The recent death of Mickey Rooney ended modern America’s last living link with the silent era of films in Hollywood. Mickey was the last living actor who had appeared in a movie without sound. Mickey Rooney acted or performed in every decade of American films from the 1920’s until this year. Rooney worked in almost all of the entertainment mediums — vaudeville, stage, film, television, and lecture. As well as acting in films, he produced, directed, wrote screenplays, and edited. He played the drums and piano and composed and recorded music. He authored two autobiographies and a fictional account of his life called The Search for Sonny Skies. His eight marriages including his first one to Ava Gardner, are the stuff of Hollywood legends. Among his leading ladies were Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Alice Faye, Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford, Esther Williams, Donna Reed, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelly Winters, Eartha Kitt, Ann Blythe, Faye Dunaway, Candace Bergen, Helen Hunt, Marilyn Monroe, and Audrey Hepburn. He acted with Will Rogers, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracey, Robert Montgomery, Joel McCrea, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Louis Stone, Bob Hope, George Sanders, Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, Thomas Mitchell, William Holden, Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Red Buttons, Michael Caine, Dick Van Dyke, Alan Alda, Gene Hackman, Rod Steiger, Tim Robbins, Dennis Quaid, Nathan Lane, Robin Williams, and Ben Stiller. Noted actor James Mason was asked, “Who do you think is the best actor and actress in Hollywood?” He replied “Mickey Rooney and Margaret Rutherford.” When Sir Lawrence Oliver was asked, “Who besides yourself, are your favorite movie actors?” he said “Mickey Rooney and Peter Finch!” Director Clarence Brown worked with Rooney in Ah Wilderness, The Human Comedy and National Velvet and said of Mickey, “He was the most talented actor I ever directed. He was also the most selfish jerk I ever met.”
He was born Joseph Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Joe Yule was from Scotland and was a popular song and dance performer on the vaudeville circuit. His mother Nellie Carter-Yule was from Kansas City, Missouri. She too, was a singer and comedienne in vaudeville. At age 15 months he made his debut on the vaudeville stage in Chicago. By age 17 months he was a regular. By age three he was singing and dancing on stage. In 1925 his parents divorced and his mother took him to Hollywood hoping to get him a role in the Hal Roach Studios “Our Gang” juvenile comedy series. He wasn’t hired by Roach but he got a part at Fox Studios in Not to Be Trusted 1926, his debut film. The next year, he audition for and got the role of Mickey McGuire in the series of the same name that was being produced by The Standard Photoplay Company. From 1927 to 1936 he would shoot 78 of the Mickey McGuire shorts and become a genuine child star. He even legally changed his name to Mickey McGuire for a while. In 1931 he started doing the voice over for the cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for Walter Lantz at Universal Studios.
In 1932 he appeared in his first non-Mickey McGuire role, that of Chubby Dennis in Sins Pay Day but he billed himself as Mickey Rooney for the first time. In 1935 he appeared in Manhattan Melodrama for MGM Studios (the film that John Dillinger had watched at the Biograph Theater before Melvin Purvis and the FBI shot him down). Clark Gable played gangster Blackie Gallagher and Mickey played Blackie as a boy. MGM signed Rooney to a contract. In 1935, he appeared as Puck in Warner Brothers A Midsummer Nights Dream and got good reviews. In 1937 he appeared in A Family Affair — this was the first time he would portray Andy Hardy. Lionel Barrymore and Spring Byington played Judge and Mom Hardy. MGM’s Andy Hardy series would become a Hollywood staple during World War II. It was his role of Whitey Marsh in the film Boys Town that would establish Rooney as a major Hollywood star, however. From the release of Boys Town in 1938 to National Velvet in 1944, Rooney was MGM’s top money-making star. In 1939 he was awarded a special Oscar for symbolizing the spirit of American youth. In 1942, Louie B. Mayer called Rooney to his office and ordered him to stop smoking in public. Rooney told LB that he couldn’t do that. Mayer grabbed Rooney by the collar and shook him and told him never let himself be seen smoking in public again. This time Mickey agreed with the boss. Starting in March of 1944 he did 21 months of military service. After the war, however, with many of the popular stars returning to the movies from military service, Rooney found good roles more difficult to get and experienced several flops. He was fired by MGM in a cost cutting move. Mickey started making B movies at some of the small independent studios. His high end lifestyle was difficult to support.
As television came into American households, so did Mickey. He started in The Mickey Rooney show in 1954-55. He appeared in supporting roles in films and became a regular guest star in 1950s television. He portrayed “Baby Face Nelson” in a 1957 biopic and got good reviews. He portrayed a Japanese character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and found himself in hot water for creating a racist stereotype. He apologized and said he needed the money. In 1964-65 he had another series on TV playing Mickey Grady on Mickey. By 1970, however, he was only getting bit work. By this time he had been married six times and had eight children to support. He was taking anything he could get and still had to declare bankruptcy. He continued to take what work he could get through the 1970s, mostly in TV. A major comeback came for him in 1979 when he went to the Broadway stage with his old buddy Ann Miller in Sugar Babies. It was a major hit and Rooney got a Tony Award nomination. He toured with the show for five years. At age 59 he became a Broadway regular appearing in A Funny Thing Happened to Me on The Way to the Forum, The Wizard of Oz and Will Rogers Follies. He appeared in the film the Black Stallion in 1979. It was a box office hit and Rooney got a best supporting actor nomination. In 1981, he won an Emmy for his portrayal of a homeless mentally challenged man in Bill. In 1983, he received a special Lifetime Achievement Oscar.
In 1978 he married his eighth wife Jan Chamberlin Rooney. He stayed with her 35 years longer than his other seven wives combined. He had admitted an affair with Norma Shearer back in 1938, a story confirmed by his pal Jackie Cooper. His life was full of affairs and one night stands. Ava Gardner said that Mickey had to prove his manhood to himself because of his 5’3” height. His Andy Hardy co-star said Rooney never considered the consequences of his actions. He had eight children that he never knew.
Rooney never stopped. My wife and mother saw him in a live performance at The Warren Performing Arts Center and were both enthralled by him. Oddly enough I met him at the Murat Shrine Temple in 1978. He was hosting a charity celebrity/pro golf tournament sponsored by American United Life. I was working as a server for the banquet. He had just married Jan and she was with him. He asked me to get him a whiskey and soda which I did. He asked me what I really did and I told him I was going to school. He congratulated me and told me to “keep at it.”
Rooney was working on a couple of films when he passed, including Night at the Museum 3. As to his death, he left several loose ends and it will be a while before everything is settled. In 2012, he testified before Congress about elderly abuse and claimed that he was a victim of it. This created a stir in his family that still hasn’t been resolved. As to his career, he has 338 acting credits in both films and television. He has over 2,400 appearances on stage. He spent almost all of his 93 years in front of audiences. He was the last living link to Hollywood’s Golden Age. He has had the longest film career of any actor or actress, spanning 86 years. He will be remembered as one of the greatest acting artists of all time. snicewanger@yahoo.com