Andy Hardy e a Gran-fina

The Judy Garland many venerate today is the post-Plaza Theater (c.1951) Judy --damaged, pill-popping, alcoholic, overweight--the inspiration for female-impersonators everywhere because of her unique way of pouring out a broken heart in song while living life on the brink as Liza's mother. But the real Judy, the Judy who won America's heart back in the late 1930s is this incandescent teenager, eighteen years old at the time of this film. Those who find the later Judy's manner of acting and singing over-the-top, a bit vulgar, should listen here to the sheer beauty and purity of her soprano voice, her flawless enunciation and phrasing, her feeling for jazz, her utter simplicity. What's more she was a superb actress; witness the scene in the Central Park hansom cab with Mickey, so touchingly real and affecting. It is said that Stella Adler, who was to become Marlon Brando's teacher, but working for Arthur Freed at MGM at that time, was a great supporter of her amazing talent; perhaps Stella coached her acting. The story of this film is typically silly and dated but Judy and Mickey together are as always wonderful!

In the ideal Midwestern town of Carvel, high school teenager Andy (Mickey Rooney) uses books to hide pictures of New York socialite Diana Lewis (as Daphne Fowler). When friends discover his pin-up pictures in a botany book, Andy covers embarrassment by pretending to be intimately acquainted with the glamorous debutante. Meanwhile, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) finds out that a local orphanage may lose its funding. Hoping to protect the orphanage's trust funds, Judge Hardy takes the family to Manhattan. Intending to strike up a real romance with Ms. Lewis and impress his classmates, Andy pretends to be wealthy...

Andy does get to meet his female infatuation in New York, but the young woman getting most of the screen time with Mr. Rooney is Judy Garland (as Betsy Booth)...

Returning from her appearance in the series' "Love Finds Andy Hardy" (1938), Ms. Garland is a little older and has "filled out" (like they used to day). Garland beautifully sings "Alone" and "I'm Nobody's Baby". She still likes Andy, although he doesn't seem to notice. It doesn't matter what they do, the chemistry is clearly evident. The story is a little thin for its length, but good. By the time this picture was released, Rooney and Garland were the top box office "teen idols" in the country. They made other films, but were never fresher. Their scene near the end, with Rooney and Garland riding in the back of a coach, is a career highlight.

****** Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (7/5/40) George B. Seitz ~ Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Lewis Stone, Ann Rutherford

I am a huge fan of Judy so this review may be biased. I enjoyed this very much. "I'm Nobody's Baby" was typical early Judy. She and Mickey make a delightful team. They just make me smile when they come on screen. You can tell they had a blast working together. I especially like when Mickey goes out on the town and his shirt stud...I like at the very end of the movie when he looks at his photographs and says, "How one's women do mount up!" Just priceless.

Andy's got a crush on famous New York socialite Daphne Fowler (Diana Lewis) and brags to Polly and Beezy that he knows her. Judge Hardy has to go to New York to save the Carvel orphanage and decides to bring the family along. When Andy's friends hear about this, they expect him to bring back photographic proof of his romance with Daphne. Once in New York, he gets help from his friend Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), who's grown up some and still in love with Andy.

The ninth entry in the MGM Andy Hardy film series is a good one. Probably the most quotable of the Hardy movies. Lots of funny lines ("We're not hillbillies. We wear shoes every day."). Mickey Rooney is terrific. Andy always had to learn life lessons in these movies but here he learns them all the hard way and Mickey does a fantastic job making Andy sympathetic while making us shake our heads at him at the same time. Judy Garland reprises her role as Betsy Booth from earlier in the series. She's a joy to watch and has great chemistry with Mickey. She gets to sing a couple of nice songs, too. Clyde Wilson steals his few scenes as the orphan Francis, who gets man-to-man advice from Andy. Cy Kendall has a good part as the owner of a fancy restaurant who gives Andy a tongue lashing for running up a bill pretending to be a big shot ("I've got eight dollars in my bankroll and with eight dollars I could buy the Club Sirocco."). A really good entry in the series with quality writing and solid performances from everybody.

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) has been bragging again, claiming that New York debutante Daphne Fowler is somebody that he knows, that she likes him, and that he must break up with Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) because of this attachment. When Judge Hardy must go to New York City to take care of an issue involving the estate of the benefactor of the Carvel Orphanage having stopped funding, the entire family is going with him. So Polly plans to embarrass Andy with the cover of the next copy of the High School magazine unless Andy returns with a photo of himself and Daphne together. Complications ensue.

Andy pulls a bunch of bone-headed stunts trying to meet Ms. Fowler, the result being that rather than him being angry at himself for trying to plunge headlong into the adult world of New York society without the wisdom or knowledge to do so, he feels the problem is that he and his entire family are a bunch of "nobodies" who have no position in a place like New York, and therefore will always be nobodies. Has Andy's reticence to read prices on a menu turned him into a Marxist? The judge takes him to task and even more complications ensue.

The real attraction here is Judy Garland who returns as Betsy Booth, a younger girl who has always had a crush on Andy. She's a better friend than he deserves and a real sticking point for me is that he doesn't seem to really appreciate her, even if he says that he does.

Highlights include a couple of numbers by the effervescent Judy Garland, when she was a young fresh face at MGM. Also, the judge and Aunty Milly have a word over a conspiracy they have going to get Mrs. Hardy to accept a fur coat, showing that they really had a very good friendship going.