Most of our fathers and even our fathers’ fathers never saw a Mickey Rooney movie, although Mickey Rooney did have greater market penetration among our fathers’ fathers’ fathers.
I think Sid Caesar, who died a couple months ago (at around the same age), had a bigger impact, although for some reason his name is considered less illustrious than Rooney, even though the later drooled too much for my taste. But I’ll miss Sid Caesar.
My father’s father’s father lived from 1834-1917. I am in my forties. My dad watched Mickey Rooney movies, I am sure (there were so many of them). I seem to remember talking to him about his movies. Sid Caesar may have had a bigger impact, I suppose, being one of the early TV stars.