Judge Hardy's Children

In the third film in the series, the Hardy family take their act on the road--to Washington D.C. Judge Hardy, being an esteemed jurist, is serving on a commission which is to make a ruling regarding a utility company's monopolistic intentions.

Meanwhile, Andy tries to woo the daughter of the French ambassador, under the constant scrutiny of a dedicated chaperone.

The capital setting provides an opportunity for Judge Hardy to school Andy in the principles of freedom and democracy (as they were commonly perceived in the thirties).

The other Hardy child--Marian (Cecilia Parker)--falls for the sophisticated ways of a questionable crowd, but the judge finds a way to set everything straight, natch.

Judge Hardy's Children follows the Hardy family to Washington, DC. It's the third movie in the series, and there are a few references to the previous movie's vacation to Catalina. Mickey Rooney vows he's learned his lesson about falling for bad girls, and Cecilia Parker has made up with her boyfriend Robert Trent after her brief dalliance. Lewis Stone, as head of the household, is offered a first-row seat to a political court deal, but the offer seems too good to be true, as his wife Fay Holden is quick to warn him. Once the family is at the nation's capital, everyone gets into their usual amount of trouble.

In one of their classic "man to man" talks, Mickey asks his father if he was as girl-crazy when he was young. "I want to kiss all the pretty girls. Do you think I'm normal?" The usually stoic dad who always knows what to say become so overcome with the urge to laugh, he actually covers his face with his hands. When he lowers his hands, he still can't cover up his smirk as he says, "Yes, you're normal." As you might suspect, Mickey leaves behind Ann Rutherford when he goes on another vacation and falls for the first skirt who gives him the eye. Jacqueline Laurent is the French ambassador's daughter, but is she batting her eyelashes for the wrong reasons? And is Cecilia Parker getting too involved in politics for her own good? As usual, Lewis takes on the burdens of his children's problems, and when they grow out of control, his integrity, social standing, and entire career come into jeopardy. What will happen to Judge Hardy? You'll have to watch this installment, which is one of the best ones, to find out. As a bonus, it was filmed on location, so you'll see the movie stars frolicking around all the monuments!

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.

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.

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. (***)