Hollywood Gold

Hollywood strikes gold when it pairs certain actors and actresses such as Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan or Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. But movie producers have been creating twosomes for decades. Remember Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? How about Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn or Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

Another such duo is Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland who were paired for nine films, the last of which released seventy-five years ago this month. Girl Crazy couldn’t help but be successful. Based on a 1930 stage play of the same name, the film includes music written by George and Ira Gershwin. Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra are featured, and June Allyson appears in her film debut.

In a December, 1943 article in The New York Times proclaims, “Hold on to your hats, folks! Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland are back in town. And if at this late date there are still a few die-hards who deny that they are the most incorrigibly talented pair of youngsters in the movies, “Girl Crazy,” now at the Capitol, should serve as the final rebuttal.” The piece goes on to say, “For all his {Rooney} cocky precociousness, he is an entertainer to his fingertips. And with Judy, who sings and acts like an earthbound angel, to temper his brashness-well, they can do almost anything they wish, and we’ll like it even in spite of ourselves.”

Married several times, but never to each other, their on-screen chemistry reflected their friendship that was deep and long-lasting. They met in 1933 when both were attending the Lawlor School for Professional Children. Perhaps they were drawn together by the similarities in their lives: they had been performing with their vaudeville families since they could talk, came from homes where troubled fathers had abandoned them, and had gone to work to help provide for their single mothers.

Twenty years after the release of Girl Crazy, Mickey guest starred on Judy’s short-lived television show, and their performance (on YouTube) is just as endearing as their first.

What is your favorite “pairs” film?

Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry, Linda has lived in historical places most of her life. She is a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and a Trustee for her local public library. Active in her church Linda serves as treasurer, usher, and choir member. To find out more about Linda and her books visit www.LindaShentonMatchett.com. Sign up for her newsletter for links to free ebooks, book reviews, historical tidbits, and more.