Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v

Foreword William C. Cline xi

Preface xiii

1 The Beginning 1

2 California 4

3 Kids in Early Movies 6

4 Universal Studio 9

5 Bits and Small Parts 12

6 Comedies and Our Gang 14

7 Hugh Dierker 18

8 Marshall Neilan and Mike 20

9 I Meet Cecil B. DeMille 26

10 Under Contract 28

11 Rubber Tires 31

12 The Yankee Clipper 33

13 Slide, Kelly, Slide 39

14 The Last Frontier 43

15 My Father and Booze 46

16 Pathé Studio and The Country Doctor 51

17 Marked Money 54

18 Let 'er Go Gallegher 59

19 A Harp in Hock 62

20 Square Shoulders 64

21 New Haven 70

22 The Panama Canal 73

23 Dialogue and Crying 76

24 Talkies and Agents 81

25 I Move to a New School 86

26 Public Enemy and Frankie Darro 88

27 Racetrack 93

28 The Last of the Mohicans 100

29 The Frolics of Youth 105

30 Pickups, 1930-36 111

31 Blazing Barriers 121

32 Scouts to the Rescue and Jackie Cooper 126

33 "Moe the Gimp" and Romeo 137

34 Radio 141

35 Joe E. Brown and New York 146

36 Gregory La Cava 250

37 ZaSu Pitts and Slim Summerville 152

38 The Dead End Kids 154

39 Mickey Rooney 157

40 1939 162

41 Gone with the Wind 165

42 I Play a Ghost 168

43 SHAZAM! 171

44 War Hits Hollywood 182

45 Henry Aldrich 184

46 I Enlist, and Follow the Band 189

47 The Eyes Have It 192

48 You're in the Navy Now 195

49 Pre-Flight, Robert Taylor, and Jane Wyatt 199

50 On to Primary 202

51 Pensacola: The Annapolis of the Air 205

52 Final Squadron and Wings of Gold 207

53 Instructor Duty 211

54 I Get Married 214

55 Jacksonville, Michael, and the Blue Angels 217

56 Back to Hollywood and Bill Lear 220

57 Back in the Navy 222

58 The Pentagon 227

59 The Bridges at Toko-Ri 231

60 Mr. Roberts and Admiral John Ford 234

61 Washington, Admiral Gallery, Arline Judge 238

62 Orders to Sea Duty 244

63 Flying the Pacific: Japan 247

64 Flying the Pacific: The Philippines 255

65 The Embassy Flight 261

66 Air Evacs 269

67 Hopalong Cassidy 272

68 Aloha to Hawaii 274

69 I Command the Hollywood Navy 280

70 "Hennesey" 283

71 Unusual Navy Cooperation 285

72 Television and the Navy 292

73 Feature Films 302

74 The Art Director 311

75 John Ford 314

76 "And Darn Well Worth It" 318

Epilogue 329

Filmography 331

Index 345