The Atomic Kid

The Atomic Kid is a 1954 black-and-white science-fiction comedy film starring Mickey Rooney and directed by Leslie H. Martinson. While a uranium prospector is in the desert he is accidentally exposed to radiation from an atomic bomb test. He becomes radioactive and is recruited by the FBI to help break up a spy ring. Based on a story by Blake Edwards, the film version was adapted into a comedy. In this film, Rooney's character "Blix" Waterberry wanders into an atomic test site, and, as one reviewer describes, "Mannequins are depicted sitting around the dinner table in front of their plastic meal, awaiting the predetermined bomb drop... Rooney remains with the mannequin family and discovers at the last minute that an atomic bomb will be detonated over his head. In a deliberately humorous scene, Rooney frantically tries to find a place to hide from the approaching explosion, only to close his eyes and stick his fingers in his ears as the bomb goes off." Nurse Audrey Nelson, who marries "Blix" at the end, is the only female in the entire picture. At the time it was filmed, she was married to Mickey Rooney in real life.