The New York herald., 1921-12-26
Jackie Coogan
Weeps His Way
Through MY Boy
Sheds Tears With Same Spon-
taneity He Has Shown in
Unleashing Laughter.
STRAND-yackie COogan In ssMy Boy.
a First National attraction.

srRAND-yackie Coosan In ssMy Boy"
First National attraction.
In this picture Is Jackie Coogan
with very small supporting cast. who
is. in fact. supported principally by
tears. Jackie weeDs enough tears TO
wash his face and the back Of his neck.
Man is supposed to be two-thirds water.
but with Jackie the proportion would
seem to be nearer seyen-eighths. And
he let's q small Niagara gush from him
with the same spontaneity he has shown
in uuleashing laughter. He has an arr
Shove onions.
1t is as IL the director said: "The
kid showed what he could do In tearing
OFF chuckles in Pecxs Bad Boy Now
let's show 'em what he can do in the
way of spilling sobs. All right. Jackie
start the leak Z"
And Jackie, like little man, bawls his
head off. OF course, the story is sadder
than any in which he has appeared
hitherto, beginning with the death OF his
widowed mother in the steerage OF
ship. on which the two are bound for
America, and continuing through the
orphaned Jackie Blair's attempts to
twine himself about the affections of a
crotchety old sea dog, with occasional
respites. while Jackie gulps a. cup of
coffee in order to absorb moro liquid
material for another good cry.
IL has it's amusing interludes, particu-
larly In the ruse by which Jackie slips
past the immigration officials at Ellis
Island, and his tricks to elude their
frantic search for him at the old salt $
home, In order to bring about the finish,
in which Jackie Is a sort Of little male
Cinderella In overalls. One of the most
diverting episodes shows Jackie. clad in
the dingy cap. sweater and jumper in
which he toddled to fame In THE Kid"
following the grizzled captain, whom he
has decided to adopt. through the streets
with the same earnest devotion dis
played by a dog who has picked out
someone for whom he would be will
ing slave
As a story MY Boyv has far greater
pretentlons than his preceding vehicle
and actually gets somewhere. with
.Jacl<ie's twinkling legs carrying him
along to the Juvenile crosscountry cham
pionship Of America. With this Mack
Sennett chase by a cop and little melo-
drama Il comes to a head in rather
neat climax. while one Is tempted to
hold stop watch on Jackie and SEE II
no can sprint faster than he can weep.
But the incident wherein the little lad
is accused Of stealing a wealthy won-
ans purse at children's party Is rather
long drawn out. giving to the spectator
time to suspect that after all Jackie
may not be an engaging little thief
but is simply doing good. like the ir-
repressIble Lord FG1nttroy. More
over, the elimination when the wealthy
woman. who turns out to be his grand
fnother-didn't you guess that?-insists
on tearing him away from the now af-
fectionate captain Is somewhat forced
and protracted. simply to throw the
spectator off the scent Of Joyful re-
union he knows will happen anyhow.
In his variety of mood and his still
anspoiled naturalness Jackie proves
himself once more the only genuine
caild star, going through an important
@ame called acting with the earnestness
which 1t calls for.