Description
Book SynopsisMickey Rooney is a cinematic icon whose career lasted from the silent era into the twenty-first century. From the shorts he made as Mickey McGuire to supporting roles in such films as Night at the Museum, Rooney had more than 300 film appearances to his credit. Mickey Rooney was not just a movie star, he was the most popular film performer for several years in a row in the 1930s. In addition to his four Academy Award nominations, Rooney received two special Oscars, including an honorary award for his variety of memorable performances spanning several decades. In The Essential Mickey Rooney, James L. Neibaur examines more than sixty feature films in which the actor appeared, from starring roles in Boys Town, Babes in Arms, and The Human Comedy to acclaimed supporting performances in The Bold and the Brave and The Black Stallion. In addition to familiar works like the Andy Hardy comedies or musicals opposite Judy Garland, lesser known films like Quicksand and Drive a Crooked Road are d
Trade Review[T]hroughout the book Neibaur’s respect and admiration for Rooney’s talent, even if he appeared in a bad film, is evident in his writing. Neibaur often draws on material gathered from personal interviews with Rooney as well, lending further depth to his discussions of his films. Each chapter is incredibly thorough in terms of plot summary, background info, critique and analysis, whether he is discussing another cookie cutter Andy Hardy movie or a large-scale comedy like 'It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.' Production stills, movie posters, and other photos are sprinkled throughout the book, adding more context to each chapter . . . The Essential Mickey Rooney lives up to its title, proving to be the definitive book on the actor who had one of the longest, most prolific careers in Hollywood. Even film fans already familiar with Rooney’s body of work will likely discover new information within its pages. Rooney’s personal life and relationships were notoriously tumultuous and may not have had the happiest of endings, but his boundless talent and enthusiasm on the screen lives on, and Neibaur perfectly captures it here. * Examiner.com *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction From Joe Yule to Mickey Mcguire The Early Appearances The Devil is a Sissy Down the Stretch A Family Affair Slave Ship Captains Courageous Hoosier Schoolboy Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry You’re only Young Once Love Is a Headache Judge Hardy’s Children Hold That Kiss Lord Jeff Love Finds Andy Hardy Boys Town Stablemates Out West with the Hardys The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Hardy’s Ride High Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever Babes in Arms Judge Hardy and Son Young Tom Edison Andy Hardy Meets a Debutante Strike up the Band Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary Men of Boys Town Life Begins for Andy Hardy Babes on Broadway The Courtship of Andy Hardy A Yank at Eton Andy Hardy’s Double Life The Human Comedy Girl crazy Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble National Velvet Love Laughs at Andy Har Killer McCoy Words and Music The Big Wheel Quicksand The Fireball He’s a Cockeyed Wonder The Strip Sound off All ashore A Slight Case of Larceny Drive a Crooked Road The Atomic Kid The Bridges at Toko Ri Francis in the Haunted House Baby Face Nelson Andy Hardy Comes Home Everything’s Ducky Requiem for a Heavyweig It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Ambush Bay The Comic Pulp Pete’s Dragon The Black Stallion The “Bill” TV Movies, The Honorary Osc Mickey Rooney in the 80s and 90s The “Night in the Museum” Films, The 21st Century Bibliography
