Movie poster for ‘Young Tom Edision” MGM 1940.
Picture a 12-year-old who turns a train’s baggage car into a rolling laboratory—then grows up to light the world. Magazines, movies, and Boy Scout handbooks praised Thomas Edison’s fearless tinkering, and the nation’s children took notes. In MGM’s 1940 biopic, Young Tom Edison casts Mickey Rooney as the inquisitive teenager who peppers teachers with “why?” and tests backyard inventions until sparks fly. Released when America craved heroes of ingenuity, the film framed Edison as living proof that disciplined curiosity powers progress. Rooney’s portrayal reminds every viewer that behind each breakthrough stands a child who refuses to accept “because” for an answer.