What's My Line?: Mickey Rooney

What's up, my fine friends!?

I hope that all of you are doing well. We have snow here, and I haven't gotten the chance to be in it too much, but I will soon. I love it!

Today, I am participating in KN Winiarski Writes's Mickey Rooney: A Belated Centenary Blogathon!

I was really excited when I saw this! I wrote a post on what would've been Mickey Rooney's 100th birthday, September 23rd, but was shocked when I didn't see anyone else do one. 

"Could the world have already forgotten Mickey Rooney?" I wondered.

Thankfully, the answer is no! So many people have signed up to write about him in these next few days that I'm extremely happy. Check out all of those posts HERE.

Since I reviewed a movie starring him, Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), then, I thought that I'd do something different. (Though, I would love if any of you went and read that post in addition to this!)

Back in August I started a series that I had been wanting to begin for awhile, talking about one of my favorite game shows, What's My Line?! I started with talking about Esther Williams, and now it's Mickey Rooney's turn!

The rundown:

First of all, what is this game show? What's My Line? was a 30 minute game show that ran from 1950-1975.

This is how it worked:

A panel of four judges try to guess contestants' "lines" (jobs) by asking yes or no questions. The host/panel moderator, John Charles Daly, guided them and helped rework questions to fit the correct format. Each member of the panel would guess until they received a solid "no", a card is flipped, the contestant earns five dollars, and the next person on the panel begins to guess. When all ten cards are flipped the contestant wins! If the panel guess what their line is, then they still get however much money that they won in "nos".

L to R: The three regular panelists, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, and Dorothy Kilgallen, & the panel moderator, John Daly.

Now, this might sound boring, but I assure you that it isn't! The occupations are so unique, the panel has a hard time. Sometimes their guesses are so off, that it's a hoot! Plus, the highlight is that after two contestants there is the mystery guest! This guest is a celebrity and would be recognizable, so the judges wear blindfolds and get to ask one yes or no question before moving onto the next panel member and they have to guess who it is.

Blindfolds ready, panel?

For ages I would always just skip to the mystery person, but once I started watching full episodes I realized how much I was missing. The celebrity is how I'm connecting it back to my blog. The plan for this series is to talk about all of certain celebrity's appearances. To me, I think that you can tell a lot about a person based on the way they acted here. Some where shy, some were funny, some were bold, you get the idea!

If I were to review it like I do movies, I would say:

Length: 30 minutes.

Script: 10, Iʼve never heard a bad word.

Content: 9, sometimes there are one or two suggestive comments, but itʼs rare.

Age Range: Iʼve been watching this for a long time, but as I said, I didnʼt used to be interested in the first 2/3. I would say that little kids would like to just watch the mystery guest if they knew who it was, just because they wouldnʼt get how funny the rest of it was (especially if they canʼt read).

It is time to start! Will you come in mystery challenger, and sign in please...

Source

Mickey Rooney appeared on Whatʼs My Line? on four occasions. Sadly, his first time is a lost episode! I canʼt find a way to watch it anywhere. From him talking about it on the other episodes I know that the panel guessed who it was. Iʼll talk about his other three appearances, though.

April 27th, 1952: PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Hal Block, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf. (LOST EPISODE)

May 5th, 1957: PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Martin Gabel (Arleneʼs husband), Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf.

December 31st, 1961: PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Martin Gabel (Arleneʼs husband), Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf.

January 16th, 1966: PANEL: Steve Allen, Arlene Francis, Jayne Meadows, and Bennett Cerf.

Mickey Rooney is famous for his comedy, and these short episodes are no exception. For some reason before watching it I thought that he was going to be quiet, but I was wrong. When he entered he would throw kisses to the audience and one time, on May 5th, he signed a different name for fun. He fully participated and was hilarious! His reactions to the panelʼs questions is so memorable, as he was usually incredulous because they kept thinking that he was a woman.

Sometimes the celebrity guests answered in disguised voices, and his were hilarious. One time he was this kind of old guy jowly voice (my best way to describe it! Dorothy described it as, “Is he talking through a comb with tissue paper on it?”), which of course means that the panel had trouble understanding him (they are so deaf sometimes) and John had to repeat stuff. Mickey Rooney threw it back at them, asking, “What did you  say?”, which looked like great fun to make fun of the panel. Another time he used a high, squeaky voice (thatʼs when they thought he was a woman!), and lastly he sounded, to me, like an old cat (if cats could talk).

From his appearance on this show I can tell that he was extremely friendly, funny (I already knew that, because who doesnʼt?), and just in general had a great humor.

Some esoterica: there were mentions of the movie Breakfast at Tiffanyʼs (1961) and The Lucy Show. In one episode there were two mystery guests, the other being Henry Barnes, who was a traffic commissioner when there was something to do with Mike Quill. Iʼve never heard of what they were talking about so I had to look it up. See, this is educational!

Now Iʼm going to say some of my favorite moments, but I have to limit myself and there are many that I didnʼt put, so you should watch the episodes for yourself to see what your favorite parts are. (Mickey Rooney will be abbreviated as MR):

Arlene: “Are you younger than Gabby Hayes?” 

MR: “There have been doubts.”

When they all thought that he was female and were asking weird questions (they later admitted that they were going for Kim Novak!):

Finally, Bennett: “Iʼm afraid that weʼve been barking up the wrong tree.”

Dorothy: “Iʼm terribly sorry.”

Bennett: “Do you sometimes play a musical instrument while youʼre singing before a television or nightclub audience?”

John: “Like play a tuba and sing at the same time, Bennett?”

Steve Allen: “Do you sing?” 

MR: “If you want to call it that.”

How many times did the panel guess who it was, and how many times did Mickey Rooney win? Youʼll have to watch for yourself! Three of these episodes are available on YouTube and I like to watch them while doing the dishes. You can just skip to the mystery guest, but the whole episode is a ton of fun.

Thanks to Kristen for hosting this event and giving me a chance to continue this series! Make sure to read the other entries HERE.

As I said in my post on his actual birthday, my favorite role that he played is Mi Taylor in National Velvet (1944), what is yours? Have any of you seen Whatʼs My Line?? Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Book vs. Movie Review: Little Lord Fauntleroy

Hello, my readers!

Today is one of my favorite days: a birthday! This one is especially good because it would've been someone's 100th birthday! You know how I am, I get so excited about these things. And, I love to make you wait, so you'll have to go through my review of my most recent read before I tell you. Enjoy the suspense!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. These reviews are spoiler free!



Little Lord Fauntleroy - by Frances Hodgson Burnett:

A little boy, Cedric Errol, goes through some changes when he is moved from New York to England upon learning that he is going to be an Earl! His grandfather, the current earl, had a few disagreements with his son, and still has some with the boy's mother, but Cedric is his only heir. The seven year old begins his new life while still staying the kind person that he is. But, trouble looms on the horizon when it comes to their attention that something is wrong.
Genre: Children's Fiction.
Characters: 8, I'll talk about this more latter on. I have to get this out of the way first, these names are hilarious! They were the craziest things that you've ever heard. My favorite was Molyneux!
Words: 8, no bad words! I have this rating because I was getting tired of the words "dryly" and "queer" which are used a lot. The latter, though, was slightly intentional:

'"It makes me feel very queer," he said; "it makes me feel---queer."

The Earl looked at the boy in silence. It made him feel queer, too---queerer than he had ever felt in his whole life."'

Quotability: 7, there aren't any lines that I can see myself quoting over and over again, but this line was so funny because I relate to it a lot.

'"Spelling is a curious thing," he said. "It's so often different from what you expect it to be. I used to think "please' was spelled p-l-e-e-s, but it isn't, you know; and you'd think 'dear' was spelled d-e-r-e, if you didn't inquire. Sometimes it almost discourages you."'

Notes: There was also this one line, though very innocently said, cracked me up because it was so funny! Oh, Cedric! You little seven year old, you!

"I never knew any little girls, but I always like to look at them."

Content: 8, there is a tiny mention of married couples not living together, and usually that greatly concerns me, but in here I was fine with the circumstances.
Originality: 9, this is a cute little story! I can think of a few like it, but I believe that this was the first, so it gets the credit!
Good For: All kids! This teaches great lessons of being kind that would be suitable for all.

"You know you always remember people who are kind to you."
Age Range: All ages! This is one of the few books that I can think would be great for young and old alike.
Overall Score: 8!
Worth reading?: Oh, very! All the scenes make me so happy.
Will I read again?: I don't know if I'd want to read this again for my own benefit, but I now want to read it TO someone, and I hate reading out loud if that tells you anything.




VS.



Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936):

Based on: the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
In 1880's New York a little boy gets the surprise of his life when he learns that he is to be an earl! He has to move to England and will miss his friends, but he is excited to meet his grandfather, though he is confused that his mother and the Earl won't meet. Things are going very well and he is happy, but is there an even bigger surprise around the corner?

Genres: Drama, Family.
Length: approx. 90 minutes.
Costumes: 9, nothing extravagant, but nothing indecent.
Script: 10, no bad words! (Unless you count "holy mackerel!", which was used only once)

A funny part about a bike: "It has all the latest improvements!"
Crew: Directed by: John Cromwell. Written by: Hugh Walpole & Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Starring:

Freddie Bartholomew as Cedric Errol, Lord Fauntleroy.

C. Aubrey Smith as the Earl of Dorincourt.

Dolores Costello Barrymore as "Dearest" Errol.

Mickey Rooney as Dick Tipton.

Henry Stephenson as Mr Havisham.

Guy Kibbee as Silas Hobbs.

Una O'Connor as Mary.

Helen Flint as Minna.

Jackie Searl as Tom.

Eric Alden as Ben Tipton.

Constance Collier as Lady Constantia Lorridaile.

Walter Kingsford as Joshua Snade.

E. E. Clive as Sir Harry Lorridaile.

Ivan F. Simpson as Reverend Mordaunt.

Virginia Field as Miss Herbert.

Lionel Belmore as Mr. Higgins.

Reginald Barlow as Mr. Newick.

Jessie Ralph as the Applewoman from Brooklyn

Cinematography: 8, there was one part that stood out to me, when someone was turning a page that turned into a new scene, but that's it. Just your standard black and white. Oh, but the horses caught both my dad's and my eye! Those where some "high steppers"! Very impressive. Extra point just for that.
Cinematography by: Charles Rosher.

Music: 7, the music didn't stand out to me. Sometimes it was peppy, other times more subdued. But, at one point the music for Auld Lang Syne was worked in and I thought it was well done.
Music by: Max Steiner.
Notes:

At one point Cedric is playing Robin Hood and Una O'Connor is in the background. This was an interesting thing because Una O'Connor was in the movie made two years later The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)!

I also didn't notice until watching the movie the coincidence of Errol and Earl being so close...
Quotability: 7, there were funny lines, for sure, but not many that I would consider quoting often. This, though, was hilarious!

"I find that muffins are biscuits and biscuits are cookies!"

Content: 8, same as the book. In addition to that some kids get into a fight, but no one is hurt.

"I've promised him that if there was another war I would try to stop it." 

(This is out of context because of reasons, but I like it all the same).

Originality: 9, based on the book, so same as the book! There were a few differences, but they didn't change much. Basically just:

Cedric's age. In this he is nine instead of seven.

And another small part with his character that I mention later on.

Good For: Fans of black and white movies.

Age Range: I can't recommend this one as much as the book just because it bored me when I was little. The script isn't that interesting and you can easily lose track of what is happening. I think I might have left a little over half way the first time because I had other things to do. BUT, a little older viewers might have a longer attention span. This isn't because of content, just personal feelings.
Overall Score: 7!
Worth watching?: Yeah, probably because of the horses, to be honest.
Will I watch again?: Um, I don't know. I'd already seen it before, and it was fun to see again, but I don't feel the urge to revisit it anytime soon. But, I am interested in looking into other versions!

Well, I've kept you waiting long enough. I'm reviewing this because today, September 23rd, would have been Mickey Rooney's 100th birthday!

My favorite role of his is Mi Taylor in National Velvet (1944) which was the first movie I saw him in. But, Little Lord Fauntleroy was the second movie of his that I saw! In fact, I always think of him as either "National Velvet guy" or "Little Lord Fauntleroy guy".  Rewatching it I couldn't believe how young he was! Wow!


Some of my thoughts on both the book and the movie dealing with the characters and storyline:

At first I was a trifle irritated with the book. Oh what a perfect little boy! He's the most adorable little boy in the world! He's such a handsome chap, handsomer than any! He is so sweet and kind! I was thinking, "Come on. No little boy is "perfect" like that!" I know quite a few because I babysit them and they are all precious darlings whom I love, but they all can be quite mischievous. So I thought that it was unrealistic. As a writer, I'm always cautioned against making my characters too flawless. It can be hard and I've received feedback that my characters were not relatable because of it. Therefore I start to think, "Why could Frances Hodgson Burnett get away with it?" I'm not saying that characters should be badly behaved--mercy no!--just that having a fault or two makes them all the greater when they learn and overcome!

Here the movie did make a slight difference. It showed Cedric getting into a fight, though not completely of his own accord. I can't say that I didn't like it. It was brief, but made Cedric seem a little more human.

After that I began thinking of two characters from the book Anne of Avonlea - by L. M. Montgomery: Davy and Dora. Everyone loves Davy in spite of the fact that he is the biggest troublemaker ever---or is it because of it that they love him? I love Davy, too, as I said earlier, I know several of my own "Davys". He was my favorite part of the book when I read it the first time.

Upon rereading I realized something: Dora. Dora doesn't get nearly enough attention. She is a perfect angel and is good and lovely, why don't we appreciate her? I understand that at that time L. M. Montgomery was probably making a statement with the way the twins (oh, did I mention that they were twins?) are treated. I'm sure that readers expected the good people to be loved and the naughty ones to be punished and not loved as much and Ms. Montgomery was saying how that shouldn't always be like that. I appreciate that, I really do, but I also want to see more Dora.

CLICK. Things start to come together in my mind. If there is a child who has been raised with so much love, one who sees the good in everyone, should we not look up to this person? I understand isn't always possible and it shouldn't be (otherwise books and movies would become boring really quickly), but it's good to have a character like this every once in awhile. Especially for little kids to look up to! After that I realized what a good story this is for little kids.

But, something still bothered me. The statement that was obvious to me was: "You can only be good if you are beautiful". Huh, you won't get far with me. When the Earl was thinking to himself of how he wouldn't like him so much if he wasn't so good looking I was rolling my eyes. I couldn't believe it! It's Cedric's good nature and kindness that are what make him so lovable!

There was then a little boy mentioned who had a scar on his face but was still pleasant.

CLICK. There it goes again. "Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way..." I pondered. Maybe it's that people are beautiful BECAUSE they are kind, not vice versa. Think about it, in the story of Cinderella we hear of her two "ugly stepsisters" who are like that because they are cruel. Maybe goodness shines through? Now we don't have scientific proof of that, but it makes sense.

Maybe the moral of the story is to look for the best in people. Not that you should be blind, but that seeing the potential in someone helps them to see it, too.

Now that, is a meaning that I write about and can get fully behind.



As this is a comparison, which is the winner? I don't know. I'm going to have to say the book because they movie bored me when I was little while when I read the book it was a cute and refreshing break from my other reading. They are both enjoyable in their own rights, but I would recommend (like always) reading the book first, then deciding for yourself!


Hey, near the end there I got into a little rant that I did not see coming. But, in my defense it's something that I've very passionate about and love getting a chance to think about it.

Alright friends, that's enough from me! Thank you so much for reading! Please tell me some of your favorite story examples dealing with this! Oh, and what is your favorite Mickey Rooney movie? Happy birthday to MR!

MovieCritic

A Celebration of Classic Hollywood Movie Review: National Velvet

Hello, Hello, Hello!!!
I had to put three hellos because I'm so excited! Rose at An Old Fashioned Girl has started her Celebration of Classic Hollywood!!!

Love this Picture!

And I am going to review, National Velvet today for it!

National Velvet:

12 year old Velvet Brown loves horses. "Night and Day I dream of horses." One day she meets a stranger, Mi Taylor, on the road who is looking for a Mrs. Herbert Brown, who happens to be Velvet's Mother. Just then a horse comes galloping in the fields. Velvet falls in love with him right away. "It skips a beat."
Mi Taylor knows a lot about horses but claims he hates them. "That's when you really hate something, when you know too much about it." The horse jumps the hedge and Velvet stops him before he goes farther. The owner, Farmer Ede says he is a mad Pirate. But Velvet calls him Pie. Mi Taylor starts working for Mr. Brown at the butcher shop. One day he and Velvet are making a delivery when they see Pie again. Their dog Jacob runs after him making Pie jump over a hedge, the equivalent of Beecher's Brook, a jump in the Grand National. Velvet dreams of getting the Pie and having him win the Grand National. It is a wonderful story of living your dreams, using your dreams to help others dreams, and knowing when you have had your dream.

Costumes: 9, I couldn't find any full pictures, but I like this one of Edwina's and Velvet's.

Script: 10 "However it may grieve you, I feel fine."
Crew:
Directed by: Clarence Brown. (Really funny since it is about the Brown family.)
Produced by: Pandro S. Berman
Screenplay by: Helen Deutsch
Based on National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
Starring: In the credits it lists Micky Rooney and Donald Crisp first because they were more well known actors, when it is all about Velvet Brown.
Micky Rooney as Mi Taylor
Donald Crisp as Mr. Brown

Angela Lansbury as Edwina Brown
Anne Revere as Mrs. Brown 
Music: 8, wonderful soundtrack here.
Music by: Herbert Stothart
Quotes: 10, "Mrs. Brown, that's the first time I was ever hurt listening to you."
"What's the meaning of goodness if there is no badness to over come?"
Story line: There is a scene which envolves a bit of drunkness. I'm not sure how close this is to the book, but I'll give it an 7.
Overall Score: 9.

Thank you so much Rose for hosting the Classic Hollywood Celebration! Be sure to check it out HERE!!!!!
Sorry for the change in font, I can't get it to work any other way. Thanks for reading!!

MovieCritic