Vale Mickey Rooney

[Tarantella]

At 93 years of age this old trooper, Mickey Rooney, has died. Who could forget this magnificent star from the 'golden days' of Hollywood - from "Midsummer Night's Dream" in 1935 (here's a link to the whole film!)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P39Fh8JwqPw

....right up to "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in 1962, where he played the grotesque "Japanese" tenant, Mr. Yunoishi, who couldn't stand Holly Golightly's noisy antics: Yelling, "Miss, er, Go-witewy; I call the pow-ice......(instant silence)........ah, that's-a more better"! Critics didn't like this racist stereotype, but I thought it was hilarious (and it was long before the tiresome phenonenon of political correctness). God bless the late Blake Edwards!!

In my (not-so-humble) opinion, Garland and Rooney were (mostly together) the most phenomenally gifted talents in US film history. Their on-screen chemistry was unforgettable. Some years ago I read Garland's biography "Get Happy" and I'm in no doubt that Judy loved Mickey more than a sister loves a brother. He said once in an interview, about his 8 marriages (hadn't he heard about 'dating'?) "Women liked me because I made them laugh". I think there's a lot of truth in that statement, but he was patently unsuitable for marriage, probably for a range of reasons which needn't concern us here. Yes, women love men with personality and Rooney made his remarkable career in a range of roles from "The Human Comedy" (which was anything but) through Andy Hardy and some demanding television films in recent years - all demonstrating his huge emotional range as an actor.

Here's a Wiki link about the stunning "The Human Comedy":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Human_ ... %28film%29

[jbuck919]

The 1935 Midsummer Night's Dream is an astonishing movie, for Rooney's work and many other reasons. One of the great Shakespeare films of all time. One of the few productions where American accents work.

[John F]

In the obituary in the BBC Radio program "Last Word," they played Puck's epilogue: