Cupido contra Andy Hardy

Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946)

** (out of 4)

The fifteenth film in the series has Andy (Mickey Rooney) returning home from the Army and clearing up a few things with his parents (Lewis Stone, Fay Holden) before heading back to college where he plans on marrying the girl (Bonita Granville) he fell in love with from the previous film. Andy's plans don't go as he expects and he gets the idea that college isn't for him and perhaps it would be best to just enter the working world. MGM would make the ill-advised decision to try and bring this series back in 1958 but it's clear this was originally meant to be the final entry in the series. I think it's also clear that the majority of the people involved were probably wishing this movie never happened at all. For starters, director Goldbeck, a newbie to the series, can't recapture the same magic as the earlier films and the entire tone of the film just doesn't seem right. Another problem is the screenplay, which really does seem to be picking up spare pieces at the bottom of a barrel. Nothing on display here is really of any interest as the entire love affair for Andy doesn't really make too much sense if you've seen the previous film in the series and for the life of me I can't understand why on Earth they spent so much time getting the entire story going. The early scenes in Carville are cute because it shows Andy meeting up with a few characters from earlier in the series (but no Polly) but it adds very little. The stuff at college isn't all that interesting either, although one of the few high points comes when Andy gets set up with a girl (Dorothy Ford) who is almost twice his size. Another highlight comes at the very end when Lina Romay shows up in a highly entertaining little sequence. The "final" spill to (originally) end the series works well but it's a shame everything else didn't meet its level of entertainment. Rooney isn't too bad in his role but it really does appear that his heart or mind is somewhere else. Stone and Holden really don't get very much to do and Sara Haden just appears briefly. Granville is as charming as ever but the screenplay doesn't do her any favors either. Fans of the series will certainly still want to check this one out but if you're new to Andy Hardy it's best to avoid this one and check out some of the earlier and better films.

Mickey Rooney made about a dozen and a half Andy Hardy films--and this is among the very last. Because of this, it's certainly far from original and lacks the energy of the earlier entries. It's also oddly depressing at times.

This installment finds Andy returning home from the war...and it was sure swell. However, instead of dealing with PTSD or the looming threat of international communism, Andy is in a daze--obsessed with his latest love, Kay Wilson (Bonita Granville). His plan is to go off to college using the GI Bill and marry Kay the co-ed. However, soon his plans fall apart, as it turns out that Kay has other plans. Additionally, although he goes to school, oddly, you never see him attend any classes! By the end, the audience is feeling a bit uneasy about his pain as well as a sense of déjà vu, as Andy is ALWAYS having girl trouble.

Aside from a cute side story about Andy dating a gigantic lady, the film has little in the way of interesting content or originality. It's clearly a film for the die-hard Hardy groupies and is reasonably entertaining but nothing more. And, incidentally, it's in the public domain and may be copied and viewed for free following the links on IMDb...though I wouldn't necessarily rush to do this.

...and the Hardys seem as uncomfortable and out of place in 1946 as MGM did, with the changing times that they just couldn't seem to quite tap into from this point forward.

Andy comes home to Carvel after two years as a soldier, and he seems to have matrimony on his mind, specifically his college girlfriend Kay. They didn't call it the baby boom for nothing. There are several endearing and humorous moments, but something is just missing from the old formula. For one thing, everybody is noticeably older. Mickey Rooney is obviously a man in his mid twenties, and Lewis Stone is obviously elderly. They would look rather silly having their old man to man talks at this point, and to a large degree the film avoids that. It does tap into a conversation lots of returning soldiers were probably having with themselves - whether or not to take advantage of that GI bill and finish a college education, or go out into the world without it and start trying to make a mark right now, which everybody had usually done up to this point in time.

One rather humorous incident - Andy is fixed up on a date with a girl who is a foot taller than he is. How did this happen? The guy who did the fixing had them both in the swimming pool at the time, thus avoiding the issue of the height difference.

This will be the last Hardy family film for 12 years, so this is pretty much an end to the franchise.

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) is home from the war. His mind is mostly stuck on marriage and his college girlfriend Kay Wilson (Bonita Granville). Misunderstandings, chaos, and heartbreak ensue.

Andy is just not Andy when he is focused on one girl. There is something off about this one. This temporarily ends the series until 12 years later when the final movie fails to revive the franchise. I never really liked Kay. She always seems to have one foot out the door. In the previous movie, I would be perfectly happy with Wilde twins. There is a fun gag with a very tall girl. Otherwise, this is fairly blah.

LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1946), "the special Academy Award series," directed by Willis Goldbeck, returns Mickey Rooney to his title role after a two year absence. After serving in the Army during World War II, Rooney returned to Hollywood, to his home studio of MGM, and to the "Judge Hardy's Family/Andy Hardy" series. There have been some changes since its last episode, ANDY HARDY'S DOUBLE TROUBLE (1944). This was the first in the series where Mickey Rooney's name heads the cast, as opposed to Lewis Stone's name coming first over Rooney's during the past thirteen episodes. This was the only film in the series to mention anything regarding current events of World War II, since Andy Hardy, like Mickey Rooney, has also served in the armed forces. Cecilia Parker as Andy's older sister, Marion, and Ann Rutherford as Andy's girlfriend, Polly Benedict, are not present. Marion is mentioned through both telegram and conversation, while Polly's name comes up from her on-screen father, George Benedict (Addison Richards). Oddly enough, Sara Haden as Andy's Aunt Milly, is billed third in the credits rather than Fay Holden, as the mother, whose name is usually listed higher rather than sixth billed. Bonita Granville, who appeared in the last (and longest) segment of the series, returns as Kay Wilson. Not to be confused with its similar-sounding title to LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY (1938) that featured Judy Garland, LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY gets one last look at Judge Hardy's family and what they've been doing since they were last seen in movie theaters in 1944.

World War II is over. It's New Years Day, January 1, and the Hardy family, including Judge James K. Hardy (Lewis Stone), wife Emily (Fay Holden) and Aunt Milly Forrest (Sara Haden) celebrate welcoming their son, Andy (Mickey Rooney) home to Carvel after two years in the Armed forces. Now a ex-soldier and a mature young man, Andy plans resuming his studies at Wainwright College to become a lawyer. The Hardy's soon discover Andy's sole interest happens to be on Kay Wilson (Bonita Granville), the girl he earlier met at Wainwright and intends to marry. Before he can pop the question to Kay, Andy is first introduced to Spanish singer, Isobel Gonzalez (Lina Romay), a visiting friend of Polly Benedict, and later escorts a very tall six-foot model, Coffy Smith (Dorothy Ford) to a Frosh dance, much to his embarrassment since his parents happen to be there during their Alumni Homecoming Week. As Andy finally gets together with Kay, he learns she also has some news for him as well. Will it be up to Judge Hardy or Andy to decide what to do from there?

In the supporting cast are Dick Simmons (Dane Kitteridge, Kay's 35 year-old guardian); Clinton Sundberg (The Haberdashery Proprietor); Geraldine Wall (Miss Geeves); Charles Peck (Tommy Gilchrist); Hal Hackett (Duke Johnson); and Lucien Littlefield (The Telegraph Clerk). Other than Addison Richards' last appearance in the series, it also became Lewis Stone's 13th and final role as Judge Hardy and his "man-to-man" talks with his son. Songs included are: "Beneath the Border" (sung by Lina Romay in Spanish and English during the Carvel Country Club dance); "Hail to Wainwright" by Earl Brent and David Snell; and "I Like You Very Much" (sung by Lina Romay).

With changing tastes of movie entertainment during the post World War II era, this new edition to the "Andy Hardy" series, with some updated themes, seemed outdated and no longer popular for audience tastes. By 1947, MGM ended its franchise with lesser editions to its once popular "Maisie," "Thin Man" and "Doctor Kildare/Gillespie" series. While this could have been the very last movie audiences would get to see the Hardy family, there was a reunion edition produced a decade later titled ANDY HARDY COMES HOME (MGM, 1958), returning series regulars as Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker and Sara Haden (Lewis Stone has since died in 1953 and not recast). While this seemed like a good idea, the 16th installment became the least known and successful of them all. It really wasn't that bad, but production looked more like an extended television episode than a motion picture. Flashback sequences from previous installments were the film's few highlights. The Hardy off-springs weren't likable, but most of all, without Lewis Stone, the magic was completely gone. At least LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY still offered amusing moments during its 94 minutes, including Andy getting locked out of the house while trying to take a bath; Andy's jitterbug dance with the giant girl, Coffy; etc., otherwise, the series magic was slowly fading. It was natural that Mickey Rooney was ready to move on to stronger and better parts. At least his boxing film, KILLER McCOY (1947) was a step in the right direction, but not enough to elevate his star status to what it once was a few short years ago.

Of all the "Andy Hardy" entries, LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY was the only one in the franchise to fall into public domain. It's availability on both video cassette and DVD are usually presented in second generation copies. The best and complete prints to this edition are found on cable television's Turner Classic Movies. (**1/2)