9/10
Love Finds Andy Hardy marked Judy Garland's intro into the series
5 June 2015
I had originally watched this on VHS back in the '90s and I remember enjoying this very much then, my first viewing of an Andy Hardy movie. The fact this was Judy Garland's first appearance in the series was the main reason I sought this out and boy, she's sensational when she sings here! Now that I'm watching each entry in sequence, I noticed how past eps are referenced such as Andy mentioning to Betsy Booth (Ms. Garland's character) teaching the Big Apple to some diplomats in Washington, D.C., in Judge Hardy's Children. Anyway, Andy is in a real pickle: He wants a car but he doesn't have enough money so he agrees-with pay-to date Cynthia (a young Lana Turner) while her boyfriend-and Andy's pal-Beezy is away while Polly (Ann Rutherford, of course) is also somewhere else. Betsy herself has a crush on Andy but he's oblivious to her. Judy really shows her feelings clearly here when playing her as a bit disappointed with how Mickey goes into how much he loves Polly or was initially excited by Cynthia. There's also a subplot of Emily and Milly having to leave to visit their mother when she's revealed to be in a coma which has Fay Holden and Betty Ross Clarke off-screen much of the time. Anyway, this was a most enjoyable entry of the Hardy family series mainly because of the three songs sung by Ms. Garland as well as Mickey's scenes with her and Lana Turner. Also, nice seeing the future Grandmama from "The Addams Family" (Blossom Rock, then known as Marie Blake) as the temporary family cook and Gene Reynolds-later a producer/director of "Hogan's Heroes" and "M*A*S*H"-as a kid who uses a ham radio to relay a message to Mrs. Hardy in Canada. So on that note, Love Finds Andy Hardy is highly recommended. P.S. The DVD I watched this on had a wonderful intro by John Fricke with a brief insert interview with Ms. Rutherford herself.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed