Mickey Rooney‘s final film may have an unlikely producer— a Brooklyn math teacher.
Keith Black, 45, took a leap of faith and reached out to Rooney in 2007 to ask him to be part of his romantic comedy “Driving Me Crazy.” To Black’s surprise, Rooney said yes.
“He was so impressed with me that he was prepared to give me a shot because he thought everyone deserved a chance to start,” Black said.
Black said Rooney believed in the film, and was willing to be a part of it for a mere $100. Rooney plays a minor role – a loyal customer at the local pharmacy Black’s character works — with about 10 minutes of screen time.
While the film is not yet finished, Rooney’s unexpected death in April renewed Black’s drive to get it done.
But Black has struggled to raise the final $70,000 he needs to get it in theaters. He’s already sold his prized comic book collection and cashed in on his 401K.
“What’s hard about this is that in this economy, people are just having a tough time,” Black said. “I’m trying to go to the old-fashioned route and get producers and investors that way.”
“Driving Me Crazy” is a road film based on a neurotic pharmacist, played by Black, who decides to trek across the country to visit his girlfriend, who he met online. The only problem is Black’s character is afraid of flying, so he has to drive.
Watching Rooney act was a treat, but it was the off-screen time Black cherished most with him.
“He treated it like it was one of the Hollywood blockbusters he was involved with,” Black said.
Rooney told Black to cancel the limo service he had ordered for him, telling Black to put the money towards the film instead of him.
Rooney only acted like Hollywood royalty once, asking Black to get him some strawberries with ice cream.
“He wasn’t asking for Champagne or his own dressing room,” Black added.
Rooney’s death generated some buzz about the film, and Black is planning to capitalize on that.
“If somebody like a Harvey Weinstein picks it up, I’d say it could be done for a few hundred thousand dollars,” Black said. “If it was just independent donors, we’d have to do it very bare bones.”
Black knows the odds are against him. He still has more than 70 percent of the film to shoot, but Rooney’s scenes are complete.
“If only to enhance [Rooney’s] legacy and finish what we started, I would like to get ‘Driving Me Crazy’ finished and on to big screens,” Black said.