Judge Hardy and Son

Judge Hardy and Son (1939)

** (out of 4)

Eighth film in the series has Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) trying to help a foreign couple who are about to lose their home. Back at the Hardy household Andy (Mickey Rooney) is having trouble with both money and girls but life's real lessons are brought up when his mother (Fay Holden) comes down with pneumonia and might die. This is a very somber entry in MGM's Andy Hardy series and I'm sure many might enjoy the darkness but overall I thought the film was one of the least entertaining as it just felt rushed and the story really didn't hit me as it should have. We'll start with the story involving the foreign couple. They pretty much just show up at the start of the film and this here allows Andy to do some detective work for his father but there's no laughs or drama to be had with this subplot. The stuff dealing with Mrs. Hardy's death was a mixed bag. On one hand it led to some overly dramatic speeches that were just really, really silly. I don't mean to make light of death but I think people even in 1939 knew the outcome and the preaching here was a tad bit too much for me. I know this series has a lot of people against it because it made life seem all too simple but I've never put any of the films down for that. The religious aspect to the film was just a tad bit too forceful in my opinion but there's no question that their heart was in the right place. It also allows Rooney to do some dramatic acting and he does a wonderful job with it especially in one scene where he finally breaks down at the thought of losing his mother. Stone also gets some very good moments with his son Andy as the two talk about death and what might end up happening. Fans of Universal's monster movies will be happy to see Henry Hull in a brief part as the doctor and Maria Ouspenskaya plays the foreign lady. Ann Rutherford is as charming as ever as Polly and we get a nice performance by Martha O'Driscoll as one of Andy's lady friends. This entry goes without much of the comedy of the earlier films and there's no question the moral lessons are on high alert but in the end none of it really worked for me. This certainly isn't a horrible film but at the same time the series has so many better efforts.

Judge Hardy is trying to help the Valduzzis who are facing eviction. He sends Andy (Mickey Rooney) out to find the couple's daughter.

It's the eighth film in the Hardy family franchise. They are really churning them out. It's been less than three years since the first movie. This is really a TV sitcom put into film form. More and more, the franchise is placed in the hands of Mickey Rooney. In a way, there may be too much on his plate. He has side stories everywhere. It's sitcom chaos and then it gets real serious. It gets surprisingly dark for about ten minutes. It's a real clash of tones with the sitcom humor. This one seems to be alternating much more than the other movies.

The Andy Hardy series gets a little serious in Judge Hardy And Son. Mickey Rooney gets a chance to do a little detective work on behalf of the court looking for a daughter to an elderly Italian immigrant couple who are in danger of losing their home. The elderly couple is played by Egon Brecher and Maria Ouspenskaya, neither exactly Italian, but in those days they were always cast as all purpose European ethnics.

Cecilia Parker and Mickey Rooney are having their usual brother and sister spats. And Rooney despite ever faithful Ann Rutherford gets himself involved with mush mouth southern belle June Preiser as a result of his search on behalf of Lewis Stone.

The Hardy family does come to crisis when Fay Holden who begged off a trip to see her parents on their golden wedding anniversary develops a touch of pleurisy. That moves quickly to pneumonia and the woman needs round the clock nursing care. Everyone else's troubles fade as the heart of the home threatens to stop beating.

Even Lewis Stone is knocked off kilter with his wife's illness, but in the end comes around to give Mickey Rooney the same old advice about love and life which Mickey keeps hearing, but it never quite takes.

One of the more enjoyable Andy Hardy films.

I enjoy the Andy Hardy pictures and they certainly were popular. However, I must admit that enjoying them and seeing them as excellent pictures is not the same thing. The plots are often very formulaic and even a bit silly...yet, you like the characters...well, that is except for the god-awful Euphrasia!

The film begins in very typical fashion--Andy (Mickey Rooney) is in need of money. His broken down jalopy needs new tires and he wants to take Polly (Ann Rutherford) to the dance. When he learns about an essay contest with a $50 prize, that idiot Andy just ASSUMES he'll win and commits the $50 to a variety of merchants in town. Later, after finally getting down to reading the rules, he realizes he's not eligible for the prize money! What is poor Andy to do??? Well, he comes up with a scheme to help a couple girls possibly win the contest so he can split the money with them. He also learns that his father, the Judge (Lewis Stone), is looking for someone and Andy agrees to help...if he gets paid for the work. Will all this work out as planned? And where does the hellishly annoying Euphrasia Clark come into all this?! Oh, and by the way, Andy's mother almost dies...

As usual, there's an ending where everything works out, several scenes where the incredibly wise Judge Hardy dispense great wisdom and women inexplicably chase Andy about as if he's Tyrone Power! Still, despite all this silliness, it's fun and quite enjoyable.

"Judge Hardy and Son" is the eighth in the series of Andy Hardy films. It contains Andy's usual high school hi-jinks, his usual money problems, and his usual girl troubles.

It is important to remember that the studio was cranking out these Andy Hardy films as fast as they could, wanting to capitalize on Mickey Rooney's popularity. As a result, some of the scripts were repetitive, if not uninspired.

In this installment, there are a couple of serious subjects, especially a threatening illness that befalls Andy's mother. Judge Hardy offers some sober observations about faith and the proper appreciation of life itself. Then the comedy continues.

The film has a hasty resolution, as with an episode in a series. Because the next Andy Hardy film would follow shortly, this is understandable and, to some extent, excusable. But the overall story--except for the section about the illness--lacks depth. Even the sections devoted to Andy's love interests feel shortchanged.