Junior Coghlan Frank Coghlan , Jr . ( March 15 , 1916 – September 7 , 2009 ) , also known as " Junior Coghlan " , was an American actor who later became a career officer in the United States Navy and a Naval Aviator . He appeared in approximately 129 films and television programs between 1920 and 1974 . During the 1920s and 1930s , he became a popular child and juvenile actor , appearing in films with Pola Negri , Jack Dempsey , William Haines , Shirley Temple , Mickey Rooney , and Bette Davis . He appeared in early " Our Gang " comedies , but he is best known for the role of Billy Batson in the 1941 motion picture serial " Adventures of Captain Marvel " . Coghlan later served 23 years as an aviator and officer in the U . S . Navy , from 1942 to 1965 . After retiring from the Navy , he returned to acting and appeared in television , films , and commercials . He published an autobiography in 1992 and died in 2009 at age 93 . Early life . Coghlan was born in New Haven , Connecticut , but his parents moved to Hollywood when he was still a baby . His father was a doctor , and in " Who ' s Who on the Screen " for 1932 he hoped to be a doctor , too , when he grew up . Coghlan began appearing in motion pictures in 1920 as an extra and worked his way up to more important roles . He later boasted that he had been gainfully employed since age three . The freckle - faced Coghlan was billed as " Junior Coghlan " and became one of Hollywood ' s most popular child stars . Film historian Leonard Maltin said , " He was one of the busiest child actors of the late ' 20s and 1930s . He was a fresh , freckle - faced boy with great All - American - type appeal . " Silent films . Coghlan began his acting career in 1920 , appearing with Jack Dempsey in " Daredevil Jack " . In 1922 he co - starred with Brownie the Dog in a film called " Rookies " , and in 1923 he played a small role in the Pola Negri film " The Spanish Dancer " . He also appeared in early " Our Gang " films , including the 1923 Hal Roach short " Giants vs . Yanks , " in which the gang , after having a baseball game called off , gets stuck in an elegant home , which they destroy . In 1924 Coghlan was again cast opposite Jack Dempsey in " Winning His Way " . One newspaper story described Coghlan ' s rise to fame this way : " When the boy was seven years old , his great mop of hair , freckled face , genial grin , and likable personality attracted the attention of several directors who urged his parents to permit him to engage in screen work . Mrs . Coghlan finally consented and one day he was cast for a ' bit ' role in Goldwyn ' s " Poverty of Riches " , in which he played the son of Leatrice Joy . " By the mid 1920s , Coghlan had caught the eye of one of Hollywood ' s leading directors , Cecil B . DeMille . DeMille called Coghlan " the perfect example of a homeless waif " and signed the boy to a long - term contract in 1926 . The " Los Angeles Times " reported on the event : DeMille Signs Child Actor < br > " So far , Cecil B . DeMille hasn ' t run much to giving picture contracts to youngsters . But yesterday Mr . DeMille signified what he thought of Junior Coghlan by placing him under a long - term contract . The boy has appeared in several DeMille pictures , including ' The Road to Yesterday . ' The boy gives promise of being another Wesley Berry , with the same impish glance , the same freckles and the same cleverness . Of course , the office of freckled boy of the movies is a fixed institution , and now that Wes Berry has gone and got himself married he can ' t pretend to like playing marbles in the movies . Little Junior is to be cofeatured with Eleanor Faire and William Boyd in Rupert Julian ' s The Yankee Clipper . " In 1927 Coghlan appeared in the baseball comedy " Slide , Kelly , Slide " , playing an orphan who became a mascot and inspiration for an ace baseball pitcher , played by William Haines . By 1928 Coghlan was such a well - known star that the " Los Angeles Times " reported on his schooling as well as his film projects . By age 11 , Coghlan was asking to play grownup roles . A newspaper article at the time reported that Coghlan , " like every other young and red - blooded American , desires to arrive at manhood as soon as possible . Long trousers is what he wants , but the motion picture claims him and demands that he stay in knee breeches . " Coghlan ' s final film on his four - year DeMille - Pathe contract was 1929 ' s military academy drama " Square Shoulders " . Conceived as a silent film , " Square Shoulders " was transformed into a " talkie " by the expedient adding of sound to the final reel . Only the silent version is known to survive . A 1929 newspaper story on Coghlan noted that the twelve - year - old actor was " recognized by the motion picture public as the leading juvenile screen player in the world . " Talking pictures . With the arrival of the talking pictures , Coghlan continued to be one of the most popular juvenile actors . In the classic 1931 gangster film " The Public Enemy " , Coghlan played the role of James Cagney ' s character , Tom Powers , as a boy . In the 1931 screen version of Booth Tarkington ' s " Penrod and Sam " , Coghlan starred as Sam , with Leon Janney playing Penrod . In 1932 Coghlan appeared in the Bette Davis drama " Hell ' s House " . Davis played the girlfriend of Pat O ' Brien ' s bootlegger character . Coghlan played the role of Shorty , a sickly boy who was sent to a state industrial school where children were forced to work at hard labor , ending up in solitary confinement . Coghlan had another starring role in the 1932 film serial " The Last of the Mohicans " , based on the James Fennimore Cooper novel . Coghlan played the part of Uncas , the sachem of the Mohegan tribe who through an alliance with the English made the Mohegans the leading regional Indian tribe . He helped launch the career of Shirley Temple , appearing in a series of short films with her in 1933 and 1934 . In the shorts , Coghlan played Sonny Rogers , a star baseball player and high school class president . Temple played Coghlan ' s pesky younger sister , Mary Lou . The Coghlan - Temple titles included " Merrily Yours " , " What ' s to Do ? " , " Pardon My Pups " , and " Managed Money " . Coghlan also had large roles in other features through the mid 1930s , including " Kentucky Blue Streak " , a 1935 crime drama about a jockey who was wrongfully imprisoned and escapes to ride in the Kentucky Derby ; " The Little Red Schoolhouse " , a 1936 drama in which Coghlan plays the lead role , a 17 - year - old who runs away to New York City ; and " Red Lights Ahead " , a 1936 comedy in which he plays the son of an eccentric father who invests in a gold mining scheme . In 1939 Coghlan starred in " Blazing Barriers " , one of the last roles in which he was billed as Junior Coghlan . He played a young hoodlum from the city who hides out at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the mountains . A newspaper story described the physical challenges that faced Coghlan in the role : " If you think being a screen star is a lot of fun , just ask Frank ' Junior ' Coghlan . " For two days , Coghlan had to pick up Milburn Stone , an actor 50 pounds heavier than Coghlan , and run about 200 yards . In another scene , Coghlan had to jump into a creek and rescue Edward Arnold , Jr . Although both could swim , director Aubrey Scotto wanted realism , and each time Coghlan would try to save the 195 - pound Arnold , " both would sink and come up sputtering for breath . " In a third scene , Coghlan went into the boxing ring with another actor . The newspaper article noted : " Inasmuch as he doesn ' t use a double , Coghlan had to insert more realism . That was okay as he is very adept with his fists . Unfortunately the sequence called for Coghlan to take a severe beating . He did . " " Gone with the Wind " . By the late 1930s , Junior Coghlan was no longer a child actor and parts became harder to find . He played an uncredited role as a " collapsing " Confederate soldier in the 1939 classic " Gone with the Wind " . In his scene , Coghlan spoke the line " Put me down , put me down , damn ya ' , I can walk " as he was being carried off the battlefield . Coghlan ' s scene preceded Clark Gable ' s famous use of the expletive later in the film , leading Coghlan to boast , " It was the first time the word damn had ever been used in a movie . I used the word before Gable did , but his created a huge flap . " Coghlan ' s line was cut from later prints of the film . " Adventures of Captain Marvel " . In 1941 , the 25 - year - old Coghlan revitalized his career , landing the part of Billy Batson in the Republic Pictures serial " Adventures of Captain Marvel " . In his role as Batson , Coghlan transformed into Captain Marvel by saying the magic word " Shazam . " Whenever he spoke the magic word , a flash and cloud of smoke appeared , with Captain Marvel ( played by Tom Tyler ) appearing in his place after the smoke cleared . Coghlan recalled , " Every time we did that , they ignited flash powder , which was in a trough in front of me , and if the wind was unkind , I ' d get the powder flash in my face and lose some eyebrows . " The 12 episodes of the " Adventures of Captain Marvel " " marked the first time a comic book superhero was depicted on the big screen . " When Coghlan was asked to audition for the part of Billy Batson , he later recalled that he " had no idea who Captain Marvel or Billy Batson were . " After the audition , he bought a copy of the comic book and said to himself , " Hey , I do kind of look like that kid . " Though Coghlan played more than 100 other parts , his role as Billy Batson led to his most lasting fame . In 1990 , the " Los Angeles Times " published a profile about Coghlan ' s celebrity under the headline " Shazam ! Actor Turning Into Celebrity . " The article noted that Coghlan " may be reaching his finest hour " as the continuing popularity of " Captain Marvel " kept Coghlan busy . Coghlan noted at the time : " There ' s a whole cult of people out there who are fascinated by Captain Marvel . I ' m getting invited to a lot more things these days . They think I ' m a celebrity . " Coghlan attributed the long - term popularity of the 1941 serial to the fact that the shows were " exciting and fun . " Naval career . During World War II , Coghlan enlisted in the U . S . Navy as a naval aviator . After 23 years as an actor , Coghlan spent the next 23 years in the Navy . In 1954 , Hedda Hopper included a report on Coghlan in her newspaper column : " I hope the press didn ' t miss the arrival of Frank Coghlan , now lieutenant in the USN , and a far cry from Junior Coghlan of the ' Our Gang ' comedies . He ' s assigned to Air Transport Squadron 7 at Hickam Field and will fly the Pacific . Wife Betty and three little Coghlans will live at Oahu so they can see Frank when he returns from his trips to the Orient . " Coghlan achieved the rank of a lieutenant commander and was often assigned as a liaison and technical advisor on motion pictures , including " PT 109 " , " The Caine Mutiny " , " The Bridges at Toko - Ri " , " Mister Roberts " , and " In Harm ' s Way " starring John Wayne . In the 1960s , he was the officer in charge of the navy ' s Hollywood station . By the time he retired in 1965 , Coghlan had accumulated over 4500 hours of flight time and had flown during World War II and the Korean War and had been to Vietnam . Later years . After retiring from the navy , Coghlan returned to acting , appearing in motion pictures , television programs , and commercials . His later work included appearances in the television series " The Beverly Hillbillies " and " Dragnet " and a small role in the 1966 feature " The Sand Pebbles " . In 1969 , he was hired as the director of planning and development at the Los Angeles College of Optometry . At the time , he lived in Sepulveda in the San Fernando Valley ( the area is now known as North Hills ) with his wife , Betty , and their five children ( sons Michael and Patrick and daughters Libby , Cathy , and Judy ) . In 1971 , Coghlan joined the firm of George Colletta Realty in Sepulveda , working in the listing and sale of residential , income , and commercial real estate . In 1974 , he had a cameo role as a zoo employee in ' The Braggart ' episode of " Shazam ! " , a live - action CBS television series based upon DC Comics ' superhero Captain Marvel . In 1992 , Coghlan wrote an autobiography that was published under the title " They Still Call Me Junior " . Death . Coghlan ' s first wife died in 1974 , and his second wife died in 2001 . Coghlan died at the age of 93 at his home at an assisted living facility in Saugus , California , in September 2009 . He was survived by a son , three daughters , three stepchildren , and six grandchildren .