Sara Haden: What a Character!

This post is written in conjunction with the second annual What a Character! blogathon hosted by Kellee at Outspoken and Freckled, Aurora at Once Upon a Screen, and Paula at Paula's Cinema Club. Read my contribution to last year's blogathon about black character actress Louise Beavers.

Classic film fans will immediately recognize Sara Haden as Mickey Rooney's spinster Aunt Milly in the Andy Hardy films.

I recognize Sara Haden from her debut film, a long lost and forgotten Katharine Hepburn flick called SPITFIRE (1934). It's actually one of my favorite Hepburn movies, though Hepburn herself would rather nobody ever saw the raw hillbilly movie ever again.

Mickey Rooney (13 August SUTS)

This post is written in conjunction with the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon hosted by Sittin’ on a Backyard Fence and Scribe Hard on Film. Full listings for SUTS programming on Turner Classic Movies can be found HERE.

As far as I am concerned, he who is tired of Rooney is tired of life. I don't know that I would personally enjoy the company of the boyishly energetic actor, but there is nothing in this world better at getting a person out of a bad funk than a good, healthy dose of an old-fashioned Mickey Rooney flick. Toss in a Judy Garland song and dance number and you can't help but be grinning from ear to ear.

At 93 years of age, Mickey Rooney has been in the movie business for longer than any other actor, living or dead. He has co-starred with the most women, sung the most songs, danced the most dances. Although I am always pleased to see his face in more recent movies, like THE MUPPETS (2011) and NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (2006), I will always love his old movies best.