Mickey Rooney Books

A boy and his horse.


In something of a change of pace, a horse book that may just be slightly more directed at boys than girls, although the plot stays fairly similar.

Boy helps out horse in island shipwreck situation. Horse returns the favour. Horse of course is an impressive specimen and can do the fast running thing quite nicely.

So, off to the races then go.

Strange in a way that I loved this book so much when I read it in fourth grade, because, ironically, in real life, horses kind of scare me. I think Walter Farley's book is magical and I hope others who read it find as much meaning as I did in the story of a boy named Alec Ramsey, who survives a shipwreck and befriends a magnificent black Arabian stallion. Yes, this enduring classic is basically a fantasy, but sometimes it takes fantasy to create a book that is capable of touching the human soul in the exact way this one does.

What would you do if your horse saved you from the frightening death of drowning? Then what would you do if that horse was taken away from you? That is exactly what Alec thought of in the fictional book The Black Stallion written by Walter Farley.

Alec was on a ship back to his homeland, when the ship got in contact with a glacier. No one even thought of about saving that horrible, kicking, horse in the stables. Though Alec knew it was the right thing so he went into the stables and saved the horse. As they jumped off the ship, Alec was too weak to swim. So the stallion swam miles with Alec at the end of the stallions lead rope, until they saw land. They were stuck on that island fighting to survive as their friendship grew between them. One day a ship came and saved them. In a couple of days they would be at home. The stallion was named The Black and was kept in an older barn behind Alec's house.

I couldn't put this book down. This whole series was amazing. Anyone who loves horses would love these books. This book made me happy, nervous, and sad. It also made me cry. I think everyone should experience these feelings when you read a book.

-Courtney Dommer

This book is a must-read for any child. When I was young I read lots of Jack London books and I also read the entire Walter Farley Black Stallion series. Walter Farley's books are written in a very simple style, easy for young readers to understand. The movie is a timeless classic & was so well done. Some children will find the movie slow (no talking during the whole island sequence) but if your child appreciates beautiful images, and is horse-crazy, they'll love the film. I now own a black Arabian stallion of my own...so be careful, Black Stallion books can cause a lifelong horse addiction!

I greatly enjoyed this book when I was younger, and I still like it. However, in recent years I have come to realize how prejudicially obsessed Walter Farley was about Arabians. Even in his book The Great Dane Thor, the horses only briefly mentioned in the book were Arabians. He didn't seem to realize that there were other breeds in the world. For instance, he had the Black's daughter, Black Minx run in the Kentucky Derby--a race exclusively limited to Thoroughbreds.

In recent years, I have also realized Farley's poor writing stile. Not only did he not do research, but he presented his views as FACT, not opinions. For instance, ALL horses are intelligent, but especially ARABIANs; ALL horses are more sensitive than people and can find water by smell in a desert...or land in an ocean. Among horses, Farley stated on no uncertain terms that Arabians are by far the most superior, and that among Arabians, The Black was king.

I don't know about you, but I'm kind of tired of that. I'd like to see the Black lose a race or two, or sire a dud colt. The Island Stallion was the same--in fact, when the Black met Flame, the fight between them was a draw because they were both FLAWLESS Arabians, so perfect that neither could beat the other. It was a satisfying end when I was little, but now it annoys the fire out of me. I have read most of the series, and it is always the same: The Almighty Arabian wins out over man, nature, or other horses...and here is one once-avid reader who is sick of it.

An impressive documentation and tribute to the extraordinarily rich career of a legendary Hollywood survivor

The book arrived in the condition stated in the write-up.

This book should be entitled "The autobiography of a guy who played a munchkin plus stuff you have seen before and cartoon art". This book was written because a lady went on a cruise and happen to meet an actor that played the coroner in The Wizard of Oz. She went home and told her son he ought to go visit him since he lives near the actor in Florida. So he did. I believe it had more to do with the mother, the son and the actor looking to make a buck than anything else. 1/3 of the book is the story of the actor's life. It is very boring and has little to nothing to do with the movie. The second third is about his days on the set with most photos we have seen before. Granted, there are some new ones and some autographed head shots of the stars, but not enough to make a book. The last third is just work commissioned for this book drawn by cartoonists that usually feature the actor-coroner predominately. Lots of pages of that. Boring. There are lots of pictures of posters of the movie we have seen before. For $40.00 retail, this book is very poor on material that would interest the true Oz fan. It is mostly thrown together and padded with full pages of "art" by the cartoonists and posters.

As an avid Wizard of Oz fan for almost 20 years now, I've read just about every book about the making of the movie. I was beginning to feel that there was nothing more for me to learn about this movie, until I read this book. Mr. Raabe's book gives a very interesting, fresh perspective about making the film, or at least the Munchkinland sequences. His writing style is conversational, so you feel as though he's sitting right there telling you all about what it was like to be on the beautiful Munchkinland set (describing details that I had missed in my many viewings of the movie), what it was like to meet Judy Garland, and other behind-the-scenes tid-bits. His Munchkin Coroner career aside, Mr. Raabe has had a fascinating life as the original Little Oscar mascot for Oscar Mayer, and as a flight instructor for the Civil Air Patrol. In addition, there are many photos from the making of the film, which I have never seen before, as well as original art that was commisioned for this book and shows many different artists' interpretations of Oz and Munchkinland. I very highly recommend this book for any Oz fan!

Our family met Meinhardt Raabe when our daughter was born with dwarfism 24 years ago. Meinhardt is an incredible person, and he speaks from his heart, in his daily life, as well as in this book, Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road. He speaks openly and shares his life and experiences with you as if you were sitting down right next to him. You can't help but notice his genuine caring and sincerity coming through every page as he speaks candidly of his lifetime experiences. Our family highly recommends you buy this book. It will be a family treasure for many years to come.

I think of myself as a big Oz/Judy Garland fan and I think this is the best book ever written about the Munchkins. I thought I had seen every behind the scene still but I was wrong. There are many in this book that are from Mr. Raabe's collection that are new to me. I'm so happy that someone that was actually there during the making of The Wizard of Oz wrote such a complete book. I enjoyed it immensely. I would tell anyone who likes The Wizard of Oz to make sure this book is part of your collection. Thanks Mr. Raabe!

This book is a must-have for all Oz fans! You get a Munchkin's eye view of the filming of The Wizard of Oz. Memories of a Munchkin is jam-packed with rare photographs. It's like a feast for the eyes.

You'll come away with a new-found respect for the always charming Meinhardt Raabe. With only 9 of the original 124 Munchkins still alive, this book is a treasure. I've talked to Meinhardt in person several times and he's always so sweet. After reading this book, you'll feel as though you've met him too!

Memories of a Munchkin is full of little known trivia and fascinating tid-bids, sure to please even the most casual Oz viewer.

If you only buy 1 book this year, make it Memories of a Munchkin!

Hats off to Meinhardt Raabe for such an Oz-some book!

I've always liked Mickey Rooney. In this book, Mickey pulls no punches and tells it like it was. This was an excellent read and he gives tidbits of info that outside of Hollywierd Circles, you would not know about. Like Marlyn Monroe was known through out Hollywood as having a certain talent she liked to do/was known for as "the best in Hollywood."

The book was very informative and he talks about the way it was back then... no holds bared. I respect Mickey for that. He is a real man, a great talent, not afraid to disclose when he got hurt, and the fun times he had. Thanks Mickey!

Your a Man's Man.

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 descriptions 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

This is a great classic story. I read it first as a child and have read it many times since then. The author is British and she writes in a very classic, literary way that may be difficult at first to "get into." However, even written this way it's not a boring story. One of the best things about this book is Velvet's family. The family is portrayed as being dedicated to each other without being sappy and simplistic. The parents are strong moral people. Ultimately, the family is happy and this gives Velvet strength to do a heroic deed.
I keep going back to National Velvet because it is a classic story written without the cheap gimmicks of mystery, cliffhanger's and confrontations. This is a good book for family to read aloud too.

I read this as a child and liked it okay, but re-reading it, it seems a little odd. For one thing, the author keeps referring to the children's hair as "silver" "pale" or "white." Does that mean that they're blond or prematurely gray? Another thing is that the writer seems to take great pleasure in describing the family's meals and making them sound utterly disgusting.

So what about the horse story? It is utterly unrealistic. The protagonist is given five horses on the spur of the moment by a dying man. Legitimate, I guess, but unrealistic. Then she wins another horse in a village. Okay, that's possible, but the horse goes on to win the Grand National after his first ever gymkhana. The girl is a natural rider but hasn't ridden anything but her pony for eight previous years. It's unlikely, that even with her talent, she had the guts to win at the National without ever competing in a hurdle race before.

What is it with these horse heroines that discover wild horses and tame them in a short amount of time to win the Kentucky Derby or the Olympics? Such training usually takes years and years of patient conditioning and practice. As a rider and horse lover, I think this is absurd.

National Velvet by Enid Bagnold is full of fun and super exciting!
Velvet is a girl who lives in a village in England. She dreams of having a horse. Within two weeks she has six! One is a piebald who can jump like a dream. Velvet decides to enter him in the most famous steeplechase in England; the Grand National. Although girls are not allowed to enter Velvet disguises her self as a boy and enters. Can she win the race? Or more importantly, will she get caught?
I was always wondering what would happen next. Because of the two page illustrations I could easily picture every setting. (Refers to an original book club edition, 1935, illustrated by Winslow.) Velvet was crazy to risk her and her horse's life and limb as well as a large fine, which I thought I would never have been able to do. I would have been too scared.
Enid Bagnold shows us that winning is not everything and fame does not last. This timeless story is a lot of fun from cover to cover!

W. Kaplan "calyndula"'s review makes this book sound like a classic. And it is. It's an old story and alot of people like it. But just because something's labeled 'classic', doesn't mean it's always interesting and simply wonderful. Do not be fooled, I love horses and horse books, it's just that this one, put quite simply, is one big yawn. It is often sold with a gold chain with the "Pie" on it. The chain isn't even worth the price: No matter how gentle you are with it, it will eventually break. Until the 15th chapter, there's no excitement, no cliffhangers...not even any tragedies for pete's sake! Just a bunch of silly nonsense and 'classic' dumb 'english' language. It's VERY confusing and hard to understand. I mean, I don't mind some good old-style language, but for heaven's sake! I may sound like an overly critical old-style book hater, but I'm not. The movie was better. I'm just saying this book doesn't deserve 16 chapters. That's my two cents, take it or leave it.

I received this book when I was 9, loved it immediately, and kept it on my bookshelf always. I'm almost 40 now and just reread it (it's one of my "comfort" books) and was once again blown away by the beauty and astonishing metaphors of Bagnold's prose.
She is a lovely writer. I wish I could write as well as her. Our window into the Brown family is clear and uncluttered; we get to watch as the girls relate to each other, speak in their own family shorthand, deal with their similarities and differences. I adore the way the family accepts each other - each with their own quirks and peculiarities. Velvet, with her profound love of horses and her very 14-year-old imagination. Merry immersed in the world of canaries. Edwina on the brink of adulthood. Mally, Velvet's closest friend, sharing candy bars and secret plans.
I was such a girl myself, with my own imaginary stable of mounts... but my appreciation of the book goes beyond a recognition of similarity; Enid Bagnold simply writes with a sophistication few writers for young adults share... with no condecension and no need for explanation.

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 enjoy this book on Mickey ROoney's life. Sure, he wasn't and isn't perfect, but who is?
He truly is a wonderful man and living legend. He truly has seen and done it all and is still doing it.
This book tells all about his career and life in Mickey's own way.
He truly is a jewel. An american treasure.
We love you Mick!

I always buy books with dustjackets, but mistakenly bought one without, so that's my fault. (I'm only using the book as reference not collection.) Still, the book reeks of cigarette smoke.

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.

The Search for Sonny Skies is a novel where the readin' is easy. The Richards character is a sleezeball with a heart of gold.. Sonny Skies is a sympathetic, mentall,y traumatized former movie star. He thinks he's only eight years old. He's supposed to have died in World War II combat fifty years ago. The movie giants of those days knew how to make things happen or not happen. Mickey Rooney makes it all happen in his own burlesque and vaudeville way.

Richards is a sleezy ex-alcoholic who got himself into a libel suit at his pornographic magazine, so he's currently out of a job. He spends most of his time meeting with the Backstabbers, his group of poker buddies. One day, his friend gets ahold of some old MGM footage, everything from naked ladies flirting with the camera to a little boy's screen test. The screen test interests him, and it takes him on a whirlwind ride. Elle McBrien is a reporter for HMO doing a story on Sonny Skies, the only American actor to die during WWII. She finds out that Richards is in possession of Sonny's screen test, and requests to use it. He weasels his way into working with her on the project, and the two slowly fall for each other. Along the way, they find out that there is a lot more to the Sonny Skies story than meets the eye, and what began as easy research becomes messy very fast.

It is obvious by the way he illustrates the fact that Sonny was used and abused by the studio system that Rooney feels he was taken advantage of too. As is typical of his ego, Rooney name-drops himself, a lot. It can be rather annoying, but one has to remember his reputation. It is likely that readers will be fans, because this book is not masterpiece of writing. It is certainly fun and entertaining, but it isn't challenging or terribly thought-provoking.

It is funny that there is so much sex in this book considering how outspoken Rooney is about the amount of sex in modern pop culture. Perhaps his inclusion is out of mockery; the ending certainly is off-putting. However, sex is sprinkled throughout the novel, and it is completely unneccesary. Sure, it is a fact of life, and certainly one that Rooney is no stranger to, but it in no way moves the plot along.