Mickey Rooney with Kelly Reno in "The Black Stallion" |
It turns out that's when he had his last hurrah – and it lasted almost four years.
Early memories
Mickey Rooney was a name I knew, but growing up I really had not seen him
in too much. Movies like “National Velvet” and his Andy Hardy stuff rarely was
rerun in the world of three TV channels. What I knew about “National Velvet”
mostly came from its 1978 sequel “International Velvet” starring Tatum O’Neal.
Most old movies were replayed at odd times like after midnight and,
oddly, during the day time. For a kid going to school, it was hard to catch any
of these. The exception was the summer, when I did see the odd movie on Channel
7. One of those movies was “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World”, and Mickey
Rooney was one of the stars. It featured a mad dash across the country seeking
buried treasure.
One particular summer Saturday afternoon, my mom and sister took me to
a Disney movie called “Pete’s Dragon,” about an orphan boy named Pete and his
friend a dragon named Elliott. It was a mix of live action and animation and,
at the age of seven I just loved it. It starred Jim Dale, Helen Reddy, and
Rooney as Reddy’s father.
It was 1979 when Rooney’s renaissance began. “The Black Stallion”
features a boy who is shipwrecked on a desert island with a black Arabian horse
that he befriends. Once they are rescued, they meet a once successful horse
trainer named Henry Dailey, and set out to race the best in a challenge match.
I recall seeing that movie when it was on TV, and how inspiring it
truly was. Rooney played Henry Dailey, and for his efforts he was nominated for
an Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role, losing to Melvyn Douglas
in “Being There” which was another great movie.
Then in 1981, Rooney starred in the television movie “Bill”. He played
the title character, a mentally handicapped man who wants to leave an
institution and live on his own. It was another touching performance, winning
Rooney Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for outstanding lead actor. Two years later
he reprised the role in “Bill: On His Own”, and was nominated for another Emmy.
He may no longer have been the same box office draw he was as a young
man, but in his 60s Mickey Rooney had become critically acclaimed. In 1983 he
was also given an Academy Award for lifetime achievement.
Last gasp on television
Mickey Rooney would spend the rest of the '80’s continuing to work in a
variety of media. He did guest roles in “The Love Boat”, and later “The Golden
Girls”, and had a part in the 1986 TV movie “The Return of Mickey Spillane’s Mike
Hammer”.
Amid that, he had his last recurring role in a weekly sitcom with “One
of the Boys” in 1982. You would think a show with Dana Carvey, Nathan Lane,
Scatman Crothers, and Mickey Rooney would be a can’t miss. The premise was solid
too. Rooney plays Oliver Nugent, a senior citizen who, with his best friend
Bernard Soloman, played by Crothers, leaves his nursing home to move in with
his grandson Adam Shields, played by Carvey, and his roommate Jonathan Burns,
played by Lane, who are attending college. Meg Ryan also had a recurring role
as Adam’s girlfriend Jane.
The show was on Channel 7, and I don’t recall much beyond it not being
that funny. Everyone else agreed, as NBC yanked it after 13 episodes. It even
made TV Guide’s list of the 50 worst television shows of all time. Look at all
that star power whose release may
have been delayed had “One of the Boys” had a long run, much like Jim Carrey
and “The Duck Factory”.
As the '80s closed, Rooney got his last big recurring role, reprising
the character of Henry Dailey for a three-year run on “The Adventures of the
Black Stallion”, from 1990 to 1993 totalling 78 episodes.
Parting thoughts
Mickey Rooney would go on to continue working on stage, screen, and
doing the voices for cartoons, well into his 90s. He appeared in his last movie
earlier this year, “Night At The Museum 3”. He also was an advocate for
veterans and animal rights. Late in his life he would suffer elder abuse, and had
very little left when he died on April 6, 2014. He was 93.
Mickey Rooney should be remembered not only for his longevity, but his
versatility. He did so much more that I have not recounted, but it spans
everything.
I find it inspiring that in his 60s, when most people are beginning to
wind down their careers and look towards retirement, Mickey Rooney went through
a renewal. He was like a fine wine, getting better with age. Rest in peace Mickey. Hopefully you
will find the comfort that eluded you in the last few years.
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