After spending time in the service after National Velvet, Mickey Rooney returned to MGM hoping to resume his pre-war career. Like his real life counterpart, Rooney's most well known character Andy Hardy also did some time in the army during World War II. Andy had dropped out of Wainwright College which also was the alma mater of his dad, Lewis Stone and enlisted in the army. Love Laughs At Andy Hardy marked his return to peacetime America as it did for millions of others.
Then why for heaven's sake didn't MGM let him grow up a bit? After time in the service during war, you would think that Andy would have matured a bit. Still now as a veteran he goes right back to the same callow youth that we knew before Pearl Harbor.
So a beloved series ended because millions of veterans just could not swallow an Andy Hardy who had not changed.
Rooney is having his usual female trouble. He met a girl in college played by Bonita Granville before the war whom he hoped would wait for him, but she didn't even send a 'dear john' letter to him. Mickey also met Lina Romay visiting Carvel from South America.
This was one time where MGM took deliberate advantage of Mickey's well known vertical challenge. Being dateless he allows himself at one point to be set up with 6'2" Dorothy Ford and they do look ridiculous together. The best part of the film is seeing Rooney trying to dance with Ford. I've seen Ford in a few other films and she nearly comes up in height to such tall stars as James Stewart, Henry Fonda, and John Wayne. You might remember her best as the giant's wife with Abbott&Costello in Jack And The Beanstalk.
Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, and Sara Haden all repeat their roles from previous Hardy films. Cecilia Parker as Andy's older sister is absent, presumably she's sprung from the nest, no explanation is given in the film.
This was not the last Andy Hardy film however. Over a decade later, Rooney returned to MGM as Andy Hardy now married to Patricia Breslin and the father of two kids and he's moving back to Carvel. After that there were no more visits to Carvel from MGM.
Who knows the series might have kept going if MGM had let Andy grow up. As it is what was cute before was ludicrous now.
Then why for heaven's sake didn't MGM let him grow up a bit? After time in the service during war, you would think that Andy would have matured a bit. Still now as a veteran he goes right back to the same callow youth that we knew before Pearl Harbor.
So a beloved series ended because millions of veterans just could not swallow an Andy Hardy who had not changed.
Rooney is having his usual female trouble. He met a girl in college played by Bonita Granville before the war whom he hoped would wait for him, but she didn't even send a 'dear john' letter to him. Mickey also met Lina Romay visiting Carvel from South America.
This was one time where MGM took deliberate advantage of Mickey's well known vertical challenge. Being dateless he allows himself at one point to be set up with 6'2" Dorothy Ford and they do look ridiculous together. The best part of the film is seeing Rooney trying to dance with Ford. I've seen Ford in a few other films and she nearly comes up in height to such tall stars as James Stewart, Henry Fonda, and John Wayne. You might remember her best as the giant's wife with Abbott&Costello in Jack And The Beanstalk.
Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, and Sara Haden all repeat their roles from previous Hardy films. Cecilia Parker as Andy's older sister is absent, presumably she's sprung from the nest, no explanation is given in the film.
This was not the last Andy Hardy film however. Over a decade later, Rooney returned to MGM as Andy Hardy now married to Patricia Breslin and the father of two kids and he's moving back to Carvel. After that there were no more visits to Carvel from MGM.
Who knows the series might have kept going if MGM had let Andy grow up. As it is what was cute before was ludicrous now.