Andy Hardy's Private Secretary

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 this 10th installment of the Andy Hardy series, Andy is class president and he's spending a lot of time with the class secretary, Kathryn (Kathryn Grayson). Naturally, Polly (Ann Rutherford) is jealous, but that's the least of the problems--it seems that Kathryn and her brother are going to be leaving the country just days before their graduation! So, Andy tries to fix things....and totally mucks it up! Additionally, he and the gang work on a school play, his car falls apart while Judge Hardy is driving it and Andy MIGHT not be graduating after all. As far as graduating goes, it IS about time as Mickey Rooney was 21 when he made this film*! If he doesn't graduate soon, he'll soon be collecting social security while still a student! None of it is really the least bit earth-shaking--just the usual family stuff you'll see in an Andy Hardy film. It's generally pleasant and entertaining with one exception. While Kathryn Grayson was lovely and enjoyable in the film, the studio's insistence of having her sing an operatic piece 46 minutes into the film was just dreadful--the same with the song at the 87 minute mark. Some in the audience might have liked it but I suspect most used that time to either take a brief nap or get some popcorn!

*The not graduating angle never made a lot of sense. Andy's supposed to be one of the top kids in his class yet did badly on his final English exam and failed. Odd--especially since Andy thought he was going to get an award for scholarship! Can Andy be this insane?! It just didn't seem realistic.

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.

After too many trips to New York and Chicago, staying home in Carville was a pleasant experience. There are touches of the sappiness of It's a Wonderful Life which extends to the casting. Watching in December probably helped the enjoyment level. With both the romance and Andy Hardy's overacting kept to a minimum the film resembles a simple sitcom. fans of a simpler era and a few smiles will enjoy this one.

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.