Life is Too Short - Hardcover

Rooney, Mickey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517098210 ISBN 13: 9780517098219

Publisher: Random House Value Publishing, 1993

Synopsis

He soared form the wrong side of Brooklyn to the top of the world. And he's still hot six decades later. Now, with crackling wisdom and great humor, Mickey takes us back and tells us about: The early days, the wild parties, and squandered fortunes . . . The dark days on the downside of
fame . . . The fabled friendships, torrid romances, and legendary marriages . . . The blockbuster films and head-busting moguls . . . Inside stories about Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlie Chaplin, Spencer Tracy, and a host of others.
Mickey Rooney opens a wide window into an extraordinary life, one of startling adventure, tremendous excess, flagrant hedonism, heart-wrenching love, and an immense and giving talent that looms larger than life itself.
"LIFE IS TOO SHORT is a little masterpiece . . . . Fascinating." --Los Angeles Daily News

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

At age two in 1922, Joe Yule Jr. joined his parents on the vaudeville circuit in an act that was disbanded when Joe Sr. decamped. On their own, mother and son went looking for work in Hollywood, where little Joe metamorphosed into Mickey Rooney. His racy, comic, poignant autobiography recalls the highs and lows during the years he made more than 200 films, including the hugely popular Andy Hardy series and musicals with Judy Garland. Rooney is candid on the subjects of his eight marriages (the first to the late Ava Gardner) as well as the drinking and gambling that scarred many of his relationships. Dropped by MGM, where he was paid a "pittance" for performing in films which earned billions, Rooney established new careers, winning awards for his TV roles and achieving a triumph in the long-running Broadway musical Sugar Babies . Fans will be cheered to read that in his aging years Rooney still explodes with ideas and plans, such as starting a studio to produce "clean, wonderful" films--and outclassing the 94-year-old George Burns. "Since actuaries have proven that married men live longer," the much-wed Rooney figures to surpass Burns, who married just once, and still be entertaining us in the year 2672. Photos not seen by PW. 150,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

From title to the last line, "I'll have a short bier," Rooney's self-deprecating humor powers this book. He's not a brutal kiss-and-teller, and he's more of a connoisseur of stories and observations than of finely matched facts. Rooney is frank, however, about his lifelong battles with pills, gambling, horses, and inability to handle finances. His boundless energy, drives to both work and seek applause, optimism, and now Christianity have carried him through the roller coaster ride of his 70 years. Though other books chronicle the heyday of Hollywood and the blatant exploitation of its productive stars, this will appeal to fans who have enjoyed his work over the years. Not without flaws, but it works. Recommended for popular collections. Literary Guild alternate.
- Rebecca Sturm Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0517098210
• ISBN 13: 9780517098219
• Binding: Hardcover