Best Actor 1931: Jackie Cooper in Skippy

Jackie Cooper received his only Oscar nomination for portraying the Skippy Skinner in Skippy.

Skippy is about a young boy, who gets involved with some of the other local kids, and tries to help a poor kid from the other side of the tracks Sooky.

Jackie Cooper is the record holder for the youngest Oscar nominee in this category, as well as the only person every nominated in the lead actor category who was nominated when they were less that 18 years old. Cooper is a rather unique nomination then, and it is interesting to watch the only Child performance ever nominated in this category.

Jackie Cooper is certainly immensely likable in this performance as Skippy. He is just simply a nice kid to follow around through his little adventure through the town. Skippy is not the most original kid character, as the smart rambunctious young boy, but Cooper does try his best to make a unique portrayal of this kind of character. 

Cooper is very charming in this role, and has the right confidence on screen. He knows his way around the role, and is fun to watch as he interacts with the other kids, as they play together, and he acts as the unofficial leader of the bunch. The leader who dictates who fights who, and such. Cooper has the right playful command of the screen that works well for Skippy.

There are many a scenes that require Cooper to play it cute, charming, and maybe with just the slightest tough edge, and Cooper does all three of these things very well, especially in the scene where he tries to raise money for his friend Sooky's dog, and they put on show. Copper is just properly charming and effective in that scene, and basically every other.

Cooper gives a nice charming performance throughout but is also required to show some dramatic weight when his poor friend's dog is killed. Cooper is very good in showing the sadness of his character, as well as his earnest attempts to try to cheer up his friend, but to no avail. Cooper is quite heartbreaking in these scenes, and is as effective as he is in the charming scenes. Overall Cooper's performance is a charming, effective performance, which properly carries the film.