by Joseph Rossi
Well, that’s that. The last connection between now and the greatest era of motion pictures is gone. Mickey Rooney, America’s oldest kid, has passed away.
Mickey Rooney was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1930’s and 40’s. His films with Judy Garland are among the best loved. The Andy Hardy series is one of the most successful franchises ever put to celluloid. He had been absent from the big screen for some time but now knowing that he is no longer here makes me long for the days where I would sit and watch my old VHS copy of The Black Stallion. You see that was my Mickey Rooney. The grandfatherly Mickey Rooney.
An entire age is gone. An age where movies were called “pictures” and stars were actually stars and not good-looking people who sit by pools and tan. Rooney was the last of a type of actor that was groomed for the screen. Singing, dancing, horseback riding, tumbling, he could do it all. These days try to find an actor who can read their lines properly without having to resort in quick cutting to mask a poor performance. There was no cutting with Rooney. Watch any one of his movies and see. Long takes can’t hide snappy delivery and fast feet and this guy had both. He will always have what most lack; charm, professionalism and screen presence.
