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"Life" Magazine Movie of the Week, August 8, 1938
The current slump in box-office receipts has made even Hollywood producers wonder "What's wrong with the movies?" Condescending at last to examine their balance sheets, the movie moguls have discovered an interesting fact: many of the supercolossal, star-studded "specials" have been expensive flops, while certain low-budget pictures have quietly cleaned up. The most notable example is the series of Judge Hardy pictures made by M-G-M. Designed for the family trade in small towns, they now rank as hold-over attractions on Broadway.
The Hardy Family consists of four stock players, while other characters change from picture to picture. Judge Hardy presides over the local court in the town of Carvel, somewhere in the Middle West. In You're Only Young Once the Hardy's vacationed at Catalina Island, where the daughter fell in love with a lifeguard. In Judge Hardy's Children, the judge went to Washington as head of a Federal commission and Andy fell in love with the French Ambassador's daughter.
So far as any one player is responsible for the success of the Judge Hardy pictures, it is Mickey Rooney. The latest and best of the series, Love Finds Andy Hardy, is almost entirely his. Young Mr. Rooney gives a portrait of an adolescent boy which is as good as anything seen on the screen this year.
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1. The family: Lewis Stone as the Judge, Cecilia Parker as Marian, Fay Holden as Mrs. Hardy, Mickey Rooney as Andy.
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2. Andy's regular girl, Polly (Ann Rutherford) is leaving. They kiss.
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3. Andy pays $12 on a car, needs $8 more. A friend, Jimmy, who is leaving town, offers to pay him the $8.
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4. Jimmy is afraid other boys will steal his girl, Cynthia.
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5. Andy's $8 job is to keep Cynthia (Lana Turner) dated up. She is very willing.
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6. Betsy (Judy Garland) next enters Andy's life. He considers her, however, a mere child.
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7. Mrs. Hardy is called away by her mother's illness. The Judge (and Augusta, the cook) read her letter.
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8. Andy gets a friend to send Mrs. Hardy a message over his short-wave radio. The Judge is amazed.
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9. Andy is well content with his bargain to keep Cynthia dated up, finds her "sensational."
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10. She likes kissing best of all. That suits Andy.
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11. Just before Christmas, Andy receives a blow. Jimmy cannot pay the $8. Betsy sympathizes.
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12. The Judge gives him $8 and a thrift talk, mentions that one day he will be dead. Andy is alarmed.
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13. Jealous of Cynthia, Polly refuses to go to the big Christmas dance. He has to take Betsy.
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14. Betsy sings and makes a great hit.
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15. After leading the grand march (below) Andy drives Betsy home in his new car, elated.
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