Few actors spark the kind of debate to their contributions to film as Mickey Rooney does. Some consider him a true legend while others call him an overrated hack.
I'm curious what the membership thinks. Personally I find his ego a bit hard to take at times and it has only gotten worse with age. He is his own biggest fan and will gladly tell you of his relationships with every notable actress of a certain era. Still, it's hard to deny how popular and influential his Andy Hardy and Judy Garland films were in their day. Many of these seem horribly dated which has limited their appeal to modern audiences and has kept his films from being remembered as fondly as those of Cary Grant for example.
Since the Hardy films his genuine hits have been sporadic. He has turned in some really good performances (the TV movie "Bill" was wonderful) but he's also appeared in many films that were already obscure when they were originally released.
What say you?
I'm curious what the membership thinks. Personally I find his ego a bit hard to take at times and it has only gotten worse with age. He is his own biggest fan and will gladly tell you of his relationships with every notable actress of a certain era. Still, it's hard to deny how popular and influential his Andy Hardy and Judy Garland films were in their day. Many of these seem horribly dated which has limited their appeal to modern audiences and has kept his films from being remembered as fondly as those of Cary Grant for example.
Since the Hardy films his genuine hits have been sporadic. He has turned in some really good performances (the TV movie "Bill" was wonderful) but he's also appeared in many films that were already obscure when they were originally released.
What say you?
