Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney among stellar subjects

How many times have you seen an actor or actress and thought, “I watched that person grow up”?
Hollywood has a special “club” of performers who began as child stars and maintained their careers into adulthood. On Tuesday nights and Wednesday mornings throughout March, Turner Classic Movies will spotlight such talents in a “Growing Up on Screen” series hosted by Alicia Malone.
Here’s a look at the “Growing Up on Screen” stars slated to be showcased each week.

March 2-3: Judy Garland is an appropriate choice to start the festival, beginning with “Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry” and ending with what’s widely deemed her adulthood masterpiece,” A Star Is Born.”
Then, Garland’s close friend and frequent co-star Mickey Rooney is featured in such attractions as “Andy Hardy Comes Home” and “The Black Stallion.”
March 9-10: Dean Stockwell starts the night, ranging from his boyhood performances in such pictures as “The Green Years” to his adult work in “The Dunwich Horror.”
Kurt Russell then is the featured star, starting with “Guns of Diablo” and ending with one of the movies he’s made with longtime companion Goldie Hawn, “Overboard.”
March 16-17: Elizabeth Taylor’s range is shown, from “National Velvet” to her Oscar-winning work in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” And it’s a bit mind-blowing to realize only 22 years separated those roles.
Taylor’s close comrade Roddy McDowall follows, first as a youth in “Lassie Come Home” and later as a 1960s rock-music promoter in “The Cool Ones.”
March 23-24: Jodie Foster’s timeline of ages in roles likely was fast-forwarded by her controversial work in “Taxi Driver.” That’s not included here, but “Bugsy Malone” and “Foxes” are. Then, Patty McCormack is seen as a lethal lass in “The Bad Seed,” and later in “The Young Runaways.”
March 30-April 1: The final night of the festival (and also of March) opens with Natalie Wood, encompassing her essential role opposite James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” as well as the sci-fi project completed after her tragically early death, “Brainstorm.” Then, Jackie Cooper wraps things up with a couple of his child-actor classics, including “Treasure Island.”