Memorial Day 2021 Issue

made and the trumpet remained untouched
until Helsel handed it over to Kane at the
museum this past winter.
Along with the trumpet, Helsel also donated
other items, including a guitar, a warming
blanket used by Cook and passengers in his
first car, photos, portraits and a large glass
globe used in one of Cook’s acts.
Helsel has done deep research into the Cook
family, and his attachment to the home is not
just the ingenuity of the tricks Cook built in,
but his connection with their shared family.
Joe Cook married twice and had four
children, all with his first wife, Helen.
Helsel’s mother, Lidih Jo (Lee) Helsel, is
the youngest child of Josephine Georgia Ann
(Cook) Lee and Col. Edwin Clarence Lee, he
said.
Col. Lee, Helsel’s “Pop-Pop,” was a career
Army officer who served on the staff of Gen.
Dwight Eisenhower during World War II. He
was also was a member of the Mount Arlington
Lee family who developed Lee’s Marina, the
popular recreation center opened in the 1920s
that operates today under the ownership of
the Morris County Park Commission. Helsel’s
cousin, Bud Lee, signed the famous piano.
In the end, Helsel and Kane said that Joe
Cook lived a full life that reflected his active
and vivid imagination and approach to his
comedic craft.
Kane said one photo in the museum
collection epitomizes for him the meaning
of Joe Cook’s life. It is one of Cook and his
four children at Sleepless Hollow. For all the
comedic antics, for all the nights on the road,
it came down to his family, Kane said.
Cook lived at Sleepless Hollow for nearly 20
years before leaving to address his declining
health.
Realtor Karen Foley, who handled the recent
sale of the property for Prominent Properties
Sotheby’s International Realty, said in an email,
“Living at the lake for over 16 years, I’ve always
admired the grand historic lakefront estates,
especially Sleepless Hollow. I had heard many
stories during the time Joe Cook resided there.
What had intrigued me the most was the small
theater stage where Joe’s children, servants and
others had performed for their famous celebrity
guests of that era.”
The new owners, Joel and Tracy Beckerman,
are just as intrigued.
“We are both storytellers. I’m a composer
and Tracy’s an author. We fell in love with the
house and the story of Joe Cook. The potential
of owning this house and breathing life back
into it was too good to pass up,” said Joel.
Over time, many of the gimmicks that Cook
built into the house were replaced. The lot is
now 1.5 acres, down from the original 26, but
the theater remains.
Helsel presents
Marty Kane
with Joe Cook’s
trumpet.
As subsequent owners have made
Sleepless Hollow their own home,
one surviving artifact declares the
spirit of the place: Hanging in the
great room is a framed poster for the
1936 film “Arizona Mahoney,” one of
Cook’s two Hollywood starring roles.
Jody Frattini
Sales Associate
908-208-0011
jfrattini@weichert.com
The current market is beneficial to
both buyers, with historically low
mortgage rates, and sellers with
low home inventory.
Helsel is surprised when he
finds his uncle’s name scratched
into Joe Cook’s piano.
92 Woodport Rd, Sparta, NJ 07871 973.729.2700 Sparta.Weichert.com
If your home is currently listed with a real estate broker, this is not intended to be a solicitation of the listing.
lakehopatcongnews.com 15