1925-2015
This is a sad one for me!! Mr. Moore only passed away this past Monday in Wilton, Conn. and the age of 89; and today would have been his 90th birthday (crying a bit while writing this). I would have loved nothing more than to wish him a very happy 90th! Though reports of cause of death have been dementia, so I'm not sure it would have been so happy. Born John Richard Moore, Jr. exactly 90 years ago today in Los Angeles, he like, Wally Albright (also born in 1925) was an early credited child actor and also a member of the Our Gang Little Rascals. His first acting credit came in 1927 when he was not just two years of age. Past his teens, he has only one (that I can find) moving picture acting credit in his twenties and then he quit acting, though his pursuits in life where not far from the theatrical world. He even appeared on Broadway before his acting retirement. He served in WWII and wrote for stars and stripes, a skill that would become helpful later in life when he found transitioning from child actor to adult acting basically unbearable (something that so many child actors can attest to--just ask Macaulay Culkin). He became a active in the actors union in the New York area and founded a successful public relations firm called Dick Moore and Associates to represent actors. It is still in business and it was their president that announced his death this week. He became known as an inside man in the entertainment biz and (I'm jealous) reportedly had his own booth at famed New York restaurant Sardis. He is also known for writing an important book on child actors of his era entitled Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (But Don't Have Sex or Take The Car) published in 1984, in which he recounted his own difficulties as a child actor at the time and interviewed several contemporary child actors for the book, one of the most memorable reportedly with Shirley Temple (as a point of trivia, Temple received her first on screen kiss form Moore). He also interviewed actress Jane Powell, herself born in 1929, for the book; it was their first meeting, but not their last. The two were married in 1988 and she is now his widow. Condolences go out to his family--he had one son, who has children--associates and friends. It is also with great sadness that I report and that another Our Gang star Jean Darling passed away Friday week ago--Sept. 4, at the ripe old age of 93 in Germany. Condolences to her friends and family as well. May the both be at peace. [Added note here, Internet Movie Database has his date of death wrong, for anyone looking up the movies from links here. Hopefully it will be corrected.]
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| Moore and Powell--Happy Couple |
His Silent Era Work:
The Beloved Rogue (1927) (a John Barrymore film)
Object: Alimony (1928) (Roscoe Karns starred in this)
Blue Skies (1929) (partial silent, soundtrack and sound effects by MovieTone)
Madame X (1929) (early talkie, sound by Western Electric. Lionel Barrymore directed)
