Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Newspaper Page Text
Aladdin Was — A Piker He couldn't touch Mickey Rooney, whose magic personality has brought him all he wants — even a reunion with his dad by Frederick James Smith . It’s about time a Hollywood father got a break. This one is the unknown dad of the most famous boy in the world and he wanders, not a little lonely, about the motion-picture lot where his son is one of the prized possessions. He worked hard all his life, mostly as a bur lesque comic, and he finds it tough now to stop and try to play. He is Joe Yule, father of the No. 1 box-office star of America, Mickey Rooney. A strange, shy, gentle-spoken little man is Joe, just five-foot-four, resembling the boy star in physical appearance, amazingly like him in mannerisms. Yule is Scotch-Irish; grew up in Brooklyn. Until recently Joe has kept — and been kept — in the background. It was reasoned that America wouldn’t understand a father who did eccentric boobs for belly laughs in burlesque. But Mickey finally has grown popular enough to overrule the studio’s idea — and now he has his father close by. "The greatest dad ever.” says Rooney. And he means it. Joe has been in the theater since he was seven. One of his first jobs was card boy at Percy Williams’s vaudeville theater in Brook lyn. Card boys in the old variety days placed placards announcing the next turn on-little easels at either side of the stage. Later he became a stagehand — but all the time he had acting ambitions. Now and then he did bits. He helped Pat Rooney in his broom dance at fifty cents a show. That encouraged him some. Finally Joe got his big chance to act — in burlesque. He began learning the trade of getting laughs. But his new career was inter rupted before he’d really got started: Amer Now you know where Mickey Rooney got. his stuff ica entered the World War. Joe enlisted fif teen days before the first draft. He did his time at Kelly Field in Texas, moved on to Camp Mills, then to France. He was overseas a year and a half. Even in wartime he couldn’t forget the theater. He got into doughboy shows when ever he could. Remembers appearing with E. H. Sothem on the other side. Sothem did a.dramatic poem called “The Highwayman,” and Joe did some clowning. He admits he was pretty good. In fact, his turn went over better than Mr. Sothem’s. "E. H. was a little over the boys' heads,” is the way Yule explains it. Joe was discharged from the Army on a Wednesday, joined up on Thursday with Jack Reid's “Record Breakers” burlesque troupe. Altogether Yule was a featured bur lesque comic for twenty-two years. Mrs. Yule, known as Nell Carter, worked in some of the same shows with him as a dancer. It was while Joe and the missus were appearing with Pat White and his “Gaiety Girls” in Brooklyn that the future film star came into the world. Mickey, who was named Joe, Jr., was born twenty years ago next September twenty third. At twelve noon. Yule says he remem bers it as if it were yesterday. Got more laughs than usual that night. Eleven days later Mrs. Yule was back with the show at Albany. The baby traveled along with the troupe. Slept in a cart made like an Indian basket. Mickey's First Laugh ^^ICKEY — then Sonny Yule — was less than a year old when he made his first public appearance. Somehow he escaped from his Indian basket. Joe looked around and there was Sonny crawling to the footlights. Sud denly he turned about and gave the orchestra drummer an unmistakable Bronx cheer. "Did the audience rock!” says Joe proudly. "That was the kid’s first laugh.” Mickey’s formal career started three years later in Rochester. After the matinee he ap proached his dad in the alley outside the stage door. “All of a sudden he starts to sing a number that Sid Gold and Babe La Tour were doing in the show,” reminisces Yule. "It was Tal of My Cradle Days.’ ‘I bet you’d be afraid to do that on the stage,’ I says. Mickey came right back: ‘Bet I wouldn’t.’ So Gold lets him do the encore at the next matinee. What a clean-up! He did it so well we kept it in.” In those days. Yule explains, burlesque wasn’t what it is today. Maybe a little risque, but not rough. No strip-tease turns. Such present-day stars as Bert Lahr and Jack Pearl were burlesque features. Lots of women would come to the shows and they adored ’ Mickey. After the matinees they would wait to talk to the boy. Mickey developed his turn into a ten minute act the next year. The Yules had a tiny tuxedo made for him. "Took a yqrd and a half of cloth,” says Joe. “I still have that tux.” Between shows Mickey would drop (Continued on page 14) %m HOURS OF WEAR from 1 pair of stockings! “I washed my stockings nightly with Ivory Flakes—got remarkable wear,” says Miss Ruth Decker, Cashier. "This test convinces me that it’s a good thing to wash stockings after every wearing with Ivory Flakes. I wore this one pair to work every day—and even went dancing and bowling in them.”... Like all the 18 girls who made this “one-pair test,” Miss Decker wore her stockings every day, washed them each night with Ivory Flakes. So if you want really good wear from your stockings, adopt her success recipe: 1. Buy good stockings like these lovely Mojuds. 2. Wash them gently every night with pure Ivory Flakes. . . . and barring accidents like snags, your stockings will repay you by giving you longer wear. So start nightly Ivory Flakes care. r \ 2 89 Vi HOURS for Beauty Culture Teacher. Mrs. < Irene Somlo reports: "I was de lighted that these stockings wore so long with such excellent re sults. According to instructions, I washed them every night with Ivory Flakes. I think nightly Ivory Flakes care is very good for stockings.” 4 ^ ^ ^ 298 HOURS for Manuscript Reader. Miss Mary E. Slavin writes: "Some days I wore these lovely sheer Mojud stockings from 7:30 in the morning till 11 at night. But I never failed to wash them each night with Ivory Flakes. I definitely feel this helped me get so much wear from one pair.” MOJUD, makers of these lovely ZXTSZ1 stockings, advise IVORY FLAKES 9 out of 10 leading makers of famous stockings advise IVORY FLAKES . . . 99,M/ioo%pure ” ” TRADEMARK »eO. U S. RAT. OFF. • F-ROCTFB A QAMBlE * 8-4-40