FRANCE: AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN MUSICAL AND MICKEY ROONEY, LESLEY CARON AND JOEL GREY

Record ID: 390101

  • Title: FRANCE: AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN MUSICAL AND MICKEY ROONEY, LESLEY CARON AND JOEL GREY
  • Date: 5th September 2000
  • Summary: WIDE OF INTERIOR OF AWARDS WITH JOEL GREY RECEIVING AWARD PAN TO GIANT SCREEN OF GREY SINGING EXCERPT FROM "CABARET" AND THANKS FOR AWARD
  • Embargoed: 20th September 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DEAUVILLE, NORMANDY, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVACUZPQLAFZ25GV256DFZKM1CWK
  • Story Text: Deauville has paid tribute to a bygone era in cinema Hollywood musicals.
    Three of the stars from that magical movie period, Leslie Caron, Mickey Rooney and Joel Grey - were honoured at this year's film festival for their contribution to a unique genre of hugely successful films.
    In the past, film festivals have not considered Hollywood musicals to be worthy of note. But, many filmgoers forget that Al Jolson's "The Jazz Singer" was the first 'talkie' and that many musical films were very popular at their peak.
    This unique genre of American films was most successful from the 1940s to the 1960s with the likes of Gene Kelly's "Singing in the Rain" and "West Side Story" breaking box office records around the world when released.
    Many of the big names in American cinema made their names appearing in Hollywood musicals including Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand.
    Star of "Gigi" and "An American in Paris", French actress Leslie Caron was joined on stage on Wednesay night (September 6) by Mickey Rooney with wife Jan and Joel Grey to accept their awards.
    Eighty years old this year, Rooney began his stage and screen career at just 15 months old, appearing with his Vaudevillian parents. Before long, he became an indespensible part of the act singing, dancing and telling jokes. At the age of six, he made his film debut playing a midget in the short film "Not to be Trusted" and in the following year, he appeared in the silent feature "Orchids and Ermine".
    Rooney went on to star in 50 two-reel comedies in the "Mickey McGuire" series and in 1932 began playing small roles in feature films of Universal studios.
    But the pint-sized (small) actor accomplished one of his most memorable roles when he appeared as Puck in Max Renhardt and William Dieterle's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Another turning point in his career occurred in 1937, when he was cast in the role of Andy Hardy in "A Family Affair", such a success that it spawned 15 popular films.
    He teamed up with Judy Garland in the late 1930s to star in several 'hectic' musicals and by the end of the decade he'd taken the top spot at the box office from Shirley Temple.
    Speaking to Reuters in Deauville, Rooney berated the lack of musicals produced by Hollywood studios in preference for hi-tech, action-packed, films though admitted that the stars of today wouldn't be interested in musical roles.
    "You've got Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Tim Robbins they're all you can't tell what they're going to do but Clint Eastwood is not going to do any musicals I don't think. (WIFE JAN SAYING 'YOU NEVER KNOW) I certainly do, I think that we need musicals and we need good pictures but everything is so digital today," he said.
    Born near Paris in 1931, Leslie Caron became a dancer at Roland Petit's Ballets des Champs Elysees and it was while there that she was spotted by Gene Kelly. After appearing as his co-star in "An American in Paris" in 1951, Caron's career in MGM musicals was launched.
    Caron says she's thrilled that musical films are at last being appreciated.
    "Musicals were considered sort of a minor form of cinema and I'm so delighted to see that now it has taken it's place in the history of cinema for what it was which is very accomplished professional work. When musicals were in full fledge I think the profession and the press wrongly considered that dramatic films were the royal part of the profession and then were comedies and last were musicals. They were considered popular and they didn't have their titles of nobility and now at long last they are recognised for the immense accomplishment that it was," she said.
    Caron, Rooney and Grey were honoured by the American Film Festival on stage last night (September 6) before a screening of "Centre Stage".
    The audience was also treated to a song and dance from Rooney and his wife and from Grey a tune from his most successful role in "Cabaret".
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