Westlake’s Mickey Rooney still looms large
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

Mickey Rooney

Tireless Mickey Rooney returned to his Westlake Village home after a recent tour abroad with his wife, Jan, his batteries recharged and ready to restart.

After 70 years of life on stage and screen, you’d think America’s most lovable actor would be ready to hit the pause button.

For the 80-year-old Rooney, not a chance.

In a recent road show that took him to Australia, Italy and France, Rooney sang, danced and joked just like the old days, ever mindful of pleasing his adoring audiences.

"We enjoy it, we have a lot of fun and we please the people. That’s the main thing, and I love working with my wife," said Rooney, a resident of Westlake Village and North Ranch for 25 years.

The husband-and-wife act is called "Two for the Show" and includes, among other things, a delightful walk down memory lane along with hilarious imitations by Mickey of some of the famous Hollywood stars. While Jan does her best Patsy Cline, Rooney revives bits from the 1979 hit Broadway show "Sugar Babies," which earned him a Tony Award nomination.

When his long successful run is finally over, how does Rooney want to be remembered?

"Just a regular guy," he said.

Not a chance.

Rooney has more than 300 film credits to his name, titles like "National Velvet," "Boys’ Town" and "Black Stallion" to name a few. From musicals to raucous comedy to serious drama, Rooney has tried it all on and it fits.

Born Joe Yule, Jr. to vaudeville-acting parents, the ever-spunky Rooney shot to fame as a child star in the 1930s in the Andy Hardy film series.

Rooney won a special Academy Award for the 1938 film, "Boys Town" and Academy Award nominations for "Babes in Arms," "The Human Comedy," "The Bold and the Brave" and "Black Stallion." He won a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1982.

The diminutive Rooney reinvented himself on TV and conquered the small screen by winning both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for the television film, "Bill."

"Life Is Too Short" is the fitting title of Rooney’s 1991 autobiography.

Rooney likes playing to the preacher, too. He’s been married eight times including once to film star Ava Gardner, but he and the former Jan Chamberlain have been together more than 20 years and say they love living in the Conejo Valley.

Rooney’s family, scattered far and wide, includes nine children, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and great-grandchildren twins reportedly on the way. Rooney, who played boys’ parts until he was 28 because of his size, didn’t grow tall, but he grew talented. An accomplished musician who can play almost every instrument in the orchestra, Rooney wrote both songs and scripts for Hollywood.

As for his colleagues, the Little Lord Fauntleroy has worked with all the best, including Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor and many more.

At this year’s Academy Awards, Mickey and Jan sat next to Steve Allen and his wife, Jayne Meadows.

"[Allen] said, ‘Jan and Mickey, I want us all to go out and go to dinner and come to our home.’ We sat next to him the whole night and chatted, but that’s the last we ever saw him," Jan said.

Steve Allen died on Oct. 30.

On Dec. 17 at the historical Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Rooney will receive a lifetime achievement award by the Film Advisory Board (FAB), a nonprofit family and children’s entertainment awards organization.

Past celebs in the FAB ring of honor include Liza Minelli, Jack Lemmon and Bob Hope.

"What a great honor that is," Rooney said. "[We hope] to just keep working and enjoying the public … We’re having a great time."