Ben Cooper

Ben Cooper
Young as he is, Ben Cooper, who plays Brad on the second Mrs. Burton show (CBS, Monday through Friday, 2 PM, EST), longer surprised when Ben turns up for a rehearsal dressed in a colorful and complete cowboy outfit. He’s merely getting the feel of the costume, because his idea of The Thing To Be when he’s grown up is a ranch owner and he wants to be ready to step right into the part when it comes along. He goes the whole way in preparation too. He’s up on what the average rancher eats and is learning how to cook scrambled eggs and flapjacks.

Nor is he entirely impractical about his dream. He already has his own horse, named Gypsy. He rides very well and he hopes that someday soon he’ll meet the owner of Republic Pictures and get a chance to work in western movies. That’s a two-edged plan. Get the idea? Ben will be practicing more, while earning the money with which to buy his dream ranch.

Ben was born in Harford, Connecticut, in 1933. No one in his family was connected with the theater. His father, B. A. Cooper, a graduated of M.I.T., is an engineer and Mrs. Cooper is strictly a mother and wife. The Coopers now live an average suburban life in Beachurst, Long Island.

Aside from his forays in the theater and radio, Ben’s life is rather than average, too. He has a gang around home with whom he plays baseball, his position on the team being catcher. In line with his ranching ambitions, he’s constantly having the gang over to his house for barbecues, which Mrs. Cooper lets the boys prepare themselves. Like any other kid in America, Ben has his favorite movie stars; they’re Peggy Ann Garner and Roddy McDowell.

His becoming an actor was a casual thing. One of Mrs. Cooper’s friends has a son acting in the original company of “Life With Father.” The friend mentioned to Mrs. Cooper one afternoon that the boy playing one of the Day children in the Broadway success was outgrowing his part. Almost as an aside, she remarked that Ben looked just right for the role. And Ben decided it would be fun to try a job, even though he had had no training and had never thought of acting before. On their way to the theater for an interview, Mrs. Cooper was very nervous, Ben wasn’t. He soothed his mother, saying, “What difference does it make? If I get it fine. If I don’t, it won’t matter.” But he got the part.

At first, Mrs. Cooper did worry that his being an actor might change him in the wrong ways. It didn’t. He’s still perfectly natural. Maybe some of his smaller habits are a little mature for his age, like his always bringing Mrs. Cooper flowers if he happens to be late for dinner, or spending his whole first check for a gown for his mother. But, in the main, he’s still responding like a normal boy to various things. For instance, he’s usually very alert and responsive at rehearsals, except when he’s involved in eating dessert. The cast has lunch during rehearsals and, whenever Ben’s brought chocolate cake or chocolate pie from home as his contribution to the meal, he gets “lost,” as the musicians say. What boy wouldn’t? He also has a special girl in his neighborhood, whose name he won’t divulge and, again like every other boy, he has an idol. Ben’s crush is Basil Rathbone, with whom he has worked on the air and, every once in awhile, Ben breaks forth in a very creditable English accent.

Having started his theatrical career at eight and worked steadily ever since, Ben’s radio appearances are a staggering list, including Dr. Christian, Aunt Jenny, Listening Post, Land Is Bright, Bright Horizon, Arthur Hopkins Presents, Joyee Jordan, Portia FacesLife, as well as The Second Mrs. Burton.

What’s more, all the kids he knows like him—on account of that darn good game of baseball.