They Still Call Me Junior

Once called the “perfect example of a homeless waif” by director Cecil B. DeMille, Junior Coghlan acted in movies for over 70 years. Perhaps best remembered for his role as Billy Batson in the Republic serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel, he has worked with many of the legends of Hollywood, such as Charlie Chaplin, Mickey Rooney, Jackie Cooper, and Shirley Temple.
Included here are the stories of Coghlan’s 23-year naval service (he enlisted as an aviator during World War II and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander) and his eight years as the naval liaison and technical advisor on such films as The Caine Mutiny and Mr. Roberts. A filmography traces his career.

The late Frank (Junior) Coghlan, Jr., (March 15, 1916–September 7, 2009) made 129 film and television appearances between 1920 and 1974. His joke when he visited McFarland in the early nineties was to say with a twinkle in his eye just “They still call me,” referring to his Hollywood and naval friends.

Frank “Junior” Coghlan
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 383
Bibliographic Info: 39 photos, filmography, index
Copyright Date: 2011 [1992]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6381-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8923-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v

Foreword by 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 County 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      150

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, and 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

“a fact-filled autobiography by an actor with a phenomenal memory and a deep affection for the film industry…. Recommended”—Classic Images; “well written autobiography…extensive filmography…well illustrated”—Big Reel; “by far the easiest read and the most pleasant link with the magnificent aura that is the motion picture industry…a book you simply can’t put down…outstanding excursion through motion picture history”—Movie Collector’s World; “a compendium of mass media history…traces Coghlan’s involvement with the golden ages of movies, radio, and television”—Journal of American Culture; “fascinating…demonstrates a remarkable memory and impeccable research…great reading”—Wings of Gold.