Jerry Tucker (actor)

Jerry Tucker (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
Tucker in Captain January (1936)
Born	Jerome Harold Schatz (1925-11-01)November 1, 1925 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	November 23, 2016(2016-11-23) (aged 91) Stony Brook, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1931–1992
Spouse	Myra K. Heino (1944–2012; her death)

Life and career

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

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

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1939–1940	Hilltop House	Roy Barry
1940–1941	King Arthur, Jr.
1941–1942	Jones and I
1942	The Andersons