"To Die For" on its 25th Anniversary

To Die For was released nationwide in theaters on this day in 1995. Here's Christopher James...

Is Nicole Kidman funny? Critics of the Oscar winning actress have often called her “cold,” rendering her incapable of cracking a smile, much less a laugh. Given that perception it’s funny that Nicole Kidman was first taken seriously for her comedic chops. Best known in 1995 as Mrs. Tom Cruise and Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, Kidman was in search of a vehicle that would showcase more of her considerable talents. Along came To Die For, based on the Joyce Maynard book of the same name which borrowed details from the Pamela Smart case that took the media by storm. Originally offered to Meg Ryan, Kidman eventually won the part and received a fair share of accolades, including a Golden Globe win and a BAFTA nomination.

Talking about the virtues of Nicole Kidman on The Film Experience is the very definition of “preaching to the choir.” Yet, preach away I will...

Click to read more ...

Mickey @ 100: From "National Velvet" to "The Black Stallion"

Here's Baby Clyde to conclude our brief Mickey Rooney Centennial celebration

Many years ago, as a Golden Age Hollywood obsessed tween, I dragged my poor brother up to London with me so we could stand outside the stage door of the Savoy Theatre. The West End debut of the smash hit Broadway revue Sugar Babies was playing and it starred the legendary Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller ...from actual HOLLYWOOD!!!

As a little kid from a decidedly un-glamourous council estate, who spent all his spare time poring over books about old movies stars, this was too good an opportunity to miss. It didn’t turn out quite as I’d planned. We arrived at the stage door with plenty of time before the show began to find a handful of like minded saddos also waiting. They informed us that Miss Miller was already inside which was of course unfortunate, but Mickey was still to arrive. A little while later he did...

Click to read more ...

Mickey Rooney @ 100: "The Human Comedy"

by Cláudio Alves

While Mickey Rooney's career is famed for its longevity, the actor's professional life wasn't without its hurdles, declines, and subsequent comebacks. Transitioning from childhood stardom to adult celebrity isn't easy for anyone, much less for someone as famous as Rooney. Blessed with a boyish face and short stature, he was perfect for playing young people like the famed Andy Hardy, still acting as a teenager well into his 20s. Boundless energy typified his screen persona, often verging on manic cheer that befitted youthful roles but was out of place in grown-up parts.

In this context, World War II marked a turning point. Before it, Rooney was a performing wunderkind who gave a face and a voice to American teenagers everywhere while earning MGM big bucks at the box office. After it, the young boy shtick lost its appeal, the star quickly fading into a character actor. The Human Comedy, released in 1943, one year before Mickey Rooney was inducted into the US Army, was one of his last big hits. It also netted him a second Best Actor nomination…

Click to read more ...

Mickey @ 100: "Babes in Arms"

by Camila Henriques

As we continue our centennial tribute to Mickey Rooney, it’s time to talk Babes in Arms. For a long time the 1939 musical was remembered mostly because of the pairing of Rooney and real life BFF Judy Garland, but the conversation has shifted to a necessary bumpier road, since the movie is just one of many examples of that era to feature performances in blackface (including the two leads).

The film’s place in Mickey’s career is not to be diminished: he received an Oscar nom for Best Actor at the age of 19 (the second youngest ever nominated) . The year before he had been awarded a Juvenile Oscar (Judy won the same honor the following year, as she had this hit and that other 1939 film).

A vaudevillian kid just like his co-star, Rooney was already a veteran when Babes… came around, with his Andy Hardy journey already begun...

Click to read more ...

Mickey @ 100: "Mickey McGuire" and "Andy Hardy"

by Nathaniel R

While we've never been Mickey Rooney fans, per se, you know we love to celebrate anniversaries here at TFE so we're going to look at three of his most famous films this week. But first a bit of history. This pint-sized sensation, a household name for most of the 20th century, was born in Brooklyn on September 23rd, 1920.  Though his career no longer holds the enduring caché of several of his contemporaries, he was the most popular star of the late 30s and early 40s. What's more he had the longest onscreen career of any American movie star -- he worked in the films from the time he was 6 years old until his death at the age of 93...

Like many famous actors of the Golden Age, his career actually began before the talkies, via vaudeville and then silent film. While franchise stardom is de riguer in the 21st century, it wasn't as common 100 years ago though Mickey Rooney was prime proof that the general concept has always been with us. He first came to popularity in serials, those shorts franchises that would play before features. His first big role was the titular character in the "Mickey McGuire" serials which ran from 1927 through 1934 as direct competition for the popular "Our Gang" comedies (which the wee Mickey had auditioned for). Here's a clip from one of the McGuire films...

Click to read more ...