Mickey Rooney

 

Mickey Rooney was born Ninnian Joseph Yule, Jr. in New York City on September 23, 1920.  He was born to a show business family.  His father came from Vaudeville and his mother was a chorus girl and burlesque performer.  The two were even appearing together in a Brooklyn production when Mickey was born.  A little less than two years later, he'd join them on stage wearing a toddler-sized tuxedo.  

They weren't the perfect couple however, and when was Mickey was just four, they decided to call it quits.  His mother took him to Hollywood, where in 1926 he made his first screen appearance in the silent film Not to be Trusted.  It led to bit parts in films alongside such notable actors as Clark Gable, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Jean Harlow.

The next year, Rooney was cast in the starring role of Mickey McGuire in the silent film Mickey's Circus.  It was a huge success, and between 1927 and 1936, he'd appear in 78 Mickey McGuire short films.  No pun intended.

After the series concluded, Rooney was hired by MGM Studios.  There he met Judy Garland, with whom he would appear in a number of musicals.  And while never romantically involved, the two would remain close throughout their careers.

1941.

In 1937, Rooney took a supporting role in the film A Family Affair playing the son of Lionel Barrymore.  His character of Andy Hardy proved so successful however that he was given his own film series, which ran from 1937 to 1946, with a final film produced more than a decade later.  Friend Judy Garland appeared in three of these shorts as Andy's girlfriend Betsy.

But their first film together was the 1937 feature Thoroughbreds Don't Cry, which saw the diminutive actor cast as a jockey, the first of several times he would play one throughout his career.  It was immediately obvious to audiences that Rooney and Garland shared great chemistry with one another.  They became a successful song-and-dance team and appeared together in several films.

The following year, Rooney appeared opposite Spencer Tracy in the film Boys Town, for which he'd win an Academy Award, one created specifically for the juvenile actor.  Despite his earlier work, this film is historically considered to be Rooney's breakout role, one that would make him the biggest box-office draw for the next three years.

After a tour of duty with the Army during World War 2 (see Trivia below), Rooney returned to the States and to his career.  Starring roles were no longer an option however, as he had gotten too big for the younger roles that had made him famous.  At the same time, he lacked the physical stature required for leading-man status.  

Unable to find roles in film, Rooney turned to the boob tube.  He had a self-titled sit-com, The Mickey Rooney Show (also known as Hey, Mulligan), that ran for one season on NBC in the mid 1950s.  You can watch the pilot episode on Youtube.

Buddy Hackett, Rooney and Jim Backus
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

Rooney returned to the silver screen in the 1963 comedy opus It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  The film reunited him with his Boys Town co-star Spencer Tracy and a host of other screen legends.  Here's a clip featuring them, Jonathan Winters, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman and many more. 

In 1966, Rooney was on location in the Philippines shooting his next feature Ambush Bay.  In his absence, his fifth wife Barbara Ann Thomason, a former beauty queen, was found dead in their home, along with her lover Milos Milos.  Detectives ruled it a murder-suicide, committed with Rooney's own gun.  Ouch!  

In the 1970s, Rooney provided the voice of Santa Claus in three television specials produced by Rankin-Bass.  The specials still air on cable each holiday season.  

Strangely, Rooney wouldn't make his Broadway debut until 1979, when he appeared in a production of Sugar Babies.  Over the next twenty years, he'd appear in several other productions as well, including a turn as the titular Wizard of Oz, opposite Eartha Kitt as the Wicked Witch.  According to a friend of this blogger who happened to catch a performance, Rooney had trouble remembering his lines.  

Despite his success, Rooney was often facing financial difficulties as a result of his gambling addiction.  He first filed for bankruptcy in 1962, then again in 1996.  New ventures such as the Broadway shows, a series of books, and a role in the Night at the Museum films would bring in revenue, but he'd lose it just as quickly as he earned it.  By 2005, he declared himself broke.

Rooney died of natural causes (including diabetes) on April 6, 2014.  He was 93 years old.  He was laid to rest at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Rest in peace, Mickey.

Trivia

• Near the end of World War 2, Rooney was inducted into the Army, where he served as an entertainer with Special Services. He performed both in person and as a radio personality, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star.
  
  
• In recent years, Rooney has been criticized for his portrayal of a Japanese character in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Wanna be offended?  You can watch a clip on Youtube.
  
  
• That same year, Rooney appeared as a mystery guest on the game show What's My Line?  You can watch the episode in its entirety on Youtube.  Rooney comes in at the 17-minute mark.
  
  
• In 1970, Norman Lear wanted Mickey Rooney for the starring role in his new sit-com All in the Family.  Rooney passed on the role however and it went to runner-up Carroll O'Connor.
  
  
• Jiminy Jillocurs!  Rooney appeared as himself on an episode of The Simpsons.  Here's a clip.
  
  
• Need some life insurance?  Mickey would like you to consider Garden State.  Here he is in one of their commercials, chock full of irony.
  
  
• Rooney had eight wives, nine children, 19 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.  His first wife Ava Gardner was the subject of a former blog post here at Six Feet Under Hollywood.
  
  
• Several biographies have been written, two by Rooney himself.  Both i.e., an Autobiography by Mickey Rooney and Life is Too Short are available from Amazon.  He also wrote a novel called The Search for Sunny Skies.