Percy Crosby (story "Dear Sooky"), Joseph L. Mankiewicz (screenplay)
Stars:
Jackie Cooper, Robert Coogan, Jackie Searl
Sooky was the sequel to Paramount's smash-hit sentimental comedy Skippy; both films were based on characters created by comic strip artist Percy Crosby. Jackie Cooper is back as Skippy, with Robert Coogan (younger brother of Jackie Coogan) in the title role. Once again, Skippy is the mischievous kid from a comfortable family environment, while Sooky is the soot-faced urchin from the wrong side of the tracks. Sooky deftly blends comedy and tragedy, ranging from the comic complications ensuing when Skippy tries to help his city-employee father win an election (Willard Robertson), to the heartrending scenes involving the death of Sooky's mother (Helen Jerome Eddy). There is a reasonably happy ending, wherein Sooky is adopted by Skippy's dad. After Sooky, Jackie Cooper moved from Paramount to MGM, where he remained until he grew too old to be cute.