My Life As A Small Boy

by Wally Cox

My Life As A Small Boy is a memoir written by Wally Cox, an American actor and comedian. The book chronicles his childhood in the early 20th century, growing up in Michigan and New York City. Cox shares his memories of family, friends, and the events that shaped his early years. He also reflects on his experiences in school, his love of sports, and his early interest in acting and comedy. Throughout the book, Cox's witty and humorous writing style shines through, making for an engaging and entertaining read. My Life As A Small Boy offers a unique glimpse into a bygone era and the life of a beloved entertainer.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Bryan J.]

Wally Cox Could Write, Not Just Act

Wally Cox was a charming actor whose MR PEEPERS and OUR MISS BROOKS characters delighted TV viewers in the early days of that medium. Interestingly, he was a close friend of Marlon Brando, who once said that if qCox had been a girl, he would have wanted to marry him (her).
In any case, I have loved this book since first read it at the age of 12, more than 60 years ago. I recently came across it again and have it now on my Kindle. It is sweet, humorous but with some dark touches embedded within. I am sure that anyone who has ever been a child (which is most of us, right?) will relate to this well-written and detailed description of childhood.

[Matthew]

One of my favorite books

[Lisa]

#18 of 120 books pledged to read during 2022

[Jonh]

good

[Chris Cox, a librarian]

I remember being in elementary school in 1973 when I heard that Wally Cox had died. It struck me as especially sad at the time because we shared the same last name. I knew him mostly as a regular on Hollywood Squares and the voice of TV’s Underdog.

My brother had a book by Wally on his shelf for years called My Life as a Small Boy (1961).
When I was at my brother’s house a couple of months ago, he recommended that maybe I should read it. (My brother never gets rid of any of his books.) I agreed to give it a go. The book is Wally’s takes on his life as a boy at home and at school. We learn about his home adventures dealing with cold weather, catching a cold and smoking in front of his mother.
Then we learn about his trials at school dealing with penmanship (my favorite chapter), bullies and shop class. It’s funny and nostalgic and certainly brought a laugh or two.

It also inspired me to watch an episode (Thanks to the magic of YouTube) of Wally’s signature TV series, “Mr. Peepers.” I’d never seen one before partly because I can’t remember any affiliate stations ever showing it in reruns. Wally plays the sweet, shy but good-natured science teacher Peepers, a character who may not have the edge to make it in a TV series today as the central focus of the show. That being said, there was something appealing about Wally's take on that character that might make me check out another episode.

[Phair]

Yay, Mr. Peepers! According to my 1963 diary listing I read this that year but only gave it 2 stars. I was a tough rater.

[Patsy]

Read it when I was 12 or so. Gave me ideas on more ways to stay home from school ;).

[Paul]

Kimmycakes will agree. There's no bittersweeter look at childhood!

[Ronald]

read SOMETIME in 2002