Andy Hardy

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Andy Hardy
Love Finds Andy Hardy (1939) 1.jpg
Mickey Rooney (center) as Andy Hardy, with Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) and Mrs. Hardy (Fay Holden), 1939
First appearanceStage:
Skidding (1928)
Film:
A Family Affair (1937)
Last appearance Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958)
Created byAurania Rouverol
Portrayed by Charles Eaton (stage)
Mickey Rooney (film)
In-universe information
AliasAndrew Hardy
GenderMale
FamilyJudge James K. Hardy (father)
Emily Hardy (mother)
Marian Hardy (sister)
Mildred (Milly) Forrest (aunt)
Nationality American

Andrew "Andy" Hardy is a fictional character best known for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer series of 16 films in which he was played by Mickey Rooney. The main film series was released from 1937 to 1946, with a final film made in 1958 in an unsuccessful attempt to revive the series. Hardy and other characters initially appeared in the 1928 play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol. [1] Early films in the series were about the Hardy family as a whole, but later entries focused on the character of Andy Hardy. Rooney was the only member of the ensemble to appear in all 16 films. The Hardy films, which were enormously popular in their heyday, were sentimental comedies, celebrating ordinary American life.

Contents

Theatre

The Hardy family first appeared in Aurania Rouverol's play Skidding, which debuted on May 21, 1928, at the Bijou Theatre and ran until July 1929. [2] The original cast included Carleton Macy as Judge Hardy, Charles Eaton as Andy, Joan Madison as Myra, and Marguerite Churchill as Marion. [3] Samuel Marx recommended to MGM that the play be adapted into a film. [4]

First film

The initial Hardy film, A Family Affair (1937), was based directly on Rouverol's play and was produced without a view to producing a series. It featured Lionel Barrymore as Judge Hardy and Spring Byington as Mrs. Hardy, Andy's parents, and Margaret Marquis as Andy's on-again-off-again sweetheart, Polly Benedict. Several of the actors in this initial Hardy film had been in the 1935 film Ah, Wilderness! , based on Eugene O’Neill’s only comedy: Barrymore, Byington, Rooney, Eric Linden, Cecilia Parker, Charley Grapewin, and Margaret Marquis. (Bonita Granville, who was also in Ah, Wilderness! but not in A Family Affair, has a major role in the last two original Hardy films, Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble and Love Laughs at Andy Hardy .)

Series

Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Love Finds Andy Hardy Love Finds Andy Hardy trailer.JPG
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Love Finds Andy Hardy

When the series was launched, most of the cast was changed, with the exception of Rooney, Cecilia Parker as Andy's older sister Marian Hardy, and Sara Haden as Aunt Milly (except for two films when Betty Ross Clarke appeared as Milly). The second and subsequent films starred Lewis Stone as Judge Hardy, Fay Holden as Mrs. Hardy, and Ann Rutherford as Polly Benedict. The Hardys' oldest child, married daughter Joan Hardy Martin, appeared only in the first film and was not mentioned in the subsequent films.

Most of the movies were set in the Hardys' fictional hometown of Carvel, located in Idaho in the original play, but described in the films as being in the Midwest. (In the short film Andy Hardy's Dilemma, the Hardys are described as living in Los Angeles, with no mention of Carvel.) All of the films were sentimental comedies celebrating ordinary American life. The people in Carvel were generally pious, patriotic, generous, and tolerant. The town represented MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer's idealized vision of his adopted country.[ citation needed ]

The early movies focused on the Hardy family as a whole, but the character Andy soon became the center of the series, and his name was featured in the title of the fourth film and all films from the seventh on. [5] They were instrumental in Rooney's rise to stardom. The first two Hardy films dealt with the danger of adultery among the younger generation, but the later ones avoided such controversial themes.[ citation needed ]

The central relationship in the movies was between Andy and his father. Judge Hardy, played by the grandfatherly looking Stone, was a man of absolute morality and integrity, with a stern demeanor, but a kind heart and droll sense of humor. A typical plot involved Andy getting into minor trouble with money or girls, usually because of youthful selfishness and a willingness to fudge the truth.[ citation needed ] This would lead to a "man-to-man" talk with his father, after which Andy would do the right thing.

In three films, Rooney was paired with Judy Garland, beginning with Love Finds Andy Hardy , and continuing with Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940) and Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941). Garland's character, Betsy Booth, is an aspiring singer and she sings in the first two of these films. However, although Garland songs were planned for the final film, they were eventually dropped. Unlike Garland-Rooney films outside of the Andy Hardy series, Rooney's Hardy character is not a musician, so Garland and Rooney do not perform together in the Hardy films.

Rooney played the character continuously from age 16 to 25, when he appeared in Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946), in which Andy returned to civilian life after fighting in World War II. Twelve years later, an attempt to revive the series with an older, wiser Andy was made in 1958 with Andy Hardy Comes Home , but it turned out to be the final film in the series. Thus, the Andy Hardy series ended with a "To Be Continued", which indeed has yet to be continued.

Filmography

  1. A Family Affair (1937)
  2. You're Only Young Once (1937)
  3. Judge Hardy's Children (1938)
  4. Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
  5. Out West with the Hardys (1938)
  6. The Hardys Ride High (1939)
  7. Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939)
  8. Judge Hardy and Son (1939) [6]
  9. Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940)
  10. Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941)
  11. Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941)
  12. The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942)
  13. Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942)
  14. Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)
  15. Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946)
  16. Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958)

Also, a 1940 short subject promoting the Community Chest was called Andy Hardy's Dilemma (18 minutes). [7]

Characters

CharacterTitle
A Family AffairYou're Only Young OnceJudge Hardy's ChildrenLove Finds Andy HardyOut West with the HardysThe Hardys Ride HighAndy Hardy Gets Spring FeverJudge Hardy and SonAndy Hardy Meets DebutanteAndy Hardy's Private SecretaryLife Begins for Andy HardyThe Courtship of Andy HardyAndy Hardy's Double LifeAndy Hardy's Blonde TroubleLove Laughs At Andy HardyAndy Hardy Comes Home
Andy HardyMickey Rooney
Judge HardyLionel BarrymoreLewis Stone
Emily HardySpring ByingtonFay Holden
Aunt MillySara HadenBetty Ross ClarkeSara Haden
Marion HardyCecilia ParkerCecilia ParkerCecilia Parker
Polly BenedictMargaret MarquisAnn Rutherford
Henry, the bailiffErville AldersonErville AldersonErville Alderson
Wayne TrentEric LindenRobert Whitney
Frank RedmondCharley GrapewinFrank Craven
Hoyt WellsSelmer Jackson
TommyCharles PeckCharles PeckCharles PeckCharles Peck
Betsy BoothJudy GarlandJudy GarlandJudy Garland
Jimmy MacMahonGene ReynoldsGene Reynolds
Dennis HuntDon Castle
AugustaMarie BlakeMarie Blake
BeezyGeorge P. BreakstonGeorge P. BreakstonJoey Forman
Peter DuganRaymond HattonJoseph Crehan
Don DavisJohn T. Murray
George BenedictAddison RichardsAddison RichardsAddison RichardsAddison Richards
Principal DavisJohn DilsonJohn Dilson
Phrasie DaiseyMaxine ConradJune Presser
ClarabelleMargaret EarlyMargaret Early
Harry LandTodd KarnsTodd Karns
Jeff WillisWilliam Lundigan
Joe Wilkins, the PostmanJohn Butler
RedFrank Coghlan Jr.
Kay WilsonBonita Granville

Screen debuts

The Andy Hardy series served as a platform for MGM to introduce new performers, some of whom became stars themselves. [5] As examples, Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) featured Lana Turner in one of her first film appearances, while Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941) launched Kathryn Grayson's movie career, and Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) marked the screen debut of Esther Williams.

Other adaptations

Public service announcements

A number of public service announcements involving the Andy Hardy character and his father were shown in theaters in the 1940s. A notable example had Andy trying to persuade his father to give him $200 for a car. Instead, his father took him on a tour of several charities that needed the money more. After each visit to a charity, the car Andy wanted to buy became more and more decrepit.

Radio series

From late 1949 into 1952, The Hardy Family was syndicated by MGM as a half-hour weekly series on radio, with a cast including Mickey Rooney, Fay Holden and Lewis Stone, and writers including Jack Rubin and Jameson Brewer, directed by Thomas A. McAvity. Radio historian J. David Goldin identifies the personnel and summarizes a dozen episodes, with episode numbers suggested more than 70 episodes were broadcast. [8] Seven episodes of the series are preserved in an Internet Archive collection. [9]

Comic books

In June 1947, Fiction House's Movie Comics published a comic book adaptation of the film Love Laughs at Andy Hardy. [10] [11]

Andy Hardy was also the subject of a six issue comic series published by Dell in 1952–1954. [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Love Finds Andy Hardy</i> 1938 film by George B. Seitz

Love Finds Andy Hardy is a 1938 American romantic comedy film that tells the story of a teenage boy who becomes entangled with three different girls all at the same time. It stars Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford, Mary Howard and Gene Reynolds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey Rooney</span> American actor (1920–2014)

Mickey Rooney was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the silent-film era. He was the top box-office attraction from 1939 to 1941, and one of the best-paid actors of that era. At the height of a career marked by declines and comebacks, Rooney performed the role of Andy Hardy in a series of 16 films in the 1930s and 1940s that epitomized the mainstream United States self-image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Stone</span> American actor (1879–1953)

Lewis Shepard Stone was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular Andy Hardy film series. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1929 for his performance as Russian Count Pahlen in The Patriot. Stone was also cast in seven films with Greta Garbo, including in the role of Doctor Otternschlag in the 1932 drama Grand Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Rutherford</span> Canadian-born American actress

Therese Ann Rutherford was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the Andy Hardy series, and appearing as one of Scarlett O'Hara's sisters, Careen O'Hara in the film Gone with the Wind (1939).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonita Granville</span> American actress and producer (1923–1988)

Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather was an American actress and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Rouverol</span> American actress and screenwriter (1916–2017)

Jean Rouverol was an American actress, screenwriter and author who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios in the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Haden</span> American actress (1898–1981)

Sara Haden was an American actress of the 1930s through the 1950s and in television into the mid-1960s. She may be best remembered for appearing as Aunt Milly Forrest in 14 of the 16 entries in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Andy Hardy film series.

<i>Andy Hardy Meets Debutante</i> 1940 film by George B. Seitz

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante is a 1940 American romantic comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. The film stars Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden, and Judy Garland. It is the ninth of the Andy Hardy full-length film series.

<i>Youre Only Young Once</i> 1937 film by George B. Seitz

You're Only Young Once is a 1937 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. Following A Family Affair, it is the second film of the Andy Hardy series. Lewis Stone replaces Lionel Barrymore as Judge Hardy while Fay Holden replaced Spring Byington as his wife since both Barrymore and Byington were too expensive for the sequel's modest budget. Mickey Rooney would repeat his role as Andy while Cecilia Parker, as his sister, and Sara Haden, as Aunt Milly, would also reprise their roles from the original film. They were the only original actors transferred to the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June Preisser</span> American actress

June Preisser was an American actress, popular in musical films during the late 1930s and through the 1940s, many of which capitalized on her skills as an acrobat.

<i>A Family Affair</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by George B. Seitz

A Family Affair is a 1937 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz and based on the 1928 play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol. It was the first of 16 films now known as the Andy Hardy series, although Andy Hardy did not become the main character in the series until several more installments had been made. The film stars Lionel Barrymore, Cecilia Parker, Eric Linden, Mickey Rooney and Charley Grapewin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Holden</span> American actress (1893–1973)

Dorothy Fay Hammerton, known professionally as Fay Holden, was a British-born, American-based actress. She was known as Gaby Fay early in her career.

<i>Strike Up the Band</i> (film) 1940 American musical film by Busby Berkeley

Strike Up the Band is a 1940 American musical film produced by the Arthur Freed unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was directed by Busby Berkeley and stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, in the second of a series of musicals they co-starred in, after Babes in Arms, all directed by Berkeley. The story written for the 1927 stage musical Strike Up the Band, and its successful 1930 Broadway revision, bear no resemblance to this film, aside from the title song.

<i>Love Laughs at Andy Hardy</i> 1946 film by Willis Goldbeck

Love Laughs at Andy Hardy is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Willis Goldbeck and starring Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone and Bonita Granville. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is also known under its American promotional title Uncle Andy Hardy. This was the fifteenth and penultimate film in the Andy Hardy series. The final installment, Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958), would be released 12 years later.

<i>Life Begins for Andy Hardy</i> 1941 film by George B. Seitz

Life Begins for Andy Hardy is a 1941 American comedy film and the 11th installment of the 16 popular Andy Hardy movies. Directed by George B. Seitz, Life Begins for Andy Hardy was also the last Andy Hardy movie to feature Judy Garland.

<i>Andy Hardy Comes Home</i> 1958 film

Andy Hardy Comes Home is a 1958 American comedy film directed by Howard W. Koch. It is the 16th and final film in the Andy Hardy series, with Mickey Rooney reprising his signature role. It was produced 12 years after the previous Hardy film, and was an attempt to revive what had once been an enormously popular film series. Because the film fell short of box office projections, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer did not continue the Andy Hardy series.

<i>Andy Hardys Double Life</i> 1942 film

Andy Hardy's Double Life is a 1942 comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. It was the thirteenth installment of MGM's enormously popular Andy Hardy film series starring Mickey Rooney as the title character.

<i>The Courtship of Andy Hardy</i> 1942 film by George B. Seitz

The Courtship of Andy Hardy is a 1942 film, part of the Andy Hardy series. It gave an early role to Donna Reed although Mickey Rooney had lobbied for his then-wife Ava Gardner to have her part. Within a few months of the film's release, she filed for divorce.

<i>Judge Hardys Children</i> 1938 film by George B. Seitz

Judge Hardy's Children is a 1938 film in the Andy Hardy series. The plot involves the Hardys visiting Washington, DC, in this third entry in MGM's "Hardy Family" series.

Aurania Rouverol was an American writer best known for her play Skidding, in which she created Andy Hardy and his family, who were turned into a popular series of sixteen movies from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

References

  1. "Fan Site Home Page". AndyHardyfilms.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  2. "Aurania Rouverol – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". IBDB. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  3. "Skidding Original Broadway Cast - 1928 Broadway". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  4. Lertzman, Richard A.; Birnes, William J. (2015-10-20). The Life and Times of Mickey Rooney. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-5011-0098-7.
  5. 1 2 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year. Turner Classic Movies, 2009.
  6. Judge Hardy and Son at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  7. "Andy Hardy's Dilemma: A Lesson in Mathematics... and Other Things". IMDb.
  8. Goldin, David. "Hardy Family, The". RadioGOLDINdex. University of Missouri, Kansas City. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  9. "Def GP". "The Hardy Family 08 Eps". The Internet Archive. The Internet Archive. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  10. "Movie Comics #3". Comics.org. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  11. Zillner, Dian; Zillner, Jeff (1994). Hollywood collectibles: the sequel. ISBN   0887405711.[ page needed ]
  12. "Andy Hardy (1952 Dell) comic books". Mycomicshop.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  13. The comic book: the one essential guide for comic book fans everywhere by Paul Sassienie Chartwell Books, Inc., 1994