Joe Cook (actor)
Encyclopedia
Joe Cook was an American actor, comedian, and entertainer most known for his work on Broadway but who also appeared in motion pictures.
Born Joe Lopez in Evansville, Indiana
in 1890, he was orphaned and adopted by relatives at the age of three. He lived in the back of the grocery store of his adoptive parents at the corner of Fourth and Oak in Evansville. Cook joined a circus in 1906 which propelled him to vaudeville
, Broadway and Hollywood.
He made seven films during the 1930s, including "Rain or Shine," a 1930 Columbia Pictures
movie about circus life, directed by Frank Capra
. The film was based on Cook's 1928 Broadway
show - part of the plot revolves around Cook having to perform as a sort of one-man circus, so Cook performed a wide variety of circus acts, including acrobatics, juggling and high wire stunts. Cook was one of the key stars of Educational Pictures
, a small studio best known for its pictures of very varying degree of quality that showcased the talents of unknown future stars, has-beens, and Broadway entertainers who were well-known on the stage but little known in movies.
Though he was never a major movie star and his motion pictures are now largely forgotten, Cook was a major Broadway star of his day and was well paid during his career, reportedly earning $4,000 a week on the stage. He credited his investment in government bonds as the key to his surviving the Great Depression
with most of his fortune intact.
His home for many years was on the shore of Lake Hopatcong
in northwestern New Jersey
(in the Borough of Hopatcong
) in a house he named "Sleepless Hollow".
Cook's career was prematurely ended by Parkinson's disease
in 1942. He died on May 15, 1959.
Born Joe Lopez in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
in 1890, he was orphaned and adopted by relatives at the age of three. He lived in the back of the grocery store of his adoptive parents at the corner of Fourth and Oak in Evansville. Cook joined a circus in 1906 which propelled him to vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, Broadway and Hollywood.
He made seven films during the 1930s, including "Rain or Shine," a 1930 Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
movie about circus life, directed by Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
. The film was based on Cook's 1928 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
show - part of the plot revolves around Cook having to perform as a sort of one-man circus, so Cook performed a wide variety of circus acts, including acrobatics, juggling and high wire stunts. Cook was one of the key stars of Educational Pictures
Educational Pictures
Educational Pictures was a film distribution company founded in 1919 by Earle Hammons . Educational primarily distributed short subjects, and today is probably best known for its series of 1930s comedies starring Buster Keaton, as well as for a series of one-reel comedies featuring Shirley...
, a small studio best known for its pictures of very varying degree of quality that showcased the talents of unknown future stars, has-beens, and Broadway entertainers who were well-known on the stage but little known in movies.
Though he was never a major movie star and his motion pictures are now largely forgotten, Cook was a major Broadway star of his day and was well paid during his career, reportedly earning $4,000 a week on the stage. He credited his investment in government bonds as the key to his surviving the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
with most of his fortune intact.
His home for many years was on the shore of Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in the state of New Jersey, USA, approximately 4 square miles in area. The lake is located in the mountains of northern New Jersey, north of Netcong and along the border between Sussex and Morris counties.The lake is within the borders of four...
in northwestern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(in the Borough of Hopatcong
Hopatcong, New Jersey
Hopatcong is a Borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 15,147.The area had been called "Brookland" in the 19th century and the lake that was expanded to become Lake Hopatcong had been known as "Great Pond" or "Brookland...
) in a house he named "Sleepless Hollow".
Cook's career was prematurely ended by Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in 1942. He died on May 15, 1959.