TOMMY COOK

“Good ol’ radio – I still think it’s the finest medium in show business” declared Tommy Cook to an interviewer documenting early radio.  It was in 1939 that Tommy did his first radio show. It was a show for Arch Oboler, who Tommy considers the finest writer, producer, director in the history of the medium. Oboler had become famous in Chicago for the horror series Lights Out, a series he wrote and produced from 1936 to 1939 after taking over from Wyllis Cooper. “When Oboler left Lights Out he headed for California to produce programs of eloquent writings” said Cook who was about 8 or 9 years old when he got that first radio gig with Oboler in the series Arch Oboler’s Plays. From then on Tommy Cook was one of the busiest child actors in radio.  Soon after he would play Little Beaver in the Red Ryder movie series and when Red Ryder moved to radio, Tommy followed the role there.    Not long after he would begin playing ‘Alexander’ on Blondie, and ‘Junior’ on The Life of Riley.  Additionally, he made frequent appearances on The Lux Radio Theatre, and The Mercury Theatre on the Air.  Cook’s many TV credits include Dragnet, Zane Grey Theatre, The Untouchables, Perry Mason, and CHIPs.  His voice work has been enjoyed in animated series such as The Funky Phantom, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and Aquaman.  Too, Cook wrote the screen play for the 1977 film Rollercoaster.