La secretaria de Andy Hardy

This entry in the Hardy family series of films seemed a bit thin and not quite as satisfying as the previous entries. This is the last one in which Andy is a high school student as he graduates in this installment.

The focus is very much shifted to the Land family. There are two children in the family - Kathryn (Kathryn Grayson) and Harry. Strangely enough they are both graduating from high school - Are they twins? It's never explained. The father (Ian Hunter) speaks nine languages but is a failed businessman and is working as a night watchman, so the family is somewhat impoverished. Since Kathryn has taken some secretarial courses, Andy makes her his titular "private secretary" since he's so busy being class president and supervising all of the activities associated with graduation that he needs assistance.

And that's the rub - Andy is so busy with the trappings of graduation he gets distracted, doesn't study, and fails his final exam in English and thus can't graduate. That's even with his aunt Milly administering and grading the exams. Conflict of interest anyone? On top of that he changes one word in a telegram of which he was not the author and causes Mr. Land to lose a job opportunity, thinking he was doing a good deed but interfering nonetheless. How will this all work out? Watch and find out.

This was Kathryn Grayson's first feature film, and it feels like this entire thing was just an excuse to give the kid a star turn. MGM didn't even bother to give her character a first name different from her own! I like several of the musicals she starred in over the years, but she gets three whole numbers of this operatic stuff and it just doesn't fit well into this kind of film. The style was popular from the late 30s into the 40s due to Deanna Durbin being such a hit over at Universal. Judy Garland, when she appeared in the Hardy family series, sometimes only got two numbers, and the popular standards she sang fit much better into this type of film.

It's a last chance to see Andy Hardy mess up and use his underage status as an excuse, so I'd say if you like this series of films you'll like this one too. But maybe you can do what I did and mute the volume during Grayson's numbers and stay out of reach of that high pitched screech.

In the tenth of sixteen Andy Hardy films it was decided to finally let Mickey Rooney graduate from Carvel High School. That event centers around all the plot situations in Andy Hardy's Private Secretary.

Hiring of a private secretary comes about through some bad bookkeeping by class president Mickey Rooney. When he hires a secretary, pretty Kathryn Grayson, the problems of her family which consists of father Ian Hunter and brother Todd Karns get intertwined with the Hardys. Fortunately wise old Lewis Stone as Judge Hardy is there to straighten it all out.

This film was Kathryn Grayson's feature film debut and she has a couple of opera arias delivered in fine style. Naturally she's the hit of the graduation.

One of the big problems is that Rooney involved that he is almost doesn't graduate because he flunks the final exam in English. Making matters worse was the English teacher is his aunt Sara Haden. But of course that too is resolved.

Was there ever a place as perfect as Carvel? Next to it George Bailey's Bedford Falls is positively sin city and that's before the angel does his thing.

Even Ann Rutherford as loyal girlfriend Polly Benedict takes Rooney back once again. Half, maybe more than half the Hardy films have Rooney getting involved with another girl like Grayson only to have Ann Rutherford take him back. Why she didn't give Mickey his walking papers permanently is one of the mysteries of the silver screen.

Still Andy Hardy's Private Secretary with its featured singing of Kathryn Grayson is a good example of why the series was so popular with Americans. Places like Carvel just had to exist somewhere in the USA.

Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941)

** (out of 4)

Drawn-out tenth entry in the series finds Andy Hardy (Mickey Rourke) messing up some school banking records so his father (Lewis Stone) recommends him hire a poor girl (Kathryn Grayson) as his secretary. With Andy having so many things going on his loses site of some of his school work and ends up failing his final test, which means he won't be able to graduate. While all of this is going on the Judge is trying to get the poor girl's father a job but Andy manages to mess this up as well. This tenth entry doesn't have the greatest reputation but I actually enjoyed it less than many other reviews I've read. I don't think it's a horrible movie but at the same time it's missing the laughs and drama that the best films in the series have going for them. I think the biggest problem is the screenplay, which just seemed to have too much going on and the issues on hand just seem extremely forced on the viewer. The film starts off with Andy getting a lesson on what it's like to be poor but of course the Judge steps in and soon the poor family are on the path of a great life. Then, out of no where, Andy messes up and costs the family the job. We then flash towards another drama as Aunt Milly (Sara Haden) is forced to ruin Andy's future and life by failing him. I'm sure many might be willing to believe that the Aunt would fail Andy but I must admit that I really, really hated this entire subplot. I'm sure the film was trying to show the Aunt as an honest person by failing her own nephew but I still had a very hard time believing that she would do this. It's clear from previous films that the family is letting her stay with them and not for a second did I believe that she'd be willing to ruin her nephew's entire life over one single test. I also didn't care too much for the plot involving the father's search for a job because it seems the screenplay was just using it as a way to get Rooney and Grayson together. As you'd expect, Rooney and Stone are at the top of their game here as both deliver fine performances. Ian Hunter nearly steals the film as the girl's brother who is fighting for a scholarship and we get Fay Holden in one scene as mother. Ann Rutherford is fun as usual as the one and only Polly. ANDY HARDY'S PRIVATE SECRETARY isn't a really bad movie but at the same time I've come to expect more than what's offered up here.

ANDY HARDY'S PRIVATE SECRETARY (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1941), directed by George B. Seitz, marks the tenth installment to the popular "Andy Hardy" family series starring Lewis Stone (Judge Hardy); Mickey Rooney (Andy Hardy); Fay Holden (Emily Hardy); and Sara Haden (Aunt Milly Forrest). One series regular, Marian Hardy, as played by Cecilia Parker, does not appear here, but does introduce a new MGM starlet, a soprano by the name of Kathryn Grayson, beter known in later years for her popular MGM musicals including SHOW BOAT (1951) and KISS ME KATE (1953).

The story opens typically in the courtroom with Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) preciding a case involving a young teenager (Charles Smith) who finds life difficult being six feet tall among shorter eighth grade students, until a lecture about President Abraham Lincoln sets him straight. Hardy is then telephoned by George Benedict (Addison Richards) of the Carvel National Bank informing him that his son, Andrew (Mickey Rooney), has signed his name to a bad check of $280. Andy, now 18, about to graduate from Carvel High School within a week, is not only class president, but responsible for many activities at once, such as the school's bookkeeping and upcoming play with students dressed in Roman costumes. With so much going on for Andy, it is suggested that he hire Kathryn (Kathryn Grayson) as his private secretary to handle data on his extracurricular activities, with her brother, Harry (Todd Karns), who resents Andy, in decorating the gymnasium, where commencement is to be held. Their father, Steven V. Land (Ian Hunter), a widower, a highly educated man and former travel agent in Europe for ten years, now works as a night watchman for Peter Dugan's (Joseph Crehan) garage. Because of his ability to speak nine languages, Judge Hardy arranges for this skillful man for a better paying job in South American with the help of J.O. Harper (Don Douglas), a state representative of Washington. Land does get him the job, but has to leave for South America by Thursday, two days before his children are to graduate, thus missing their big event. In the meantime, Andy might not be able graduate himself for failing his final exam in English class.

Returning to the series are Georgie Breakston as Andy's best friend, "Beezy" Anderson; Gene Reynolds as Jimmy MacMahon, the role he originated in LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY (1938), appears for one scene; and Margaret Early as Clarabelle Lee, the role she originated in JUDGE HARDY AND SON (1939). Series regular, Ann Rutherford, returns as Andy's girlfriend, Polly Benedict, who shows jealously over his attention towards fellow classmate, Kathryn Land. With Deanna Durbin being the operatic teenage rage for Universal of the 1940s, Grayson's movie debut is heavily influenced by Durbin, especially during her showcase scene singing such operatic arias as Johann Strauss's "The Voices of Spring," and "Lucia de Lammamoor" by Gaetano Douizetti. Grayson gets a chance to vocalize a down-t-oearth Cole Porter tune, introduced in BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940 (1940) titled "I've Got My Eyes on You.," more to Andy Hardy's liking but not to Polly.

Interestingly, with the story focusing more on Judge Hardy and son, one would wonder about the rest of the family members. Fay Holden's Mrs. Hardy appears late into the story (39 minutes) while Cecilia Parker's Marian is said to be away in New York City. It's a wonder why such a close relative like Andy's sister was not able to return home in time to attend her brother's graduation? It also seems odd to have Andy's Aunt Milly as his teacher in English while students related to teachers are often assigned to another classroom under another instructor. Yet it is Andy's own Aunt Milly who must fail her nephew for not passing his big exam, and to show no favoritism in that matter. Another overlong (101 minutes) segment, ANDY HARDY'S PRIVATE SECRETARY, being quite typical, holds interest through most of it. Hence its title, the story sets more on Andy Hardy's preparation for high school graduation than on his new romance with his private secretary. Yet its title is put to good use in attracting attention to the studio's new singing personality, Kathryn Grayson. Yes, there is that usual "man-to-man" talks between the judge and Andy, which in turn becomes strict father to son talk after judge learns his son won't be part of his graduation class of 1941.

Formerly distributed on video cassette in the 1990s, ANDY HARDY'S PRIVATE SECRETARY can be seen whenever broadcast on Turner Classic Movies. Next in the series, LIFE BEGINS FOR ANDY HARDY (1941) which marks the return of Judy Garland as Betsy Booth and Andy's return to The Big Apple, New York City. (*** diplomas)

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) is nearing graduation. With his various school committees, he takes on Kathryn Land (Kathryn Grayson) as his private secretary. Her family is quite poor and her brother dislikes him. A jealous Polly Benedict is not happy either. There are some additional issues including Andy failing English.

This is the tenth Hardy family movie. Initially, I like the Kathryn Land story. It's mostly fine. I wouldn't mind having her as a romantic entanglement although I can do without her opera singing. I miss Judy Garland. The story keeps going and going and going. It finally gets some drama when Andy fails English. Maybe that should be the main story element rather than leaving it to the last section. This could be better and I do wish that the rest of family has more to do.