Customer Reviews

Life Is Too Short

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mickey Rooney is a force to be reckoned with. He began his career on the stage; both of his parents were performers. As a toddler, he looked more like a midget than a baby, so he was cast in various roles as such. Hal Roach's Little Rascals series' popularity gave reason for Rooney to star in his own series as a kid as Mickey McGuire. Later, he moved his way into the "in" crowd, rubbing elbows with some of the most famous names in classic Hollywood. A B-picture that took America by storm, however, cemented his fame as the mischievious son of a judge with a heart of gold. Mickey Rooney became Andy Hardy in the hearts and minds of millions and also began his long companionship with Judy Garland. When WWII came, Rooney joined up to entertain the troops. Afterward, he juggled his way through eight wives and a downward spiral that left him struggling to revive his career.

This book has certain elements that make it seem like a tell-all biography, but it is also good at covering the areas that most readers are interested in. Rooney's vibrant personality shines through the entire book and really helps it flow. The chapters are short too.

It is obvious that Rooney is a conflicted person, but also that he truly loves performing and the people he was associated with through his life. His love for Garland shines brightly and makes one wonder if she was the love of his life only he didn't notice until it was too late. Rooney is not bitter about his many wives; he never says anything to tarnish their names and he accepts blame for the failure of the relationships.

Overall, this is an honest, entertaining, and enjoyable book.

I always admired Mickey Rooney as a performer. He had tremendous talent. What a shame he lived his personal life the way he did. Even though I wasn't born until 1947, I grew up watching his movies on TV. I obtained a copy of the book recently and it is a quick and easy read. Yet I was astounded to read about his sexual exploits written in such a way that they belonged more in in a porn manner than in a book about his life. Obviously, Mickey isn't a gentleman and yet this book was supposedly written *after* he found God. About halfway through the book, when he related another startling episode about his life, I said to myself, "He's making that up." While most of the book is probably based on truth, I think Mickey also created some events out of his wise-cracking mind and then came to believe them himself, especially since those who could call him on them are now dead. While disappointed in him I will still watch his movies whenever I get the chance.

Mickey Rooney's 1993 autobiography is equally divided between his show biz memories and tales of his romantic exploits. He love of performing began when he first performed in vaudeville at the age of two. On to Hollywood, where he found steady work in silent pictures and became a box-office hit with the Andy Hardy movies and his musicals with Judy Garland. In the fifties, his star dimmed, but he has kept working and says he'll never retire.

Rooney writes with surprisingly little hubris and is honest about his addictions to drugs, gambling, and women. He married eight times but also romanced just about every beautiful woman he met. The book is chatty and energetic and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There are many movie and personal photos. Fans of Mickey and those interested in the golden age of Hollywood will enjoy this upbeat memoir.

yes, i read mickey rooney's "life is too short", and i thought it to be an excellent read. his experiences and accomplishments are so vast and well told that there is a definite vicarious feeling one gets even in the comfort of one's recliner.

too, i identify with him because our ages are the same, eighty eight this year, 2008. i missed him as mickey mcguire, but picked up on him with the judy garland-mickey rooney tour de forces and many other movies which followed.

he is a natural. not a regular high school nor college graduate but a graduate of the "school of hard knocks." and let me tell you he absorbed all the wisdom that this school had to offer. true he might have gotten a "d or an f" in some of that school's curricula, but for the most part he learned how to live and especially, " how to pick yourself up when knocked on your a--.

it is a pity how the world forgets, your only as good as yesterday's triumph. but here is a talent that transcends all of the yesterdays. here is a phenomenon, a guy with talent galore.

For any fan of Hollywood's Golden Age, Mickey Rooney's LIFE IS TOO SHORT is a good read. As expected, Mickey covers in detail his relationships with Judy Garland, Louis B. Mayer and his eight wives. Every so often though, Rooney goes a bit too far. His detailed description of first wife Ava Gardner's privates and how she used them in bed were tasteless, as are the stories of teenaged Mick's first trip to a Hollywood bordello in the company of Milton Berle and his chance encounter with a naked Tallulah Bankhead doing something to her girlfriend. Also unnecessary was a mention of Judy Garland's brief affair with another woman.

Less-prurient tabloid-type info concerns the agent who bilked Rooney out of a few million dollars, the woefully underpaid actor's battles with MGM for equitable compensation (a struggle he never did win), his abuse of alcohol and pills, and the murder of Mickey's fifth wife at the hands of an illicit lover.

Put together, all of the above tantalizing tidbits wouldn't fill a single chapter in this 340 page* story of a most remarkable life. The general tone is upbeat-- one of perseverence and personal triumph. Rooney's advice to one and all in this book's last few paragraphs is both simple yet sage and is clearly gained from a long, eventful and occasionally painful life.


The FOREVER YOUNG: Mickey Rooney 4 Movie Pack offers up an Andy Hardy film, a western, a crime drama and a racecar film, all starring this cinematic giant.

*hardcover

I am 5'4" and Mickey is one inch shorter so I was curious about how he dealt with this obvious aspect of his life. He didn't let it worry him really. He just plows through life at full speed. He has a great writing style and should write more books. I enjoyed this book very much as my family was invovled in the Hollywood movie industry. One aspect of his life is dealt with vivid detail.....his sex life. A subtitle of this autobiography could have been..."Horny Boy Makes the Big Time In Hollywood". Being a guy, I can certainly understand and have some empathy with him. Been there and done that myself. Highly recommended, a fun and fast read.

..IN his autobio. LIFE IS TOO SHORT. Certainly a winning volume in the Bright and Shadowy side of Vaudeville and Hollywood, and he details heavily his struggles as the "Grown Up" "Andy Hardy". The ONLY place I warn readers about it, be prepared to read unsavory details about many Great, Classic Hollywood Stars. Mr Rooney's remembrances are, of course, one opinion, so take it with a grain of salt , but if your illusions over Great Names like Spencer Tracy, Fred Astaire, Clark Gable and etc matter, then let this one go.(Drunken orgies are Not much fun to read about or imagine, esp when QUALITY mattered in Hollywood. Imagining Rooney, Tracy, Mr AStaire and Gable all passed out on a bed, is NOT my idea of entertainment, and I seriously doubt his voracity here. Also intimate details of his bedroom dalliances are not needed either..
There is NO DOUBT Mickey Rooney is a LEGEND, also according to himself, in the bedroom too (Face it the man has had 8 marriages); his "Love Affair"/Deep Friendship with his beloved Judy Garland is touching to read of here..but I can't see picking this volume up to read a second time.

I loved the book read it over several times as well as some other bios on him. Mickey has lived through quite a lot, some good times & some very hard times that could break a lesser man. He is probably one of the most under rated, Greatest talents ever to step into Hollywood.
Sure he might of been a little graphic in some of his sexual experiences but he was telling it like it was. Hollywood back then was really no different from the way it is now. A famous kid with lots of dough in his pockets & girls throwing themselves at him, The older stars showing him the ropes its quite a temptation not to be part of the crowd. When a young man is brought up in an atmosphere such as he was, for instance being seduced by Norma Shearer a woman almost twice his age, He learned about sex early on of course it would have had some impact on his life as he grew older.

Mickey talked a lot about his very close relationship with Judy, How they would goof around all the time on the sets trying to trip each other up. They would often hang out & talk of doing their own show together, He even hinted that maybe he let right one get away by saying what might of been if they would have gotten together. How he respected Judy in a way he didn't most other women & that respect might have kept him on the straight and narrow when everything around him might have tempted him to stray. Even to go as far as to say what there kids would be like.
He told of his rise to the top and how MGM made them a star, but also made millions off them in the process leaving Judy & Mickey with minimal salaries.

Mickey first met Sam Stiefel while he was on tour with Judy promoting Girl Crazy a nice guy with a great line. Sam impressed Mickey so much that they became good friends the kind of friend that would lend you money with no question. Sam would talk him into becoming his manager and eventually into leaving MGM altogether and starting his own production company. He could get him pictures making twice what he was making for MGM. Mick himself would be President and Sam would be his secretary/treasurer taking care of his finances & his mom while he was away in the army, only to end up robbing him blind & all but ruin his career with MGM.

Mickey did have a very addictive behavior pills, gambling, & beautiful women would become his downfall. There would be many more setbacks in his life personally, Financially, as well as physically before he found his faith that would eventually pick him back up & lead him in the right direction. Mickey lives for an audience that's where he feels truly needed & loved I believe he will never stop working, for that's what keeps him going. Now 89 yrs old Mickey Is a True Survivor!!!!!

Coming as it does from one of Hollywood's finest, this is one of the best classic Hollywood books ever written. What I like especially is that Mickey doesn't feel it necessary to trash anyone. Mickey truly believes that his life has been a blessing & is still enormously grateful for his opportunities & the fabulous people he's worked with.
A great read. I highly recommend it.

This is a great book to learn about Mickey Rooney. I grew up watching this actor grow in skill and spirit. He had a marvelous skill of learning his trade and managed to keep his humanity. I read this book from a friend's collection, and it would be nice to find it again in print.His contribution to the arts should be made more available.If you are fortunate to find this book,it is worth a read.