Jackie "Butch" Jenkins (August 29, 1937 â€" August 14, 2001) was an
American child actor who had a brief but notable film career during
the 1940s.Born Jack Dudley Jenkins in Los Angeles, the son of actress
Doris Dudley, Jenkins made his film debut at the age of six in The
Human Comedy (1943) as Ulysses Macauley after an MGM talent scout saw
him playing on a Santa Monica beach and admired his high spirits. His
performance as Mickey Rooney's younger brother (The Human Comedy) was
well received and Jenkins was cast in a succession of films.He was
given star billing for the 1946 film Boys' Ranch. Inspired by the
real-life ranch in Texas, which provided a home and education to
underprivileged boys, MGM promoted the film as a successor to Boys
Town (1938). It co-stars James Craig who also appears in Jenkins'
first film, The Human Comedy, as well as in his next film, Little Mr.
Jim. Jenkins' other films include National Velvet (1944), Our Vines
Have Tender Grapes (1945), My Brother Talks to Horses (1947), The
Bride Goes Wild (1948) Summer Holiday (1948), and his final film Big
City (1948).Jenkins was one of several popular child actors at MGM
during the early 1940s, and was educated at the studio's school along
with other youngsters under contract to the studio such as Elizabeth
Taylor, Margaret O'Brien, Claude Jarman Jr. and Darryl Hickman. He was
regarded as a "scene-stealer" and was notable among the studio's child
stars for not being conventionally "cute". He was described by film
writers Sol Chaneles and Albert Wolsky as "an audience favourite as an
all-American boy [with a] space between his teeth, freckles and a
tousled mop of hair â€" a marked contrast to the pretty children who
usually appeared on screen." Pauline Kael wrote approvingly of his
effectiveness as a performer, saying that his appearance as a
five-year-old who enjoys waving at trains in The Human Comedy helped
elevate the film, while his performance in National Velvet made him
"the little brother of everyone's dreams". In 1946 exhibitors (movie
theater owners) voted him the second-most promising "star of
tomorrow".
American child actor who had a brief but notable film career during
the 1940s.Born Jack Dudley Jenkins in Los Angeles, the son of actress
Doris Dudley, Jenkins made his film debut at the age of six in The
Human Comedy (1943) as Ulysses Macauley after an MGM talent scout saw
him playing on a Santa Monica beach and admired his high spirits. His
performance as Mickey Rooney's younger brother (The Human Comedy) was
well received and Jenkins was cast in a succession of films.He was
given star billing for the 1946 film Boys' Ranch. Inspired by the
real-life ranch in Texas, which provided a home and education to
underprivileged boys, MGM promoted the film as a successor to Boys
Town (1938). It co-stars James Craig who also appears in Jenkins'
first film, The Human Comedy, as well as in his next film, Little Mr.
Jim. Jenkins' other films include National Velvet (1944), Our Vines
Have Tender Grapes (1945), My Brother Talks to Horses (1947), The
Bride Goes Wild (1948) Summer Holiday (1948), and his final film Big
City (1948).Jenkins was one of several popular child actors at MGM
during the early 1940s, and was educated at the studio's school along
with other youngsters under contract to the studio such as Elizabeth
Taylor, Margaret O'Brien, Claude Jarman Jr. and Darryl Hickman. He was
regarded as a "scene-stealer" and was notable among the studio's child
stars for not being conventionally "cute". He was described by film
writers Sol Chaneles and Albert Wolsky as "an audience favourite as an
all-American boy [with a] space between his teeth, freckles and a
tousled mop of hair â€" a marked contrast to the pretty children who
usually appeared on screen." Pauline Kael wrote approvingly of his
effectiveness as a performer, saying that his appearance as a
five-year-old who enjoys waving at trains in The Human Comedy helped
elevate the film, while his performance in National Velvet made him
"the little brother of everyone's dreams". In 1946 exhibitors (movie
theater owners) voted him the second-most promising "star of
tomorrow".
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