Review of Love Laughs at Andy Hardy

Let me say at once that any movie featuring Dorothy Ford is a good movie. This said, however, "Love Laughs…" is otherwise a waste of time. Mickey Rooney sleepwalks through a lot of boringly familiar routines and the direction by a gent named Willis Goldbeck can only be described as stodgy, clumsy and even deliberately flat-footed. Atrociously photographed by Robert Planck, Lewis Stone doesn't look the least bit like Andy's father – or even his grandfather. His great grandfather, yes – and with corny dialogue to fit. Director Goldbeck's decision to use lots of close-ups whenever Stone is in the camera's sights can only be described as a cardinal error. I'm not at all comfortable seeing a fine actor struggling to read a lot of dopey, inconsequential lines off an idiot board. Aside from this error – and it's a cardinal one – the movie serves up familiar routines with a certain amount of dash – and even expense. As I said at the start, it's a must-have for Dorothy Ford fans and it's available on a very good Mill Creek DVD.