After an absence of fourteen years, the Andy Hardy series is resumed with this attempt to regain the magic of the previous fifteen episodes. A series of flashbacks reminds the viewer of the beautiful and talented women who were Andy's former flames. Most of the original cast returns. But this film feels entirely different.
The original script would have had Andy reconnect with Polly, but instead he returns to dear old Carvel a married man, with a family on the west coast. And I am glad for the change, because I never thought of Polly as a pleasant, reliable young woman.
The story is about Andy returning home on a business trip, to locate land for a manufacturing plant. His efforts are thwarted by an unscrupulous businessman and small-town fears. Andy yearns to rediscover the hometown of his youth, but finds that emotional ties can fray.
The story lacks the energy and comedy of the earlier Andy Hardy installments. And the dramatic tension is rather weak, despite intimations that Andy's job is on the line. Still, it's fun to see Andy Hardy again, now serving as head of the family patriarchy.
