Mickey Rooney passes away

Today we´ve learnt about the demise of Mickey Rooney. Unlike Philip Seymour Hoffman´s death, Mickey Rooney´s passing away can´t be described as sudden, accidental or tragic as he was 93 years old. However, I feel that his death is also really meaningful because he belonged to that group of American film stars who were unique and irreplaceable:  the actors and actresses of the star system who performed in the golden area of the American cinema. Thinking about Mickey Rooney involves bringing to mind other unforgettable names: Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor… I don´t like remembering Mickey Rooney as the grumpy old man he had become over the last years, instead of doing so, I prefer recalling the image of the young actor in one of his comic roles or as a talented dancer and preferably in a black and white film, the sort of film I would watch when I was a child and I started to become fond of watching films. Even if the death of Mickey Rooney can´t have been unexpected, it makes us come to terms with the end of a period of time which was full of talented performers: actors, dancers, singers and musicians. In spite of that, Mickey Rooney had a prolific career and managed to adapt to the new times, actually, most young audiences must be familiar with him thanks to his recurrent role as one of the retired security guards in The Night at the Museum films.

Have you seen any of Mickey Rooney´s films? Do you associate him with any other actor or actress in particular? Do you remember him playing the part of the guard in The Night at the Museum films?