Tabloid newspapers across the globe have been having a field day with a supposed incident that is written about in the upcoming book, The Life And Times Of Mickey Rooney. It is said that Mickey’s wife, Betty Jane, walked in on Mickey engaging in a sexual act with then 14 year old Elizabeth Taylor.
Now, I don’t profess to have any great love (or like, whatsoever) for either star. I do, however, have friends that adore Elizabeth Taylor, and I know that those people would go, and have gone to bat for any of the people I do love. Still, this heated opinion is coming from a pretty well non-fangirl place.
I will admit that some of the articles use Elizabeth’s name as just the person who happened to be the female lead, in the story. This isn’t to say that they, by any means, denounce Mickey’s supposed behavior, but they generally leave Elizabeth’s later reputation alone. I guess that’s something. Alas, there are also those that, while continuing in the pattern of not denouncing Mickey, choose to focus on Elizabeth’s sex life.
First of all, let’s get this out of the way- SHE WAS 14. I don’t care what the rumors are about her before or after that age, she was a minor. If a minor girl walks up to an adult male and says, “Hey, let’s have sex!” the adult male should have the mental capacity to realize that this is not right. This is a no bueno situation, and maybe even tell Mom Taylor that her daughter needs psychiatric advice. You don’t just rationalize having sex with a minor because they’ve had sex before. Secondly, her future sex life and her marriages have absolute zero to do with this. If this event did happen, an adult male took advantage of a teenage girl. That should be the end of the story.
Our next stop on the hit parade is the people who are once again crawling out of the woodwork like roaches in a filthy basement to tell people like me, who find such a huge disparity in the way each star is being treated, to leave poor Mickey alone. Let poor Mickey rest in peace. Think of Mickey’s poor family. Wah wah wah. You know, I’m just a reactionary, making what I feel to be very accurate observations on male versus female treatment. The authors of the book have a full facebook page, where they’ve done their level best to share every single site that has run this story. Not only that, they laugh at jokes about the incident, share it to other groups, where one author then goes on to whine and moan that the press decided to only pick up on this story. If you don’t like it, stop sharing it. Stop being proud of your tabloid publicity. ANYWAY, far beyond that, where are the rallies for people to leave Elizabeth alone? Again, 14 years old. Not an adult. How is it cool to say “yeah, look at all the sex she had, this is totally like her,” but not cool to say, “Mickey was a self proclaimed womanizer and even made a few up just to make himself look like a real manly dude… and all of that is gross WHY DID HE HAVE SEX WITH A 14 YEAR OLD.”
Please, you absolute puke for brains tabloid writers, get it into that soggy gap between your ears that past or future sexual experience does not equal justification for an adult to sleep with a 14 year old. For you imitation Chris Crockers, crying “leave Mickey alone,” No. This book is supported by Mickey’s family, who apparently finds the incident to be true. For anyone else who looks deep into your soul and finds a person who thinks that a man sleeping with multiple women is just being a man, while a woman sleeping with multiple men makes her a slut who would “do anything,” please educate yourselves. Also, let’s not forget…
SHE WAS FOURTEEN, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
Cinema Dilettante 
What I do know with certainty is that Mickey Rooney was subject to many instances of embellishing the truth in order to build himself up. I know of one very specific incident since I witnessed the end result of it. While helping Sydney Guilaroff in the early stages of his autobiography in which he refers to Rooney as “The All-American nothing”, Sydney heard about Mickey mouthing off about an alleged affair or fling with Norma Shearer. Sydney, who remained close to Norma until her 1983 passing was livid and he asked me to accompany him in confronting Rooney. Mickey immediately backed down from the claim noting that, “She did have an affair with Jimmy Stewart and with George Raft so what’s wrong with me?” Sydney told him including berating him for his horrific treatment of his first wife Ava Gardner. According to Sydney, Mickey tried to offer Ava’s sexual favors to friends for financial gain. Having met Elizabeth and then having spent considerable time with her doing AIDS work, I believe her latter comments about her first sexual experiences. She was also very vocal to friends about her contempt for Mickey Rooney. She found him “odious”.
Apologies but it should have read, “Sydney told him off including berating him…….” One must be accurate and correct or they’ll get a reputation for not telling the truth!!!
I read the reactions on Facebook and was appalled that so many seemed to pass over Elizabeth Taylor’s age, And wasn’t the source the caregiver for his ex-wife how many years later? You can’t tell me that the author didn’t anticipate the headlines (and publicity for the book) in the tabloids.
As for Rooney, when he died a writer friend told me of his own experience. The friend was interviewed for many TV documentaries about the stars. He said, “I recall some of the shows’ producers telling me that whenever they used Mickey Rooney, they had to provide him with a substantial ‘honorarium’ for being on the documentary. Once he was given the money, he’d light up and go on camera and say whatever he felt they wanted him to say to depict the subject of the biog. in a good light – including turning on the emotions/tears.”
It’s sad that sensationalism sells.
Like you, Kayla, I’m not a fan of either Liz or Mickey. I can do without both of them even in National Velvet and I’ve been a horse fanatic for practically my entire life.
But all of this is just the same old scandalous filth. Gable did NOT rape Loretta because what woman, in her right mind, would refuse good old Rhett Butler? Nelson DID rape Jeanette but that was ok because she pushed him to the limit and he just couldn’t take it any more. And Mickey had sex with Liz when she was only 14 (can we say ‘statutory rape’?) because she was a slut. It’s always the woman’s fault and it’s always disgusting.
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