Judge Hardy's Children

Judge Hardy's Children (1938)

*** (out of 4)

The third film in the MGM series has Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) taking a job in Washington, D.C. where he's to work for ten days on a special project. While there Andy (Mickey Rooney) falls in love with a French girl (Jacqueline Laurent) while his sister gets involved with a dirty politician. Those who find these Andy Hardy movies to be too clean or pure for their tastes certainly aren't going to change their opinion with this early entry but fans of the series should find enough charm and entertainment here. At just 78-minutes the film moves by extremely quickly as director Seitz keeps everything going at a fast pace. The weakest aspect of the film is the political stuff because Judge is brought to the Capital to do work on a big project and this talk often gets brought up and it even has a major part in later events in the film but we're never really told anything about it. Often it seems as if something about this project was simply left on the editing room floor and it just seems like Judge spends the majority of his time in a hotel when he's suppose to be working. Outside of that this film has pretty much everything fans would expect and of course a lot of the comedy comes from Rooney who once again delivers a fast and fun performance. One of the highlights of the film happens when Andy seeks advice from his father on whether or not it's normal to want to kiss every beautiful girl you see. Another high mark for Rooney comes during a dance sequence where he tries to teach the French girl the Big Apple. Rooney handles all the charm without a hitch and his father-son stuff with Lewis are well done by the actors. Stone is terrific as usual and Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker and Ann Rutherford are all fine in their roles. Laurent didn't seem to have much of a career in America and only seems to have been in a few French films after this one but I found her to be very charming and a nice match for Rooney. Betty Ross Clarke plays Aunt Millie in this entry and doesn't have the same punch as Sara Haden but this is just a minor issue. Overall, JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN is a good entry in the series, which still had many high points to follow for the Hardy clan.

Third entry in MGM's wonderful Hardy series has Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) taking the family to Washington DC. The Judge has been hired by the federal government to preside over a commission investigating utility monopolies. Soon he learns all about Washington's ugly side when lobbyists use the words of his daughter Marian (Cecilia Parker) to blackmail him. Meanwhile, Andy (Mickey Rooney) falls for a French diplomat's daughter.

Lewis Stone is good as the stoic Judge, but Mickey Rooney is the scene stealer. He brings boundless enthusiasm and humor to the picture but he also handles the dramatic moments quite well. He really was one of the all-time greats. In one of the movie's best scenes, he shows a bunch of rich kids how to do the Big Apple. My favorite moments from this series were the great father-son talks Stone and Rooney had. They have a couple here, one where Judge takes Andy to visit Washington landmarks and lectures him on rebellion and another where Andy unintentionally helps a defeated Judge figure out how to fight back against a frame-up.

Fay Holden is extremely likable as the somewhat addled Mrs. Hardy. Her best moment comes when she and the Judge talk about a time when Andy had diphtheria as a baby and almost died, followed shortly after by her father passing. These little sentimental moments are the kinds of things MGM did so well, particularly in this series. Cecilia Parker has the unenviable job of playing the most flawed Hardy, Marian. Some modern viewers might like her character the most because she was so flawed but she's easily my least favorite and I can't help but think part of that is due to Parker's performance. Marian and Andy make similar mistakes in this one but where Rooney makes Andy rootable, Parker's Marian comes across as difficult and petulant. Betty Ross Clarke makes the first of two appearances as Aunt Millie. I'm not sure why Sara Haden missed these two but she would return to the cast in Out West with the Hardys. Adorable Ann Rutherford shines in her few scenes ("Don't you ever think of anything else but grabbing people in dark corners and kissing them?"). Nice support from Jonathan Hale and Ruth Hussey as the villainous lobbyists.

An enjoyable entry in the series, mixing comedy and drama with a heaping dose of life lessons. Some of the issues examined here are patriotism, insurrection, and putting on airs to impress people. Judge Hardy does a fair amount of soapboxing, per usual. Many today won't care for what he has to say. Heck many back then probably didn't. But these sorts of views, be they old fashioned or not, are never heard in films today. It's one of the many things I find refreshing and even fascinating about this series, and "Louis B. Mayer's America" in general.

JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1938), directed by George B. Seitz, marks the third installment to what was to become relatively known as "The Andy Hardy series." Getting better by this time and a little longer than the previous two entries consisting of A FAMILY AFFAIR (1937) and YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE (1937), the series still places Lewis Stone's name heading the cast over the scene stealing Mickey Rooney, whose career by this time was reaching its peek with character gathering most of the attention.

The movie opens during the opening credits with a family portrait of the Hardy family, starting from left with Andy (the son); Judge Hardy (father); Emily Hardy (mother); and Marian Hardy (daughter) with "Another story of Judge Hardy's Family" printed above. The photoplay begins in the courtroom with Judge James K. Hardy (Lewis Stone) reading a petition headlined with, "Students of Carvel Arise! Unite! We Refuse to Recite." The students in the courtroom explain their reaction against Superintendent Warwick, but the judge punishes them with a 20,000-word essay to write on the American system of free education. He tells the boys that if his son were the offender, the punishment would be ten times worse. Unknown to the judge, his son, Andrew (Mickey Rooney), is involved in the petition, but it would be a while before Judge Hardy learns of it. Later, the Hardy's go to Washington, D. C., where the judge serves as the chairman of a special Federal Commission investigating the power industry. After the industry's affairs have been resolved, the judge has to solve the problem his daughter, Marian's (Cecilia Parker) after getting herself mixed-up with a couple of lobbyists, Margaret (Ruth Hussey) and John Lee (Jonathan Hale) who get into her confidence and attempt on blackmailing the judge by confronting him with some incriminating statements given to them unwittingly by Marian. As for the teen-age Andy, who has become romantically involved with a French girl named Suzanne Cortot (Jacqueline Laurent), at least for a while anyway, he assists his father with a bright idea to "fight fire with fire" against those blackmailers wanting to get him to resign from the bench or else ruin his reputation.

While Fay Holden resumes her motherly role as Mrs. Hardy, and Ann Rutherford playing Polly Benedict, Andy's girl back home, Sara Haden, the original Aunt Milly Forrest, is replaced (for two installments) by Betsy Ross Clark. Erville Alderson is back for the third time as Dave, the courtroom bailiff, while others in the cast include Ruth Hussey (Margaret Lee); Jonathan Hale (John Lee); Janet Beecher (Miss Budge); Don Douglas (J>J> Harper); and Leonard Penn (Steve Prentiss). Robert Whitney substitutes for Eric Linden (from A FAMILY AFFAIR) as Marion's romantic interest, Wayne Trenton, whose character would soon be written out following this third theatrical installment.

A not-bad family-oriented production that includes one fine moment where father and son learn America's history by going through the Washington, D. C. landmarks, and Andy having his man-to-man talk with his father confessing he being part of the passing the petition with the other boys back home. Though not up to the standards of the episodes that were to follow, JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN offers family values and tradition in the MGM style from the days gone by.

Never distributed to video cassette, JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN often plays on cable television's Turner Classic Movies. Next installment, LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY (1938), hailed by many the very best and known of all the "Andy Hardy" editions, possibly due to more Andy Hardy's antics, and the supporting cast of young starlets on the rise, Judy Garland and Lana Turner. (***)

Judge hardy, still wrangling over the Carvel Aquaduct project is sent to Washington D.C. and of course is joined by his family. Andy has girl trouble (surprise?) and sister Marion is led on by a political hack. Nothing here that a "man to man talk" can't fix!! Of course it is all good fun.

The plot to "Judge Hardy's Children" is very odd. Apparently, some folks in D.C. have been impressed with Judge Hardy and they invite him and his family to the capital in order to have the judge chair a committee. The children jump right into it, as Marian meets a man who appears infatuated with her and Andy hits it off with a French diplomat's daughter! Pretty weird stuff...especially since one of these people they meet has a hidden agenda. What it is and how it impacts Judge Hardy is for you to see.

An interesting episode in a series that is usually very enjoyable...and this is no exception. Well worth seeing.