machfront

I was a sailor assigned to the Oriskany and observed the filming; and I met Mickey Rooney and Earl Holliman. Those are some fine men; and they entered our shipboard environment seamlessly. During the filming, on his off time, Mickey Rooney performed for the crew with his own one-man show in one of the hanger bays. He played drums like one would never expect him to. He was a good musician, and great fun to be around. I would sure like to thank Rooney and Holliman for making our lives pleasant in such a distant and lonely place.

Once I was walking down a passageway and saw a very small pilot in a flight suit. I didn't think that one would find pilots that short because of the Navy's requirements for aviators. Then, I saw his face, and it was Mickey Rooney. Rooney and the film crew stayed on board for Thanksgiving, and that has to be the most memorable Thanksgiving I ever had.

To me, that film is a time capsule, and every time I see it, it brings back fond memories of life on the Oriskany. The Oriskany was the last Essex class aircraft carrier built, and it was about three years old when I was on it. Sadly, it's been scuttled, and turned into fish habitat.

Anyway, like I said, Holliman and Rooney are excellent people; I never met Holden, but he was there too.