by GEORGE W. PECK (1840-1916)
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"Peck's Bad Boy" was the fictional star of newspaper stories and books created by George W. Peck in the late 1800s. Hennery (or Henry) Peck was a mischievous lad who loved to play sneaky pranks on others, especially his father, for the sheer pleasure of creating mayhem. The stories were a huge hit in their era, and the name "Peck's Bad Boy" became a popular term for any incorrigible rule-breaker. George Peck collected his stories into several books, most notably "Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa" (1883). Peck's Bad Boy was played by George M. Cohan in an 1891 stage adaptation of the stories. He was played in a 1921 silent film by Jackie Coogan and in a 1934 'talkie' by a later child star, Jackie Cooper. |