Mickey Rooney

  • Mickey Rooney – My True Story (1951)

    1951-1960CrimeDramaMickey RooneyUSA

    Plot Synopsis by Hal Erickson
    Mickey Rooney made his directorial debut with My True Story. Per its title, the film is based on an article which first appeared in the pages of True Story magazine. Jewel thief Ann Martin (Helen Walker) is paroled thanks to some string-pulling by criminal boss George Trent (Wilton Graff). Ann soon learns that she is expected to participate in a major gem heist. With the help of policeman Bill Phillips (Willard Parker) — who also happens to be a former member of U.S. military intelligence — Ann hopes to turn the tables on the smooth-but-deadly Trent. Featured in the cast as “Mark Foster” is Aldo DaRe, who would matriculate to stardom under the nom de film of Aldo Ray.Read More »

  • Busby Berkeley – Babes in Arms (1939)

    Busby Berkeley1931-1940ComedyMusicalUSA

    Quote:
    Mickey Moran (Mickey Rooney) and Patsy Barton (Judy Garland), the children of vaudeville performers, spring into action when their homes and their lives are put in danger. Vaudeville is dead, and the group of performers, led by Mickey’s parents, Joe and Florrie Moran (Charles Winninger and Grace Hayes) who have made comfortable homes on Long Island, now must go back on tour in the sticks to try and scrounge up some money. Naturally, the kids of show biz performers want to help, but they’re shot down by their rigid parents who don’t see any need in updating their tired old acts.Read More »

  • Howard W. Koch – The Last Mile (1959)

    Howard W. Koch1951-1960DramaFilm NoirUSA

    Plot Synopsis:
    A late ’50s upgrade of the 1931 film by the same title, this version of trouble on death row by Howard Koch is more violent than its predecessor — a hint of the trend toward shock for its own sake that would one day dominate action films and thrillers. The setting is a cell block of nine inmates scheduled for execution and the first half of the drama focuses on the horror of that last walk. A grim death in the electric chair is in no way glossed over. All nine prisoners are more appealing than any single guard, giving rise to the question of whether or not the men should exchange places. Then “Killer” John Mears (Mickey Rooney) comes along. His vicious attitude infects the environment and his plans to break out of prison are the catalyst for tragedy. by Eleanor MannikkaRead More »

  • Richard Quine – Drive a Crooked Road (1954)

    1951-1960CrimeFilm NoirRichard QuineUSA

    Music Box Theatre writes:
    Before becoming famous for creating PETER GUNN and the PINK PANTHER movies, Blake Edwards scripted this extraordinary, if virtually unknown, ’50s film noir, which casts a fully-grown Mickey Rooney against type as a lovelorn mechanic whose craving for fast cars and a faster woman (the alluring Dianne Foster) drives him to sign on as wheelman in a bank robbery. In what may be his finest performance, Rooney delivers a compelling characterization of the “Little Freak,” whose desire for a duplicitous woman leads to an unforgettable conclusion. One of finest noir films of the fifties.Read More »

  • Clarence Brown – The Human Comedy (1943)

    1941-1950Clarence BrownComedyDramaUSA

    Plot: Homer Macauley remains in a small town looking after his widowed mother and younger brother. Homer’s older brother is fighting the war in Europe. Written by AnonymousRead More »

  • Richard Thorpe – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)

    1931-1940AdventureDramaRichard ThorpeUSA

    Plot: Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting father by sailing a raft down the Mississippi River. Accompanying him is Jim, a slave running away from being sold. Together the two strike a bond of friendship that takes them through harrowing events and thrilling adventures. Written by Jim BeaverRead More »

  • Tay Garnett – The Fireball (1950)

    1941-1950ActionDramaTay GarnettUSA

    Plot: Johnny runs away from Father O’Hara’s orphanage and becomes a roller skating star with the help of Mary Reeves. He becomes involved with women, including Polly, who only love him because he is a champion, not, as with Mary, out of love for him. Then he gets polio. Written by Ed StephanRead More »

  • Yabo Yablonsky – The Manipulator (1971)

    1971-1980ArthouseCultUSAYabo Yablonsky

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    “Here’s a lost curio from the acid-inspired days of indie filmmaking. A tripped out vision of insanity featuring a tour de farce performance by Mickey Rooney. It’s also an amazing achievement, which quickly destroys any preconceptions you might walk in with…Almost the entire film is set in a warehouse chocked with hallucinatory backdrops, old movie props, scrap sculptures, and cobwebs. And Rooney (who’s in nearly every scene) stars as B.J. Lang, a crazed old man who believes he’s the greatest director of all time in the midst of planning his next epic — while in actuality he’s just a deluded has-been stumbling through an abandoned building. Looking particularly haggard and sporting a scraggly beard, Rooney gives a brave, over-the-top performance consisting of stream of consciousness monologues and acting that transcends the boundaries of camp.Read More »

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