Evening star., 1938-06-12
There Is No
Stopping
This Lad
Mickey Rooney's
"A COcksure
YOungster.
By Hubbard Keavy.

HOLLYWOOD.
Y you can't stop Mickey Rooney,
" as, for instance:
A director told him he was
Il to play ukulele in scene
right after lunch. you can play q
uke, can't you?" he added hopefully.
Boy, and how" responded Mickey.
"Just like one of them beach boys"
Mickeys mother. Mrs. Nell Pankey,
was astounded. She told her son so
when the director left. But the pre-
cocious lad skipped luncheon, found
a ukulele player in the music depart
ment and learned sufficient strum-
ming in an hour to get by.
If Mickey Rooney were graduating
from some high school this month,
the class might not vote him most
likely to succeed" but it certainly
would name him most confident"
Mickey is so cocksure that only his
youth and his box X-office rating save
him from being f1guratively slapped
down. He is convinced there is no
better actor in the world than Mickey
Rooney. And no matter what scenario
writers put in the scripts, Mickey
knows he can play it. Strange part of
1t is, he never has been stumped.
Rooney's cinema growth was slow
until he played The Devil Is a Sissy"
and "Ah Wilderness" Since those pic
lures his popularity has increased tre-
mendously and M-G-M says his fan
mail $50 per cent Of it from high
school girls) exceeds Gables and
Taylors
For five years Mickey appeared In
two-reel comedies. These were the
Mickey MCGUIRE series, numbering 10.
He has been in nearly $50 features.
Mickey's father was and still is a
burlesque comedian. His name is Joe
Yule. Mrs. Yule was dancer. Mickey
vas born in Brooklyn, 10 years ago
come next September. AS soon as
she was able. Mickey's mother re-
Joined the troupe, and Young Joe
made his first stage appearance at
the age of Is months.
When Mickey started in the movies,
at the age of 5l2, Joe Yule, jr., didn't
sound right to the producer. The
name of the character in the come
dies was hung on the boy, and few
months later he legally became Mickey
MCGUIRE. When he quit the come
dies, the producer forbade Mickey to
use his own name. Rooney was a
sudden choice.
I'VE took it because it sounded
irish" explains Mrs, Pankey, who re-
married since divorcing Joe, ST.
Mickeys mother hesitatingly admits
she keeps a close check on Mickey.
She accompanied him to his work
daily until a few months ago when
he began to feel grown up" She says
he has to be in at 10 o'clock week
nights, when he's working, and at
midnight on week ends.
He bowls (got a button the other
night for rolling 235), plays tennis,
golfs and swinls. Out of his $3.50 SAL
ary, he gets S35 week spending
money. but he's supposed to buy his
own clothes and take care of his
car. He continually complains that
his allowance is much too niggardly
for a young man about town. He
dresses in loud checks and stripes,
actor-like. and always keeps the top
of his coupe down.
Two years ago he formed an Or
cnestra, with himself as leader, but
rehearsals were too spasmodic to ac-
complish any good.
He wants to sit down and play popu-
lar pieces on the piano right now.
He's taken lessons from four expen-
sive teachers, but they gave up be-
cause their pupil was too impatient.
His mother says he has lots Of
dates" but he doesn't go with any
one girl for long. -
They sure telephone him a lot"
Mrs. Pankey says. The phones al
ways ringing"
Mickey talks about going to COL
lege next fall. He has the rating
Of a senior in the studio school, but
only the indulgence of his teacher
and California laws keep him there.
He frankly doesn't care for learn
tn'," although his mother says he's
pretty good in algebra and geogra-
ply. Folks at Nom say Mickey
won't go to school a minute after
he's 18, and they think his queries
about college are subtle attempts to
please his mother.
Mickey would rather have an audi
ence than anything else. The Pankeys
useo TO live IN nine-room beach
mouse, but Mickey brought his pals