Monday 7 April 2014

Mickey Rooney showed U.S. its heart






Mickey Rooney, who started as a child star in vaudeville and went on to star in hundreds of movies and TV shows, has died at the age of 93. Mickey Rooney, who started as a child star in vaudeville and went on to star in hundreds of movies and TV shows, has died at the age of 93.

Rooney circa 1927 in a three-piece suit. The actor got his start in his parents' vaudeville show. Rooney circa 1927 in a three-piece suit. The actor got his start in his parents' vaudeville show.

Rooney, center, is seen with fellow young Hollywood actors Jackie Cooper, right, and Freddie Bartholomew circa 1930.Rooney, center, is seen with fellow young Hollywood actors Jackie Cooper, right, and Freddie Bartholomew circa 1930.

Mickey Rooney stars with Judy Garland and Ronald Sinclair in a scene from the comedy "Thoroughbreds Don't Cry." Mickey Rooney stars with Judy Garland and Ronald Sinclair in a scene from the comedy "Thoroughbreds Don't Cry."

Rooney is seen in 1938 in a portrait shot for "Out West with the Hardys."Rooney is seen in 1938 in a portrait shot for "Out West with the Hardys."

Rooney garnered acclaim for his role in 1938's "Boys Town" with Spencer Tracy. Rooney garnered acclaim for his role in 1938's "Boys Town" with Spencer Tracy.

Rooney hold hands with Garland in a 1940 still from the film "Andy Hardy Meets Debutante."Rooney hold hands with Garland in a 1940 still from the film "Andy Hardy Meets Debutante."

Rooney talks with Lana Turner in the late 1930s.Rooney talks with Lana Turner in the late 1930s.

Rooney and his first wife, American actress Ava Gardner, in the early 1940s.Rooney and his first wife, American actress Ava Gardner, in the early 1940s.

Rooney dressed as Pinocchio for a 1957 television movie. Rooney dressed as Pinocchio for a 1957 television movie.

Rooney took a two-year break from making movies while he served in World War II. Rooney took a two-year break from making movies while he served in World War II.

Rooney made his directorial debut in 1951's "My True Story."Rooney made his directorial debut in 1951's "My True Story."

Rooney earned an Oscar nomination for his role in the World War II film "The Bold and the Brave" in 1956. Rooney earned an Oscar nomination for his role in the World War II film "The Bold and the Brave" in 1956.

Rooney played the title role in 1957's "Baby Face Nelson."Rooney played the title role in 1957's "Baby Face Nelson."

In 1961, Rooney took on the infamous role as an Asian landlord in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."In 1961, Rooney took on the infamous role as an Asian landlord in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Rooney appeared in 1977's "Pete's Dragon" with Sean Marshall.Rooney appeared in 1977's "Pete's Dragon" with Sean Marshall.

Rooney co-starred in 1979's "The Black Stallion" with Kelly Reno.Rooney co-starred in 1979's "The Black Stallion" with Kelly Reno.

Rooney tries on a feathered hat in his dressing room during a run of the play "Sugar Babies" in October 1979. He was nominated for a Tony for the role. Rooney tries on a feathered hat in his dressing room during a run of the play "Sugar Babies" in October 1979. He was nominated for a Tony for the role.

Rooney is seen with Raquel Welch in 1980 from the ABC series "Raquel."Rooney is seen with Raquel Welch in 1980 from the ABC series "Raquel."

Rooney appears in 2006's "Night at the Museum" with Dick Van Dyke and Bill Cobbs.Rooney appears in 2006's "Night at the Museum" with Dick Van Dyke and Bill Cobbs.








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  • Neal Gabler: Rooney was very unusual in Hollywood. A child actor with enduring success

  • He says he had quality unlike male stars of Golden Age: not powerful, but plucky, vulnerable

  • He conquered through energy, determination, not strength. His image was hopeful, sincere

  • Gabler: He expressed how Americans wanted to see themselves




Editor's note: Neal Gabler is the author of "An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood." He is working on a biography of Edward Kennedy.


(CNN) -- Mickey Rooney, who died Sunday at 93, may have been the most unusual major star in the history of Hollywood. Why? For one thing, at the peak of his fame, he was only a youth. In the late 1930s into the 1940s when he topped the Hollywood box office, earning the then huge sum of $150,000 a year, there were few child actors with his clout. In fact, unlike today, there weren't many child actors at all. Only Shirley Temple and Deanna Durbin could begin to rival him.


Then there was his size, even into adulthood. There were other diminutive stars in Hollywood's Golden Age, such as Jimmy Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Muni, Humphrey Bogart, but no one as pint-sized as Rooney, who topped out at just 5-foot-2. We like our stars to be outsized. Rooney was definitely undersized.



Neal Gabler


But Rooney had something else that no other star had. Male stars -- then as now -- were largely figures of power: not just Cagney and Bogart, but Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, even Spencer Tracy. Moviegoers were attracted to their ability to dominate, to bend the world to their will. Rooney didn't exude power. He exuded pluck.


Rooney never played the conventional hero vanquishing forces of evil. He was best known as Andy Hardy in a series of films at MGM: the quintessential young man in the quintessential small town with the quintessential family and honoring quintessential American values. About the only things he vanquished in these movies were his own doubts or his own lovesickness or his own moral quandaries. Andy was eager, loving, decent, thoughtful -- not the qualities we ascribe to movie heroes but the very qualities Americans, particularly as they emerged from the Great Depression -- liked to ascribe to themselves.





Remembering Hollywood star Mickey Rooney




Actor Mickey Rooney dies at 93




Actor Mickey Rooney dies at 93

He didn't conquer through strength. He succeeded through sheer energy. "Let's put on a show," the joking line attributed to Rooney in those Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland pictures, expressed what Rooney was about: not American muscle, but American determination.


And if Rooney didn't convey power, he didn't convey manliness either. (Hell, he wasn't even a grown man in his heyday.) The great male stars of his time didn't cry. They didn't even wince. They were stoics patrolling America's mean streets. Only Jimmy Stewart among them even seemed to have a tender side. But Rooney was no stoic. He did cry. He was open and vulnerable and wounded and occasionally scared.


Think of the last scene in "The Devil Is a Sissy" where he stares into the night after his prisoner father is executed. He couldn't stare down the world the way the other male stars did. He could only stare into it, often with wonder and pain. After all, he was still a boy, he could expose his heart. He could be hurt.


And there was one more thing about Rooney that made him an unusual star in the Hollywood constellation. Almost every great star then, male and female, was a cynic. They were hard-boiled, had learned to survive life, but lived without illusions. Think of Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon" or "The Big Sleep" or Bette Davis in just about any of her pictures. Rooney, again partly because of his youth, was devoid of that cynicism.


He was hopeful, idealistic, utterly sincere. In a movie world of doubt, Rooney alone was a true believer. In these three ways -- pluck and heart and idealism -- Rooney may have come closer to the American ethos in Depression-era America than any other star. He was loved not because he expressed what we could only hope to be, but because he expressed what we liked to think we actually were.


Take Rooney in what is arguably his best role, as Homer Macauley in Clarence Brown's screen version of William Saroyan's World War II novel, "The Human Comedy," from 1943. Homer's job is to deliver telegrams, including those informing families of their sons' death in battle -- more Rooney sadness. This was MGM head Louis B. Mayer's favorite film because it captured the idealized way he viewed America, with Rooney as the idealized American boy--though the director Billy Wilder once recalled to me a time he found Mayer throttling Rooney on the lot after some transgression and yelling, "You're Andy Hardy! You're America!"


That Rooney was. His death is a reminder of an earlier time when Americans had a more innocent vision of themselves. Rooney's persona may not have worn well over time -- it was a young man's persona -- but in the '30s and '40s he was the personification of that innocence, and a vestige of it has passed with him.



It's never too late to be fabulous






Contestants participate in the opening number of the 2014 Ms. Senior Florida Pageant. The event leads up to the Ms. Senior America Pageant, which has been around for 35 years. Contestants are judged on an interview, their philosophy of life, talent and gown presentation. Contestants participate in the opening number of the 2014 Ms. Senior Florida Pageant. The event leads up to the Ms. Senior America Pageant, which has been around for 35 years. Contestants are judged on an interview, their philosophy of life, talent and gown presentation.

Julianne Talley, on stage during the opening number, would be crowned the winner. Talley, a statuesque 61-year-old, has conquered both obesity and cancer and encourages other women to pursue an active life and good health. Julianne Talley, on stage during the opening number, would be crowned the winner. Talley, a statuesque 61-year-old, has conquered both obesity and cancer and encourages other women to pursue an active life and good health.

Second runner-up went to Ann Pelle, a 60-year-old baton twirler who leads a 105-member senior citizen baton twirling team that performs in about 55 shows a year. Second runner-up went to Ann Pelle, a 60-year-old baton twirler who leads a 105-member senior citizen baton twirling team that performs in about 55 shows a year.

Gilda Russonello won the best philosophy trophy. The 86-year-old attended the Yale School of Drama and Columbia University.Gilda Russonello won the best philosophy trophy. The 86-year-old attended the Yale School of Drama and Columbia University.

Sybil Yocum twirls while belly dancing in the talent contest. Yocum was introduced to the art during her travels, which inspired her life's passion of dance. She also works as an instructor.Sybil Yocum twirls while belly dancing in the talent contest. Yocum was introduced to the art during her travels, which inspired her life's passion of dance. She also works as an instructor.

The 15 Ms. Senior Florida contestants stand on stage with Betsy Horn, Ms. Senior Florida 2013, second from right, and Carolyn Corlew, Ms. Senior America 2013, far right. The 15 Ms. Senior Florida contestants stand on stage with Betsy Horn, Ms. Senior Florida 2013, second from right, and Carolyn Corlew, Ms. Senior America 2013, far right.









  • The Ms. Senior Florida Pageant was held March 29 in Vero Beach, Florida

  • Contest is open to women 60 and older; the winner goes to the Ms. Senior America pageant

  • Contestants are judged on an interview, their life philosophy, and evening gown presentation

  • Winner Julianne Talley described medical battles and her desire to inspire




Editor's note: Tia Brueggeman is a coordinator with CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper." Her grandmother was a contestant in the Ms. Senior Florida 2014 pageant.


(CNN) -- To look at Julianne Talley, a statuesque 61-year-old beauty, one would never know she has conquered both obesity and cancer.


The Ms. Senior Florida contestant glided through the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center with the humility of someone who underestimates her beauty. Little did she know, she was about to be crowned Ms. Senior Florida 2014.


Talley's platform is one of self-acceptance and self-improvement: "It's a message to the woman in the audience who thinks 'I'm always going to be heavy' or 'I can't dance'... yes you can," she said during dress rehearsal.


While we're accustomed to beauty pageants featuring women in their 20s strutting in bikinis, the Ms. Senior America pageant seeks women with "dignity, maturity and inner beauty," who are older than 60. There's no upper age limit and no bikinis are required. The oldest contestant in Florida this year was 86.


Pageant organizers Hedi Headley and Helen McKnight worked for months gathering contestants from around the state of Florida. The 15 women who were selected rehearsed almost every week between January and March. The ladies were judged on their interview, philosophy of life, talent and gown presentation during the March 29 competition.


The Ms. Senior America Pageant has been around for 35 years, but the state level competitions vary in their founding year. Headly and McKnight originally founded the Ms. Senior Arizona Pageant in 1990, when they weren't even 50 yet themselves.


"We saw a need to encourage the older adult and especially women that feel they become invisible as they age," said Headly. Semi-retired in Florida, Headly and McKnight took over running the Ms. Senior Florida Pageant last year.


The contestants evolved before Headly's eyes.



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"Most of the ladies have never even talked into a microphone before rehearsals," she said.


The granny of yesteryear, sitting in a rocking chair knitting, is a thing of the past if the pageant is any indication. Today, women over 60 are rocking it on stage: singing, dancing, sharing their inventions and even belly dancing at senior beauty pageants around the country.


The Ms. Senior pageants give contestants a chance to do something many of them never dreamed of doing in their 20s, 30s or even 50s -- take the spotlight and share their wisdom and talent with hundreds of people.


In addition to the crown, Talley won "Best Talent" for singing and playing "Sentimental Journey" on the piano. Talley faced a long journey to get where she is today. Overweight most of her life, 10 years ago, she lost 100 pounds and kept it off.


"I decided to enter the competition after a lot of thought and prayer, when I realized that it was an opportunity to reach my dream to touch women across the country, to inspire them to take better care of themselves, and to set goals, dream dreams, and do what it takes to reach those goals," said Talley


She wants to encourage other women to become physically fit even as seniors, which is a message she will take to the Ms. Senior America Pageant this October at the Resorts Hotel Casino in Atlantic City.


"It has been my dream to reach women across the country to encourage them that we 'ain't dead yet'!" said Talley.


The second runner-up was Ann Palle, a 60-year-old baton twirler who leads a 105-person senior citizen baton twirling team that performs in about 55 shows a year. The oldest twirler is 95.


"It's nice to get together with these ladies because we all bring something very different, but this pageant brings us together," Palle said.


Each of these women has a distinct philosophy, and if laughter is the key to longevity, Lauren Luccini "Miss Congeniality," will live forever.


"When I used to date, men used to open the car door for you," she told the audience in her standup comedy routine during the talent competition. "Now, I'm glad if they even stop the car."


Then there was, Julie Dohan, who at 81 went from modeling to art dealing to inventing, but believes "the best is yet to come."




Lucille DiBartolo, 79, and granddaughter Tia Brueggeman\n

Lucille DiBartolo, 79, and granddaughter Tia Brueggeman



Raven-haired contestant Lucille DiBartolo is a 79-year-old Mediterranean beauty who still gets carded for proof of her senior citizenship. (Full disclosure: This lovely lady is my grandmother, and I attended the pageant to support her.) Encouraging young women to be more confident, she added that, "it's not who you are but who you perceive yourself to be."


Last year's winner, Betsy Horn, stopped by to encourage the women. An ovarian cancer survivor, Horn wrote a book, "A Little Touch of Cancer and How it Made Me Well," and encourages women to share their inspirational stories, which can come from hardship.


"You can't get through life without having some event that happens that challenges one deeply and emotionally," she said. "As you get to know the ladies, you realize that everyone does have a story and that they were survivors."


Horn had high praise for 2014's Ms. Senior Florida contestants: "I came away this year thinking these women all have a lot to offer, so they should all get out there and do something!"