Mickey Rooney is real-life clown Jack Thum who, with his devoted wife Shirlee, cared for dozens of homeless children --37 of them over the years--in the Chicago area, all of whom come back to visit when they discover he's terminally ill. The film reunited Rooney with another former child star from

Mickey Rooney is real-life clown Jack Thum who, with his devoted wife Shirlee, cared for dozens of homeless children --37 of them over the years--in the Chicago area, all of whom come back to visit when they discover he's terminally ill. The film reunited Rooney with another former child star from the MGM days, director Jackie Cooper. They had worked together as teenagers in "The Devil Is a Sissy" in 1935 and later as adults in "Everything's Ducky" in 1961.