MICKEY
ROONEY, WIFE & TRIO WILL BRING A FUN SHOW TO PC CULTURAL CENTER ON
MARCH 12
Who: |
Mickey &
Jan Rooney, and instrumental trio |
What: |
Variety show |
When: |
Wednesday, March 12 -- 2:00pm
& 7:00pm |
Where: |
Cultural Center of Charlotte
County Theater, 2280 Aaron St., Port Charlotte, FL |
Cost: |
$20 per person in advance,
$25 at the door |
Info: |
941.625.4175 |
Talking over
the telephone to Mickey Rooney and his wife of twenty-five years, Jan Chamberlain
in California, was fun. They will appear in a variety show, together with
a trio from Las Vegas, at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County Theater,
at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12.
There was such
a feeling of energy and pleasing enthusiasm in their conversation, that
evoked an anticipation that their show was guaranteed to be a winner.
According to
Jan, who sings in the show and also is a song writer, "If you'd like a
roaring good time, lots of laughs, songs, stories, film clips and videos
of highlights of Mickey Rooney's life, impersonations of Jimmy Stewart,
Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Durante, solos, duets, a little
dancing, a little piano, and a fabulous trio from Las Vegas (piano, drums,
bass), then come see this show.
"I was born
in Hollywood, California. Mickey was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was
raised as a Lutheran. I'd have gatherings of my clients. Mickey and I met
at one of these meetings in 1974. That was one of the selling points; he
had such a spiritual cast on life. We married in 1978. We live in California.
"He's kind
of a homebody even though he's traveled all over. We love animals, and
we're always having fun.
"We own two
macaws and a young Jack Russell. Sometimes one of us will say 'Jack, sit.'
One of the macaws learned to repeat 'Jack, sit' and every time the bird
says that, the dog sits.
"When I'm in
the house downstairs, I might call to Mickey upstairs, and Mickey will
answer, 'What?' Now when I call up to Mickey, the bird answers 'What?'
"With Mickey's
help, I just got Congress to pass a law requiring all pet shops in the
U.S. to provide information on the feeding and care of animals for sale.
Dogs, cats, reptiles and so on, need different foods and care according
to veterinarians' instructions.
"These animals
are at the mercy of people who might only care about the business. I'd
call so many representatives in Congress to please listen, and they'd ask
to listen to Mickey. He told them about the bill and to support it."
Mrs. Rooney
continued, "Our son lives in Naples. His name is Mark Aber. I'll be glad
to visit with him. He's a musician, a drummer who plays at the Village
Pub and country clubs. He's also a chef, a writer and a composer.
"Whether he's
there or not, we're looking forward to this show. We offer our CD signed
at the end of the show. It contains all the songs in the show, fourteen
songs. Some are original songs by Mickey Rooney, and there's music by Patsy
Cline, and Judy Garland's 'Over the Rainbow.'"
Asking Mickey
Rooney if he likes to entertain is like asking whether a fish likes to
swim. He replied, "We just love entertaining people."
On his favorite
activities, Rooney said, "We write, and go to good shows. Al Pacino and
Janet Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor are friends. Jan and I write songs. A
book we wrote is coming out soon. It's called 'Jan and Mickey's Guide to
a Successful Marriage.'"
Rooney was
the top movie box office attraction in the world during 1939-1941. Asked
about his recollections of working with other Hollywood stars, he said,
"I acted in 'Boys Town' with Spencer Tracy (for which Rooney received a
special Academy Award). Tracy was Father Flanagan. I was the boy. Judy
Garland? She was great."
When asked
which of his movies he liked the best, he answered, "Out of 350 films that
I did, how can you say that? 'National Velvet' is one of my favorites.
Also, "The Wizard of Oz."
"Don't forget
that I'm a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I won a Bronze Star
in World War II. I entertained the troops with Red Buttons and Bobby Breen."
On his role
in the Broadway and tour productions of "Sugar Babies," he commented, "It
was fun for seven years, but I'd rather talk about this show we're doing
now. We can take this show to Broadway. It has the ingredients to go there."
He said he
wrote his autobiography in 1991, "Life is Too Short," published by Random
House.
On future plans,
"We are making a movie. It's called 'Strike the Tent.' It's about a retired
colonel. I have singing in it. Lee Majors and Amy Redford are featured."
On appearing
in Southwest Florida, Rooney said, "Florida could be a second home. It's
so different. We're coming to see our son. People are friendly and fun
loving. People should come see our show. They'll like it."
You can e-mail
Sandy Copperman at SanfordCop@aol.com |