Mickey Rooney young candid still with tennis gear mid-late 1930s b/w

Description

Found this photo in a collectors' shop, just before I was to meet Mickey Rooney. In the end he signed another item, so I still have this, unused and practically untouched. It struck me as a special and unusual pose. Rooney was great with publicity, and always knew how to greet the camera. Here he seems somewhat more off-duty, and less than 100 percent happy to be photographed, so this is a rare psychological glimpse. He's dressed to the nines, and impressive in every way... tanned, coiffed and in great shape. It was around this time that he was acknowledged as the top box office attraction in films (outselling Clark Gable, among others); essentially the Tom Cruise of his day. Wish I knew the story behind this image but it's just an enigma.