Mickey Rooney was one of Hollywood’s most prolific and long-lived stars, with film credits spanning the silent and CGI eras. Despite his Broadway acclaim and gift for character acting, he is remembered mainly for his comedies and tumultuous personal life. Most biographies have focused on these, neglecting his long and varied career, which was marked by sharp declines and meteoric comebacks. Drawing on interviews with coworkers, this book reveals Rooney as a skilled actor who settled for less in an industry that relegated him to lesser roles, and built a body of work admired by audiences and actors alike.

The late James A. MacEachern wrote plays, documentary films, and essays and received several awards and grants for his writing. He was a member of the WGA and IDA and lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

James A. MacEachern
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: 36 photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9639-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2682-6
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments v

Introduction 1

One. Born in a Trunk 3

Two. Mickey (Himself) McGuire 16

Three. Shakespeare and ­O’Neill 23

Four. Fame Comes to Andy Hardy 31

Five. Jockeying for Parts 46

Six. Noir Star 59

Seven. Ava, with the Laughing Eyes 82

Eight. The Marrying Kind 93

Nine. Murder, He Wrote 114

Ten. Sugar Babies 123

Eleven. The Black Stallion 138

Twelve. Small Screen, Big Star 149

Thirteen. Bill 167

Fourteen. The Long Exit 176

Appendix A: Those Interviewed for This Book 183

Appendix B: Mickey Rooney’s Credits 189

Appendix C: Awards and Honors 201

Bibliography 203

Index 205

“inherently fascinating and impressively informative…a ‘must read’”—The Midwest Review.