Rooney, Rowland & Osborne: Of Anger & the Human Condition

For whatever the cause in TCM's current formatting, Robert Osborne's wraparounds have been reinstated and as such, older examples of his gems are being reviewed via YouTube and other media platforms. As such, one of Osborne's best, Private Screenings has regained exposure, where Mickey Rooney gives a warmhearted and sometimes intense account of his career, at one point denouncing prolific director Roy Rowland as a hothead, due the filmmaker's tirade on Killer McCoy. In the interview, Rooney demonstrates to Osborne how he matched Rowland's condescending contention and claims to have even laid hands on the director (if only in a touch-and-go way) before barging off the set.

For his reenactment, Rooney displays nothing less than full, empathetic fury, but he pauses to imply (through the insertion of calm interluding) that he's only telling a story. For any Rooney fan, the reminisced performance will hit the bullseye for its raw bravado: the sort of ardent expression that led Laurence Oliver, Marlon Brando and John Frankenheimer to proclaim Rooney the greatest thespian of all time. 

Alas, some are now besmirching Rooney's "outburst" as scary, if not unprofessional. To my eyes, Osborne looks somber and captivated during this portion of his interview, and Rooney is, well, as magnetic as ever, even if petulant where required. So, what's the big deal?

Unfortunately, we live in a time where a gutsy old-timer like Rooney is out of step with snowflake standards, but if one of their pugnacious, flavor-of-the-month idols were ever to spout off, you can bet your bottom dollar, it would be taken as clear and justified. With this in mind, Osborne never struck me as any such contemporary, go-along-with-the-flow or one-sided sort, which leads me to question his claim to have been jarred by Rooney's behavior, when he could've commended the actor's ebullition for what it is: quality, historic barter. 

In my estimation, Rooney's honest account is an excellent dictum of the human condition, and let's face it, there was no one more human than Rooney. 

For better or worse, anger constitutes a part of our makeup. Those who pretend otherwise are the sort inclined to march to the beat of a conformist drum, as their deadpan sort has done for years under the National Socialist Party, the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea and Red China. Get my freedom-of-expression drift?

Anyway, I wished to give my assessment of this disinterred, TCM testament, since it's now become emblematic of how not to act. However, from my staunch vantage, I give Rooney a reverential thumbs-up for saying what he said and doing so in the best, impassioned way he saw fit. If only more individuals were to apply the actor's unfeigned sincerity (no matter how rambunctious), the present, social situation might not be as constraining or (ahem) inhuman as it is.