Classic Review: Skippy (1931)

Jackie Cooper was a popular child actor in the 1930’s. After watching a few of his films suck as Skippy or The Champ, it’s easy to see why. He was super charismatic, while he also didn’t seem too trained to act front of cameras. On the contrary, he was quite a natural, so much so that his performance managed to earn him a Best Actor nomination at the 1931 Academy Awards.

Skippy (Cooper) is the son of a rich doctor. He may only be nine but his tricks and mischievousness are far beyond his age. The one person he truly respects and fears is his own father, simply because the doctor doesn’t buy into his charms, and Skippy knows that. He was a true leader to his group of kids and he was adventurous enough to hang out at the wrong side of the town, the poor neighborhood of Shantytown. There he meets Sooky (Coogan) for whom the two become immediately inseparable. When Sooky’s dog gets taken away, they both have to find a way to save the animal.

Skippy was released in 1931 where a lot of films from that year haven’t quite held up over the many decades that followed, but that was certainly not the case here. The film featured a simple story, but its simplicity might be one of the reasons it held up so well. It’s sentimental, for sure (the kid cries in the end) but it’s not overplayed , something needed to be pointed out, because it’s almost surprising that it didn’t happen. All the opportunities were there to turn this into a huge melodrama, a true tearjerker, but Taurog avoids clichés and, on the contrary, gives us a very endearing story.

Skippy and Sooky are characters whose amazing chemistry felt very reminiscent of the two child stars of last year’s Jojo Rabbit, Roman Griffin Davis and Archie Yates’ as Jojo and Yorki respectively. Cooper and Coogan play very well off each other, creating a strong, natural relationship onscreen that grounds the entire film and all the dramatic transformations the story endures. It’s easy to believe Skippy is growing up and learning from his time with Sooky, a kid from the poor part of town, and he is becoming a better person because of that. And again, because director Taurog never overplays it, it feels so sincere and touching.

Once the tears come, they come with so much ease. This happens because all characters here have a very clear arc and they change, especially the relationship between Skippy and his father. He starts the film very afraid of dad, but in the end, they learn to respect, admire and love each other.

At the end of the day, Skippy is a solid little film, made in the 1930’s that still works wonderfully today.

*still courtesy of Paramount Pictures*

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