Child stars too obscure to make VH1's "100 Greatest" countdown

Cafe Society
1

Earlier this week I TiVoed all five hours of VH1’s “100 Greatest Child Stars” and just finished watching it last night. Funny thing about these countdowns – as stupid as they are, they kinda suck you in with that treacly nostalgia vibe, and it’s neat to see how some of them actually turned out okay – like Malcolm Jamaal Warner as a reggae musician, Dustin “Screech” Diamond as a foul-mouthed insult comic, or the chick who played Blair Warner on Facts of Life who became a devout Christian and quit show business because it took her away from her “proper role as a woman” – that is, barefoot & pregnant in the kitchen. (I swear, I didn’t make that up.)

Anyway, in case you’re dying to know the most famous and influential child stars in history, here’s the link(s): 100-81 - 80-61 - 60-41 - 40-21 - 20-1.
I counted six Cosbys, seven Bradys, five from The Facts of Life, and three each from Roseanne, The Wonder Years, Diff’rent Strokes, Growing Pains, and Full House. Landmark shows, all of them. And while some of the movie stars seemed to place a bit low – Christina Ricci (#97), Elijah Wood (#75), Sarah Jessica Parker (#39) – you gotta admit, none of them have had the supreme staying power of Jonathan Lipnicki (#13).

Of course, there were a few stars who didn’t make the countdown. (That’s the downside of these shows, you wind up staying awake all night brainstorming the names they skipped over…or, more likely, couldn’t get clearance for their TV shows and films.) But, when you think about it, you must agree that the brilliance of Hanson and Keisha Knight Pulliam soundly trump those flash-in-the-pan actors like Jackie Coogan, Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Dean Stockwell, Jay North, Mark Lester, David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, Ralph Macchio, Elizabeth Shue, River Phoenix, Leonardo de Caprio, Christian Bale, Neil Patrick Harris, Lukas Haas, Sean Astin, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Brandis, Christina Applegate, Lucas Black, Dakota Fanning, Emma Watson, Frankie Muniz, Haley Joel Osment…

Any more that I’m missing?

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Jackie Coogan didn’t make the list? He was the first child star for Chrissakes!

(Well, maybe Baby Peggy was the first; not sure of my chronology.)

3

Actually, I think they might have just been listing TV child stars.

The most obvious names left off both lists:

Margaret O’Brien
George McFarland, Carl Switzer, Scotty Beckett, Matthew Beard, Darla Hood, and the rest of Our Gang
Baby Leroy
Linda Manz.

4

I don’t see Bill Mumy’s name anywhere.

Matt Dillon should qualify.

5

Didn’t see Danny Cooksey on there either. He played Sam on Diff’rent Strokes and the rocker kid on Salute your Shorts on Nickelodeon.

6

While TV-heavy, they did have a smattering of boy bands and movie stars. Mac Culkin and Elijah Wood, certainly, never did TV.

A few more I thought of since posting: Thora Birch, Miko Hughes, Chris Makepeace, Hayley Mills.

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I dunno. It says “100 Greatest Kid Stars”, and lists Macaulay Culkin as number 2. I agree with Nonsuch. Leaving off Jackie Coogan is an abomination that destroys any credibility the list might have had. That’s one thing I hate about such lists; often, they have a period span of about ten years max. That means that VH1’s list twenty years from now might not mention any names from its list today.

8

There are 47 actors in the world worse than Michael “DJ Conner” Fishman?!

Would Michael “George Michael Bluth” Cera count, or is he too old?

9

Actually, Mac Culkin provided the voice for The Wish Kid cartoon series. More recently, he guest-starred on Will & Grace. Both Mac and Elijah lent their voices to Frasier.

10

What?! No Rodney Allan Rippey?! Fixed! It’s fixed, I tell you!

11

Poor Jackie Cooper.

Still the only child actor to be nominated for Best Actor, in feature films as a lead throughout the first half of the 1930’s, a success in adult life as a TV actor/director- and not on their list.

12

I’d list the ten “red team” members of the 1950’s Mickey Mouse Club – Doreen Tracy, Cheryl Holdridge, Karen Pendleton, Sharon Baird, Annette Funnicello, Darlene Gillespie, Bobby Burgess, Cubby O’Brien, Tommy Cole and Lonnie Burr.

13

A lot of people don’t know this, but Sharon Baird was heavily involved in Sid & Marty Krofft’s productions in the 70s as well, as a costume actor.

14

Jon Provost. He may have never done anything other than Lassie, but that was enough.

15

Wasn’t there a girl named Dawn something who was supposedly leif garret’s sister? She once played Chloris leachman’s daughter?

Also, whatever happened to Steve Urkel?

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Seven Bradys? Is Cousin Oliver on there somewhere?

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Jaleel White is #37, just edging out Darlene Connor. Robbie Rist landed at #76 right between Menudo and Frodo.

I’ll bet most of the list was determined by how easily and/or inexpensively they could purchase the rights to air clips from each TV show. What you can’t see by reading the list is how they showed copious footage from “The Brady Bunch” and “The Cosby Show” (both owned by Viacom/Paramount, who also own VH1) and none at all from “Home Improvement” (owned by Disney), “Married With Children” (owned by Sony) or “The Wonder Years” (owned by Warner Bros.)

18

Lisa Gerritsen, who played Bess Lindstrom on Mary Tyler Moore and Phyllis, got out of show business in 1975. She was last seen working for a “large software firm in California” in the 90s. No relation to Leif Garrett.

Jaleel White, who played Urkel, is still a working actor with two minor film credits since 2000. He was actually in VH1’s “100 Greatest.”

19

You’re not misremembering. Dawn Lyn played Dodie Douglas, the youngest Douglas child on My Three Sons, who joined the cast after the show jumped the shark. She hasn’t acted since the 1970s, but IMDB says she counsels potential child actors on the pros and cons of working professionally.

Robin

20

What a rip-off list! I mean, where was Emil Minty?!

:mad: