Mickey McGuire (film series)
Encyclopedia
Mickey McGuire was an American comedy series of short subjects from 1927 to 1934. The series was notable for essentially launching the careers of Mickey Rooney
and Billy Barty
. The series was based on Fontaine Fox
's popular comic strip series, Toonerville Trolley. The series was very popular in its day, often rivaling Hal Roach
's Our Gang
series. In fact, it was the only rival Our Gang series to make a successful transition into the talkies. The films were later distributed well into the 1940s, but were rarely shown on television. Therefore, the series is all but forgotten today.
. The characters lived in a town known as Toonerville.
1927
1928
1929
Sound Films
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1945
In 1945, former series director Jesse Duffy edited five of the shorts into a feature film complication titled Mickey the Great. Delia Bogard
and two of the series' female supporting players returned to 'host' the complication of shorts. The five films used (Mickey's Big Broadcast, Mickey's Charity, Mickey's Ape Man, Mickey's Disguises, and Mickey's Race) were cut down to about half of their original length, and music was added into the background of each film.
Many of the shorts found their way into the home movie market. The edited versions of the films used for Mickey the Great showed up on the market, as did various five minute clips of the silent shorts for toy reel projectors.
The last six shorts in the series were originally distributed by Columbia Pictures
. Along with several other Columbia short subjects, these six films were bought up by Screen Gems
and shown on television beginning in 1958.
The silent films also appeared on various television programs that also featured various Our Gang
silent shorts. The Mischief Makers
series, created by National Telepix, was a children's program during the early 1960s, and mainly featured various Pathe Our Gang silents cut down to about half of their original length. Sound effects and carnival music were added to the films, as were narration. Some of the McGuire shorts found their way into this package. Shorts from other Our Gang rival series also wound up in the package.
Another children's television program Those Lovable Scallawags with their Gangs also featured various Our Gang silents, as well as various rival series shorts (including Mickey McGuire).
Sadly, the films were rarely shown on television, as opposed to the Our Gang
shorts. Because of this, the series is hardly remembered today.
The late 1980s brought the arrival of the Mickey McGuire shorts to home video for the first time. United American Video and Summit Media Co. released three volumes of the Columbia Mickey McGuire shorts. Mickey Rooney
introduced each short.
In 2001, ten of the sound shorts made their way to home video on five VHS tapes through Virgil Films and Ent. Though the films were mostly unedited, Virgil did add piano music into the background of some scenes that mainly had action in them, rather than dialogue.
In 2006, 8thman restored and remastered nineteen of the films, and released them to DVD. Though restored, 8thman did add a musical soundtrack into the background of selected scenes.
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
and Billy Barty
Billy Barty
Billy Barty was an American film actor.-Biography:Barty, an Italian American, was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania...
. The series was based on Fontaine Fox
Fontaine Fox
Fontaine Talbot Fox Jr. was an American cartoonist and illustrator born near Louisville, Kentucky.Fox is best known for writing and illustrating his Toonerville Folks comic panel. It ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North America.The cartoons are set in the small town of...
's popular comic strip series, Toonerville Trolley. The series was very popular in its day, often rivaling Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
's Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
series. In fact, it was the only rival Our Gang series to make a successful transition into the talkies. The films were later distributed well into the 1940s, but were rarely shown on television. Therefore, the series is all but forgotten today.
Cast and Characters
The series had a wide variety of interesting characters, many of which were created by Fontaine FoxFontaine Fox
Fontaine Talbot Fox Jr. was an American cartoonist and illustrator born near Louisville, Kentucky.Fox is best known for writing and illustrating his Toonerville Folks comic panel. It ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North America.The cartoons are set in the small town of...
. The characters lived in a town known as Toonerville.
- Mickey McGuire is a tough, street-wise lower class kid of Irish descent. He usually wears a shirt with a tablecloth pattern, a pear of pants rolled up to his knees, a pair of shoes that are two sizes too big, and a derby with a large hole at the top. He has greasy black hair, which according to Mickey RooneyMickey RooneyMickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
was actually something similar to coal dust, as his mother could not afford to dye his hair properly for the role. He said that "it wasn't fun, but I did it anyway". He is the leader of the Scorpions club, and often leads the club into mischief. Mickey doesn't take back talk from anybody, no matter how big they may be. Though Mickey is extremely tough in the series' earlier years, he progresses into more of a heartfelt character as time goes on. In the series' later years, Mickey often tries to assist the less fortunate people in town any way he can. In the silent era, Mickey is often stuck babysitting his baby brother (referred to as "Mickey's Kid Brudder"). During the talkie era, the baby disappeared and was replaced by "Billy McGuire". Mickey McGuire was played by Mickey RooneyMickey RooneyMickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
from 1927 until the series' end in 1934. For reasons unknown, Rooney was absent from the series during the 1931-1932 season. Co-star Marvin Stephens took over for the role for that season in Rooney's absence.
- Hambone Johnson is Mickey's best friend. Hambone (or "Ham" for short) is of African descent. He usually wears a short sleeve shirt, shorts, overgrown shoes, and a sack hat with a clothespin pinned to it. Because of the time the series was produced, Hambone was sometimes forced to be depicted as an exaggerated African American stereotype. However, Hambone proved to have more dignity than most characters who were in this sort of a role. Hambone is often taken advantage of by Mickey. However, Hambone has sometimes questioned Mickey's ways, asking him, "Why do I always have to do everything?". Nonetheless, Hambone clearly has a close friendship with Mickey. Whenever Mickey feels he need somebody to go with him for one reason or another, he almost always chooses Hambone. Despite the fact that Mickey takes advantage of Hambone, he has also shown worry for Hambone's safety. One example is in Mickey's Ape Man (1933), where Ham is in danger, and calls out for help. Mickey is quick to jump into action and save his pal. Ham also is usually the one who is left in charge of the Scorpions whenever Mickey is not present. Hambone has a younger brother named "Lucky", who appeared towards the end of the series. Hambone was played by Jimmy RobinsonJimmy Robinson (actor)James Robinson Jr. was an American film actor.-Career:Robinson played the role of "Hambone" Johnson in Fontaine Fox's Mickey McGuire film series of short subjects. He was in the series from its beginning in 1927 until its end in 1934, appearing in most of the shorts in series. During his Mickey...
for a majority of the series. However, he has been replaced by another actor in a few of the films due to unknown absences.
- Billy McGuire is Mickey's younger brother. A blonde haired boy, he often wears a short sleeve shirt, shorts with suspenders, and small shoes. Billy first appeared early on in the talkie era. During the silent era, Mickey often had to babysit his baby brother (played by a variety of unknown infants). Without any explanation, Billy showed up early in the talkie era, originally being known as "Shorty". Billy's role in the series grew as time went on. He is essentially the runt of the group, sometimes left out of the fun for being too small. In situations like this, Billy manages to outsmart the older kids, and proves that he can do just as much as they can, if not more. Other times, Billy winds up being the hero, saving the other kids from certain danger. On other occasions, Mickey calls on Billy for special tasks, evidently recognizing the talents his younger brother has to offer. Billy was played by Billy BartyBilly BartyBilly Barty was an American film actor.-Biography:Barty, an Italian American, was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania...
, who played the role of "Mickey's Kid Brudder" in at least one of the series' silents.
- Stinky (or "Stinkie") Davis is Mickey's arch rival. Stinkie typically wears a Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit. Unlike Mickey and his pals, Stinkie is wealthy, snobbish, and always ready to poke fun at the Scorpions. Stinkie takes after his father, Henry Davis, who later becomes the mayor of Toonerville. Stinkie often tries to make the lives of Mickey and the Scorpions as miserable as possible. However, Mickey and his gang prove to be smarter than Stinkie and his friends, always turning the tables on their rivals (sometimes completely unaware of it). Stinky was played by a wide variety of actors throughout the series run. From 1927 to 1928, the role was played by Monty Banks Jr.. Junior Johnston took over the role until the end of the silent era. Series supporting player Kendall McComas briefly played the role in the series' earliest talkies of 1929. Douglas Fox IV played the role from 1930 until 1933. Douglas Scott played the role for the series' final season, appearing in five of the last six films.
- Tomboy Taylor is a member of Mickey's gang, and is the only girl in the gang. Tomboy is a blonde haired girl who wears a hairnet (which causes her hair to stick straight up), a dress, visible bloomers, and knee high socks. Though the only girl in the club, Tomboy is treated like a regular member of the gang. She proves to be just as tough as the boys, always ready to fight Stinkie's gang with the rest of the kids. However, Tomboy has shown femininity, such as in Mickey's Ape Man (1933) where she would rather stay behind and make a dress than go out hunting with the boys. Tomboy was played by Delia BogardDelia BogardDelia Bogard was an American film actress and dancer.-Biography:Delia Bogard was born in San Francisco, California. She played the role of "Tomboy Taylor" in Fontaine Fox's Mickey McGuire film series from 1927 to 1933. After departing from the series, she became a dancer for stage and screen...
from the beginning to the series until 1933. Shirley Jean RickertShirley Jean RickertShirley Jean Rickert was an American child actress who was briefly the "blonde girl" for the Our Gang series in 1931, during the Hal Roach talkie period.-Career:...
took over the role for the final season.
- Katrink is a member of Mickey's gang. He is a normal sized boy, but has large muscles and an incredible amount of strength. Katrink' has blonde hair, and usually wears a sweat shirt, long pants, a hat. Katrink' sometimes shows his incredible amount of strength by easily lifting heavy objects. He was played by Marvin Stephens for most of the series, going as far back as 1928. Prior to that, the role was played by a few unknown actors. Mickey Rooney was absent from the series for the 1931-1932 season, and Stephens was chosen to take over the role of McGuire. Since Stephens was busy playing another character, Katrink' was taken over by Donald HainesDonald HainesDonald Haines was an American child actor who had recurring appearances in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1929 to 1933.-Our Gang:...
.
Films
Silent Films1927
- Mickey's Circus
- Mickey's Pals
- Mickey's ElevenMickey's ElevenMickey's Eleven is a 1927 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters in November 1927 by FBO.-Notes:...
- Mickey's Battle
1928
- Mickey's Parade
- Mickey in SchoolMickey in SchoolMickey in School is a 1928 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on February 6, 1928 by FBO.-Synopsis:...
- Mickey's Nine
- Mickey's Little Eva
- Mickey's Wild West
- Mickey in Love
- Mickey's Triumph
- Mickey's Babies
- Mickey's MoviesMickey's MoviesMickey's Movies is a 1928 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on September 2, 1928 by FBO.-Plot:...
- Mickey's Rivals
- Mickey the DetectiveMickey the DetectiveMickey the Detective is a 1928 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters in 1928 by FBO.-Plot:...
- Mickey's Athletes
- Mickey's Big Game HuntMickey's Big Game HuntMickey's Big Game Hunt is a 1928 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on December 23, 1928 by FBO.-Plot:...
1929
- Mickey's Great Idea
- Mickey's Menagerie
- Mickey's Last Chance
- Mickey's Brown Derby
- Mickey's Northwest MountedMickey's Northwest MountedMickey's Northwest Mounted is a 1929 silent short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on June 9, 1929 by FBO.-Plot:...
- Mickey's Initiation
Sound Films
1929
- Mickey's Midnite Follies
- Mickey's SurpriseMickey's SurpriseMickey's Surprise is a 1929 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on September 15, 1929 by RKO.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney - Mickey McGuire...
- Mickey's Mix-UpMickey's Mix-UpMickey's Mix-Up is a 1929 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on October 13, 1929 by RKO.-Plot:...
- Mickey's Big Moment
- Mickey's Strategy
1930
- Mickey's ChampsMickey's ChampsMickey's Champs is a 1930 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on February 2, 1930 by RKO.-Plot:...
- Mickey's ExplorersMickey's ExplorersMickey's Explorers is a 1930 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on February 17, 1930 by RKO.-Synopsis:...
- Mickey's Master Mind
- Mickey's LuckMickey's LuckMickey's Luck is a 1930 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on March 30, 1930 by RKO.-Synopsis:...
- Mickey's Whirlwinds
- Mickey's WarriorsMickey's WarriorsMickey's Warriors is a 1930 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Albert Herman, the two-reel short was released to theaters on May 25, 1930 by RKO.-Synopsis:...
- Mickey the Romeo
- Mickey's Merry Men
- Mickey's Winners
- Mickey's Musketeers
- Mickey's Bargain
1931
- Mickey's Stampede
- Mickey's Crusaders
- Mickey's Rebellion
- Mickey's Diplomacy
- Mickey's Wildcats
- Mickey's Thrill Hunters
- Mickey's Helping HandMickey's Helping HandMickey's Medicine Man is a 1931 talkie short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on December 19, 1931 by RKO Radio Pictures...
- Mickey's Side Line
1932
- Mickey's Busy Day
- Mickey's Travels
- Mickey's Holiday
- Mickey's Big Business
- Mickey's Golden Rule
- Mickey's Charity
1933
- Mickey's Ape Man
- Mickey's Race
- Mickey's Big BroadcastMickey's Big BroadcastMickey's Big Broadcast is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on June 6, 1933 by RKO Radio Pictures.-Plot:...
- Mickey's DisguisesMickey's DisguisesMickey's Disguises is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on July 17, 1933 by RKO Radio Pictures.-Synopsis:...
- Mickey's TouchdownMickey's TouchdownMickey's Touchdown is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on October 14, 1933 by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:...
- Mickey's Tent ShowMickey's Tent ShowMickey's Tent Show is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on October 27, 1933 by Columbia Pictures.-Synopsis:...
- Mickey's Covered WagonMickey's Covered WagonMickey's Covered Wagon is a 1933 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on November 30, 1933 by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:...
1934
- Mickey's MinstrelsMickey's MinstrelsMickey's Minstrels is a 1934 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on January 11, 1934 by Columbia Pictures.-Synopsis:...
- Mickey's RescueMickey's RescueMickey's Rescue is a 1934 talkie short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on March 23, 1934 by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:...
- Mickey's Medicine ManMickey's Medicine ManMickey's Medicine Man is a 1934 short film in Larry Darmour's Mickey McGuire series starring a young Mickey Rooney. Directed by Jesse Duffy, the two-reel short was released to theaters on May 18, 1934 by Columbia Pictures...
1945
- Mickey the Great (feature film compilation)
Reissues
Although the series ended in 1934, several of the films were reissued well in the 1940s. These reissues were often given new titles (i.e. Mickey's Race became Mickey's Derby Day, Mickey's Explorers became Mickeys Brigade).In 1945, former series director Jesse Duffy edited five of the shorts into a feature film complication titled Mickey the Great. Delia Bogard
Delia Bogard
Delia Bogard was an American film actress and dancer.-Biography:Delia Bogard was born in San Francisco, California. She played the role of "Tomboy Taylor" in Fontaine Fox's Mickey McGuire film series from 1927 to 1933. After departing from the series, she became a dancer for stage and screen...
and two of the series' female supporting players returned to 'host' the complication of shorts. The five films used (Mickey's Big Broadcast, Mickey's Charity, Mickey's Ape Man, Mickey's Disguises, and Mickey's Race) were cut down to about half of their original length, and music was added into the background of each film.
Many of the shorts found their way into the home movie market. The edited versions of the films used for Mickey the Great showed up on the market, as did various five minute clips of the silent shorts for toy reel projectors.
The last six shorts in the series were originally distributed by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. Along with several other Columbia short subjects, these six films were bought up by Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
and shown on television beginning in 1958.
The silent films also appeared on various television programs that also featured various Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
silent shorts. The Mischief Makers
Mischief Makers (TV series)
Mischief Makers was children's television series created by National Telepix that debuted on television syndication in 1960. The fifteen minute series consisted of shortened Our Gang silent shorts that were originally released through Pathé, as well as various rival Our Gang shorts including Mickey...
series, created by National Telepix, was a children's program during the early 1960s, and mainly featured various Pathe Our Gang silents cut down to about half of their original length. Sound effects and carnival music were added to the films, as were narration. Some of the McGuire shorts found their way into this package. Shorts from other Our Gang rival series also wound up in the package.
Another children's television program Those Lovable Scallawags with their Gangs also featured various Our Gang silents, as well as various rival series shorts (including Mickey McGuire).
Sadly, the films were rarely shown on television, as opposed to the Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
shorts. Because of this, the series is hardly remembered today.
The late 1980s brought the arrival of the Mickey McGuire shorts to home video for the first time. United American Video and Summit Media Co. released three volumes of the Columbia Mickey McGuire shorts. Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
introduced each short.
In 2001, ten of the sound shorts made their way to home video on five VHS tapes through Virgil Films and Ent. Though the films were mostly unedited, Virgil did add piano music into the background of some scenes that mainly had action in them, rather than dialogue.
In 2006, 8thman restored and remastered nineteen of the films, and released them to DVD. Though restored, 8thman did add a musical soundtrack into the background of selected scenes.