While he might have been jealous of Gene Kelly's fame, or resentful that Danny Kaye replaced him and became immortalized in White Christmas, I have a feeling the biggest hurt in Donald O'Connor's career was Mickey Rooney. Often compared to Mickey in his youth and teen years, Donald played Huckleberry Finn in Tom Sawyer, Detective; Mickey played the same role the following year in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a movie that was infinitely better received. Elisabeth Risdon was used in both productions, but little Donald was cast aside-no pun intended. And, the only reason Donald got the part in 1938 was because Mickey Rooney, the studio's first choice, was busy filming Boys Town.
Give Tom Sawyer, Detective a chance. It's obscure and you'll have to work hard to find it, but it's worth watching. Elisabeth Risdon and Porter Hall get a chance to shine in leading roles, and Billy Cook and Donald O'Connor are adorable. They carry the film, and while they weren't asked to sing and tap dance, everyone knows Donald would have been able to.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, there's a violent scene where a man gets beaten to death, so I'd send my kids out of the room for a few minutes.
