Mickey Rooney, with gumption and grit, put on a show

MICKEY Rooney might be best remembered for his ceaseless ups and downs, his dramatic failures and his many comebacks. But Rooney's roller-coaster melodrama - he was married eight times and quickly spent the fortune he amassed - wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't also had genuine, enduring talent.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, while under contract for MGM, Rooney was one of the most popular stars on the planet. At just 19, he was the top box-office draw.

In Rooney's subsequent decades, things would rarely come as easily as his early stardom. But across movies, Broadway and television, his manic energy rarely flagged. Rooney, who died Sunday at age 93, remained working into his 90s, still driven to "put on a show."

Here are five of Rooney's most memorable movie roles:

_ "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1935): As the mischievous sprite Puck in Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle's dreamy Shakespeare adaptation, Rooney gave one of his finest and enchanting performances.

_ "A Family Affair" (1937): The start of Rooney's most famous role, Andy Hardy. Rooney played the all-American trouble-making boy 14 more times over the next decade in hit films and again in the attempted revival, "Andy Hardy Comes Home," in 1958.

_ "Boy's Town" (1938): Spencer Tracy starred as the kindly priest Father Edward J. Flanagan, who ran a home for underprivileged boys. Rooney shared top billing, playing the school bully and pool shark, Whitey Marsh, who - with maximum corniness - is reformed in the end. Rooney won a special Juvenile Oscar.

_ "Babes in Arms" (1939): Big-screen version of the Broadway musical paired Rooney and Judy Garland. Rooney earned his first lead-actor Oscar nomination for the film, which showcased his song-and-dance talent.

_ "National Velvet" (1944): As a former jockey (a common role for the diminutive Rooney), the actor starred opposite an 11-year-old Elizabeth Taylor in her screen debut.