L'amore trova Andy Hardy

These low budget teen comedies practically carried MGM throughout the 30s and 40s. If they lost money on another movie, they would just invest in another Andy Hardy picture, and they would be guarantee a comfortable return on their investment. Out of all the Hardy films, this comedy of errors in the best. Mickey Rooney is in top shape as the girl crazy Andy Hardy, who winds up with more girls than he can handle. Ann Rutherford, Lana Turner and Judy Garland are all exceptional, and Judy busts out some memorable songs during this movie that will stick in your mind even when the movie is over. This movie is a reflection of more innocent times, the pre-WWII era of the world, where everyone was full of hope and dreams about what lay ahead in the world. Movies like this are rare and the people making contemporary teen comedies would do themselves a favour to watch this movie, amongst other Hardy pics, to see precisely what makes a good comedy. No foul language, no nudity, just a good solid story and great performers to carry it. Not to be missed. Now, I can only hope for an Andy Hardy box set on DVD.

This is very corny in spots, especially with the goofy faces Mickey Rooney makes with the girls. They are so childish they get annoying quickly. However, he stops doing that fairly soon, thankfully.

Even though these Andy Hardy films are sappy, there is a certain charm to them. Of note in this film is a very young Lana Turner and a young Judy Garland, whose songs are so-so in here. She plays an appealing role but is not convincing as a 12-year-old. She looks physically more mature than pre-teen.

Lewis Stone, meanwhile, is perhaps the best character in this film as he was in most movies in this series. I really liked his hear-to-heart talk with Rooney. In an old-fashioned way, it's nice to see a teen with a great rapport with his parents. Some may not believe it, but it DOES happen in some families!!

I'd never seen one of these "Judge Hardy's Family" movies before this, but on Thanksgiving Day I checked out the TCM schedule to see what was going to be playing for the holiday and I was intrigued by the long list of movies within this series. So, while I was out for the day visiting the family I let my VCR record about three or four of these things. I just randomly began with this one, which I enjoyed and have since read is considered one of the better installments.

Here we have Mickey Rooney (I can't believe he was actually 18 when he made this) getting involved with two other girls once his main squeeze Polly (Ann Rutherford) has to go away to visit her grandma for Christmas. Andy's been looking to raise twenty dollars (!) to buy a car he's had his eye on, so while Polly's gone, Andy accepts his friend Beezy's offer to get paid to date his girlfriend Cynthia (Lana Turner) while Beezy's also out of town for Christmas. From there, "troubles" erupt when Cynthia gets way too stuck on Andy, and then his singing neighbor Betsy (Judy Garland) also starts to fall in love with him. Wish I had problems like that when I was 15!

While watching this film, you can't help become aware of how drastically times have changed in 70 years. This is a wholesome family affair. It was a joy watching Lewis Stone as Andy's old dad, Judge James Hardy, trying to bridge the generation gap (such as it was in the '30s) between father and son, and having his heart to heart talks with his boy. Mickey Rooney's characterization of the highly animated Andy Hardy was infectious, and I thought all three of his well-known leading ladies were cute. Judy sings a few tunes, of course, and I didn't mind them a bit. It seemed to me, though, that she was relegated more to the background for this story, unfortunately. I am looking forward to catching further entries from this series in the future. *** out of ****

Once again, MICKEY ROONEY is in all sorts of trouble and Judge Hardy is always there to get him out of it--or at least talk things over with him. And this time, the accent is on his girl troubles. It's kind of amusing just to see the pretty ANN RUTHERFORD and a very young LANA TURNER throwing themselves at Rooney the way they do--I mean, let's fact it, he was never a looker.

Gone are the days when teens dressed like they do here--Rooney wearing a derby on a bright summer day and not a pair of jeans in sight. The script has Ann Rutherford's Polly going away on a Christmas visit to an aunt, which gives Rooney an excuse to discover Lana Turner's Cynthia at a swimming pool. She serves as his playmate for this particular Hardy story and it's easy to see why MGM kept her under contract for years to come.

JUDY GARLAND is Betsy Booth, who announces right at the start that she's "going to be on the stage some day"--and was that a good prediction! She also gets to sing a few numbers in the now famous Garland style.

The plot ambles along predictably and pleasantly, as most Hardy films do, and suffice it to say that Rooney's fling with Lana Turner is the most enjoyable aspect of the story and well played by both youngsters. But boy, could he mug! Yes, even then, he dispensed with some pretty extravagant bits of mugging that became more and more pronounced as the years went on. Some called it talent--others may have disagreed. Whatever it was, he was a very popular box-office star at the time this one was made.

Summing up: Pleasant enough for Hardy fans, and certainly a reminder of how different times were for teens in the late '30s.

In Love Finds Andy Hardy, love descends upon Mickey Rooney like an invading army. It's amazing how he managed to get free from all of his romantic entanglements. But when you've got Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and Ann Rutherford all chasing you in the same film, you must be doing something right.

Those who followed the doings of the Hardy family in the theaters back in the day and on TCM now are aware of Mickey's girl friend Ann Rutherford who plays Polly Benedict in the series. Ann's going away from Carvel for the Christmas holidays and Andy has no one to take to the winter dance. Then at the same time he meets Judy Garland who is staying next door to the Hardys visiting an aunt and gets introduced to his friend Beezy's girl friend Lana Turner. Somehow the image of Lana Turner ever going out with a person named 'Beezy' doesn't compute.

Still Beezy who is played in the series by George Breakston is also going out of town and before long Rooney's got two dates to the dance with Garland and Turner and an unexpected Ann Rutherford returning home.

Now since this was right in the beginning of the Hardy series, you know Mickey got out of it and lived to romance another day. But Love Finds Andy Hardy if it belongs to anyone in the cast, the film is definitely Judy Garland's. Her personality so winning, there was never a question about her becoming a great star. She has some good songs to sing with In-Between and It Never Rains, But What It Pours which she sings well, but should have been Mickey's theme for this film.

What I liked best in the film is how Judy with a little psychology managed to get Rooney out of his entanglement with Turner. That's worth seeing the film alone for. There is also a couple of nice subplots involving a wayward juvenile before Judge Hardy played by Gene Reynolds and the fact that Mother (Fay Holden) is away at Christmas time tending to her mother.

Love Finds Andy Hardy is an average film for the series, but it's a milestone in that two screen legends who were very different types on the screen got significant career boosts from this film.