The young Mickey Rooney's hair: Gloriously thick and blond. In some scenes of "The Human Comedy," the classic 1943 movie written by Fresno favorite son William Saroyan, Rooney's hair was such a strong presence that it was almost a character all its own: barely restrained at times as it threatened to fly all over the face of its 22-year-old owner, under control at others like a Sunday School 'do whipped into place by a fussy mother.

The old Mickey Rooney's hair: At 87, there isn't much of it these days. But the rest of Rooney, who graced the Tower Theatre Friday night with his presence at a special screening of the film, was in fine form as he joked and joshed with the audience in remarks before the film began. Standing with his wife, Jan, on the Tower stage, the prolific star -- who at last count has made 311 movies -- offered a sweet introduction that ranged from his views on movies today ("There was a time you could go and understand every bit of the dialogue") to his thoughts on why he's still working ("You don't retire. You expire.")

The scene: A great turnout at the 800-seat Tower for this event in celebration of the Saroyan centennial, with the center section pretty much filled and lots of moviegoers in the side sections. The audience was richly represented by members of the Armenian community, and before the screening started, you could hear snippets of folks talking about the Great Man himself: "I remember being just across the street from him," said a woman with very tall hair.

The dignitaries: Bob Waterston was there to read a proclamation from the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. Blong Xiong, president of the Fresno City Council, was there, too, with official greetings. Xiong told Rooney that when he was just 5 years old as a newly arrived refugee and spoke "not a lick of English," movies were the way he learned the language. "You were my eye into America," he told Rooney.

The best line: " 'The Human Comedy' is a stirring picture," Rooney told the audience. "It's got a great cast." Laughter from the crowd. "Not me!" he exclaimed. (And he was right, of course; besides Rooney himself, who played the lead character, Homer Macauley, the cast included Donna Reed, Frank Morgan, Van Johnson, John Craven and an uncredited Robert Mitchum.)

The movie itself: Stirringly sentimental and absolutely touching, especially with the older Rooney in the audience watching a much younger version of himself scampering around on screen. Though it's set in a mythical "Ithaca," the city in the film obviously is Saroyan's Fresno. The local references to the San Joaquin Valley made the audience stir: when Homer's new boss described the swift new telegraph messenger as "probably the fastest thing in the San Joaquin Valley"; when we watched the track meet at "Ithaca High"; when Mr. Spangler, parked at a lookout point (which I guess had to have been in the foothills) surveyed the expanse of fertile farms before him and declared the sight beautiful. Sure, the movie is from a different time, and acting and directing styles have changed, but the intensity of the performances still shine through.

The message: We're all Americans, the film emphasizes. There is an irony up there on screen, of course: We pretty much lose the whole Armenian connection in the movie, even though it's based on Saroyan's own memories of his childhood home. Hollywood demanded a white family as the leading characters, and blond hair predominated in the Macauley family. (Lots more blondes on screen than in the audience, you could say.) Yet a very important scene in the book did make it into the film. On the day that Homer's boss, Mr. Spangler, gets married, he drives his bride to a public park in which local residents of various ethnicities are picnicking. As they drive slowly past the different groups, Mr. Spangler narrates: There are the Mexicans, those are the Greeks, here are the Armenians, who are so well known for their devotion to family. They are "all Americans," Spangler says. It must have been an important statement at that time, during a harrowing war in which folks had to draw together, and while it might seem a bit basic in today's multicultural story, Saroyan's focus on diversity helped set the stage for things to come. Watching the film made me realize, even more than usual, just how special (and perhaps how tenuous) America's great, grand experiment of assimilation has been -- and how lucky this country has been, when compared with most of the rest of the world, to have the resources and opportunities to pursue such ideals.

The ending: Oh so sad, of course, even with a title like "The Human Comedy." But we were all expecting that. I walked out of the Tower Theatre after asking an organizer what kind of dessert was being served at the special reception held for Rooney down the street at the Chicken Pie Shop. (What a great period place to celebrate a great period movie.) The answer: Pie, of course.