NATCHEZ &045; He’s a veteran of movies dating back to the 1920s and of dozens of television shows as well &045; not counting star turns in live shows on Broadway and other venues.

So at age 84, you might expect Mickey Rooney to take it easy, to slow down, to savor a well-deserved retirement.

But Rooney can’t quit now. For one thing, he can’t fit it into his schedule.

Rooney and his wife, Jan, are still on the road in their live act &uot;Let’s Put on the Show,&uot; with a schedule that includes dates across America and abroad.

&uot;Whatever comes along, that’s where we go,&uot; he said.

And on Sunday, they brought that show to the City Auditorium as part of the 26th annual &uot;Great Steamboat Race,&uot; which stops in Natchez each year.

The show, which has been played from Broadway to Branson, includes a mix of singing standards, jokes and stories and film clips from Mickey Rooney’s career.

And while his career’s still in progress, it’s already been a long and fruitful one, and perhaps it should have been no surprise.

After all, Mickey Rooney is the son of two vaudeville performers, a chorus girl and a comic, and became a part of his father’s act at 17 months of age.

&uot;I call it his ‘entertainment DNA,’&uot; Jan Rooney said.

The two play off each other in interviews as well as on the stage.

&uot;We’re just a great team,&uot; Mickey Rooney said. &uot;We work so well together.&uot;

Next, the duo head for even more performing dates, including a patriotic event in Pennsylvania &045; perhaps fitting for Mickey Rooney, who earned the Bronze Star in World War II.

And Mickey and Jan Rooney will keep on entertaining after that.

&uot;There’s a joy in working live,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s in my blood.&uot;

The race between the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen steamboats recreates the famous 1870 race between the steamboats Robert E. Lee and Natchez.

In addition to awarding of the &uot;Golden Antlers&uot; trophy to the winning steamboat &045; an honor the Delta Queen has won nine times and the Mississippi Queen, 15 &045; the race includes a tongue-in-cheek Floozy Contest.

That contest, usually held in Natchez, was held in another city along the route this year.