La doble vida de Andy Hardy

Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Andy (Mickey Rooney) is about to head off to college but he's got a few things to take care of before leaving. For starters, he must try and sell his junk car for $20 to pay for a bill and he must convince his father (Lewis Stone) not to go with him to college. Worst of all is that Polly (Ann Rutherford) wants to make up but her best friend (Ester Williams) decides to give Andy a test. Number thirteen in the series isn't the greatest movie ever made and it's not even a good one but there's enough innocent charm to make it worth viewing. I'd probably put this towards the middle of the series as it's not even close to some of the better entries but there's no denying we get some very funny moments but at the same time, the screenplay offers up some weak stuff. The one sequence that really didn't work for me was an attempt at comedy when mom was trying to sleep in but people keep ringing the door bell. The comedy they were going for here just seemed rather weak and it didn't make me laugh. Some of the film's better moments, of course, happen when Andy must turn to his father and try to get advice on his life, which he just can't understand. I thought it was rather funny that Andy also gets to teach his dad a few things, which was a nice change of events. We also get a side plot about a case Judge is working on as it involves an injured boy and his broke mother. It goes without saying by Rooney and Lewis are at the top of their game and both men turn in very good performances. By this time both were so comfortable in their roles that there isn't a false step anywhere. Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker and Sara Haden are all good as the family. Rutherford gets a slightly bigger than normal part, which is good as she too is delightful. The real standout is Williams. There's no question that she's the highlight of the film and especially the sequence with her and Rooney "test" kissing by the pool. This entire pool sequence is classic Hardy stuff and makes the film worth sitting through.

Before this one, the only previous Andy Hardy movie I'd watched in its entirety was Love Finds Andy Hardy-the first one to feature Judy Garland. The main reason I just watched this one was because since I've just watched most of the Our Gang comedies in chronological order, I had a yen to also watch many of the films outside the series that had at least one member in it as this one has Bobby "Mickey Gubitosi" Blake as a kid with a broken arm named Tooky. There's also some funny scenes involving Esther Williams in her film debut as a practicing psychiatrist who's a friend staying at Andy's on-off girlfriend Polly Benedict's house. Having just seen and liked Ann Rutherford in Whistling in Dixie, I liked her here as well. There are some touching scenes involving some talk between Andy and his father the judge. Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone have a natural rapport which shouldn't be too surprising since they have been together in this series for so long in so many entries. So on that note, Andy Hardy's Double Life was a worthy entry for me.

This is a fair installment of the Andy Hardy series. While it's very watchable, the story itself isn't especially strong. The bottom line is that Andy's problems (and he ALWAYS has problems) seem easy to solve but he manages to make them seem like Armageddon! The only particularly outstanding thing about the film is that it marks the debut of Esther Williams...and MGM often tried out new female talent in the Hardy films (such as Judy Garland, Ruth Hussey, Marsha Hunt and Lana Turner in some of their earliest films).

When the film begins, Andy is preparing to go off to college. The film EASILY could have simply gone from his high school graduation to him being in college but instead we see Andy struggle...mostly over things that really didn't amount to much. One problem is money some friends owe him (which EASILY could have been resolved), another involves two girls who conspire to make Andy think he's engaged to them and the final involves Judge Hardy's case involving a child (Bobby Blake) who is injured...and Andy steps in to help him with the case. All in all, Andy is a dope (as usual) and the film moderately entertaining.

Andy Hardy's Double Life finds Andy planning to go off to Wainwright College which was the Judge's alma mater. Interesting that in 1942 the war apparently had not yet come to Carvel. I would have thought that Andy would be worried about the draft at this time.

But Mickey Rooney has his usual girl trouble and I swear I never did understand why Ann Rutherford as Polly Benedict just didn't give this guy the heave ho. It seemed like every film he was getting involved with some other girl, usually an MGM starlet the studio was trying to showcase.

In this case it was quite the showcase as Esther Williams who played a college coed and guest of Ann Rutherford decides to do some psychological research on the American male. Guess who she decides will be her guinea pig?

Cecilia Parker as Rooney's sister is also having troubles with William Lundigan who is a drinker and is before Lewis Stone for driving while intoxicated. As this hits close to home, Stone is looking for a root cause of the alcoholism as opposed to just tossing Lundigan in the clink.

In an even briefer role at the very end of the film is another MGM showcase Susan Peters. She plays a young woman off to Wainwright College and she will be the first in a class of coeds as the venerable institution is admitting girls for the first time. That gets Rooney's attention real fast.

Peters would have too brief a career, falling victim to a hunting accident that caused paralysis. She was a lovely talented young lady, probably best known as Ronald Colman's niece in Random Harvest.

Andy Hardy's Double Life is an average entry in the series and will satisfy the fans of the eternal Mick.

Before leaving for Wainwright College, Andy (Mickey Rooney) has time for another romance set in his Carvel hometown. This time it's MGM's future swimming sensation Esther Williams (as Sheila Brooks). Introduced in this film as a psych major, Ms. Williams quickly became a major star. Inspiring half (or all) of the film's title, she is very beautiful. In their most memorable scene, Williams and Andy share an underwater swimming pool kiss. Meanwhile, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) gets involved in a dispute involving mischievous preteen Bobby (Robert) Blake (as "Tooky").

This episode's main storyline is that Andy doesn't want Judge Hardy to appear with him at college, which gives the two actors a nice generational conflict...

"Double Life" featured the last appearance of Andy's off-and-on Carvel girlfriend Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) in the movie series. She was eventually asked back, but declined. After this feature, Mr. Rooney's "Andy" finally did go to college. He spent the last several films preparing. It seemed like MGM was reluctant to change the setting. They probably should have tried to do so earlier, because the series had become very tired; ironically, the scenes with the older Mr. Stone are the acting highlights. In a couple of scenes, Rooney has an obvious lip ailment (possibly a "cold sore").

**** Andy Hardy's Double Life (12/42) George B. Seitz ~ Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Esther Williams, Ann Rutherford