Theatre

0.0

The Clock

0.0

Starlight Theatre

0.0

Justice

0.0

It Was a Very Good Year

0.0

The Gertrude Berg Show

0.0

The Motorola Television Hour

0.0

MGM Parade

0.0

The Dean Martin Comedy World

0.0