A Family Affair

First in the wonderful Andy Hardy series from MGM. For those who don't know, this series was as wholesome and American as apple pie. It draws snickers and insults from the "too cool for school" crowd but don't let that put you off of trying these fine films. They were quality dramas with dashes of comedy and lots of heart. The plot to this one has Judge Hardy (Lionel Barrymore) ticking off some businessmen and local politicians over a land deal. So the big shots, including former friends of the judge, band together to try to stop his re-election. There's also a subplot involving the judge's eldest daughter's troubled marriage that intersects with the judge's problems. Meanwhile, son Andy (Mickey Rooney) has the first of many girl problems in this series.

This is the only entry to feature sister Joan. Not sure why she was dropped but the series isn't hurt by it. The roles of Judge Hardy and his wife would be recast in the next film with Lewis Stone and Fay Holden, who would play the roles for the remainder of the series. Once you see them in the parts it will be hard to imagine that anybody else could do the roles justice. Also Mickey Rooney's Andy would become the star of the later films, whereas in the early films (such as this) Judge Hardy is clearly the star. It's a fantastic series that gets its start here in this somewhat atypical but still high quality movie.