Plot
Johnny Casar escapes from a home for wayward boys, tired of being teased about his diminutive stature and lack of athleticism. He soon finds a pair of roller skates and is befriended by Bruno Crystal, who allows him to wash dishes at his café, while the priest who runs the home, Father O'Hara, secretly keeps an eye on him.
A traveling roller-skating team takes an interest in Johnny after he shows some aptitude. He clashes with Mack Miller, a cocky champion, and falls for Mary Reeves, another top skater. Johnny is featured in grudge matches against Miller, in which they take turns besting each other.
As his fame grows, Johnny becomes even more arrogant than is Miller. However, when he is diagnosed with polio, he must follow a long course of physical therapy follows while attempting to mend his ways.
Reception
In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Howard Thompson wrote: "[T]hose who take Mr. Rooney's histrionics with a grain of salt had better make it a handful this time. For he is the whole show, seems completely aware of the fact and does everything but swallow the camera to prove it. ... [W]hen he is acting as normal as blueberry pie, Mr. Rooney's trouping is on a par with his excellent 'Killer McCoy' three years ago. For the most part, though, he completely eludes director Tay Garnett, mugging, swaggering and churning away like a showboat paddle-wheel." [2]
Critic Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Midget auto racing or roller skating, Mickey Rooney takes it all in his small stride. The bantam star, cocky as ever and—when he wants to be—as irresistible as ever, hops from 'The Big Wheel' to 'The Fireball' as easily as the projectionist makes a change-over in reels." [1]
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