Essential Mickey Rooney - by James L Neibaur (Hardcover)

About the Book

From silent films in the 1920s to featured films through 2015, Mickey Rooney had one of the longest careers in Hollywood. This book looks at the most significant films in Rooney's career, from his years as a juvenile lead in such classics as Babes in Arms, Boys Town, and The H...

Book Synopsis

From silent films in the 1920s to featured films through 2015, Mickey Rooney had one of the longest careers in Hollywood. This book looks at the most significant films in Rooney's career, from his years as a juvenile lead in such classics as Babes in Arms, Boys Town, and The Human Comedy to his Oscar nominated supporting roles in The Bold and the Brave and The Black Stallion.

Review Quotes

[T]hroughout the book Neibaur's respect and admiration for Rooney's talent, even if he appeared in a bad film, is evident in his writing. Neibaur often draws on material gathered from personal interviews with Rooney as well, lending further depth to his discussions of his films. Each chapter is incredibly thorough in terms of plot summary, background info, critique and analysis, whether he is discussing another cookie cutter Andy Hardy movie or a large-scale comedy like 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.' Production stills, movie posters, and other photos are sprinkled throughout the book, adding more context to each chapter . . . The Essential Mickey Rooney lives up to its title, proving to be the definitive book on the actor who had one of the longest, most prolific careers in Hollywood. Even film fans already familiar with Rooney's body of work will likely discover new information within its pages. Rooney's personal life and relationships were notoriously tumultuous and may not have had the happiest of endings, but his boundless talent and enthusiasm on the screen lives on, and Neibaur perfectly captures it here.

About the Author

James L. Neibaur is a film historian and educator who has written hundreds of articles, including more than forty essays in the Encyclopedia Britannica. He is the author of several books on film, including The Elvis Movies (2014) and The Clint Eastwood Westerns (2015), bothpublished by Rowman & Littlefield.