Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941)

Purely Joyful Movie!

Perfect cast and a good story

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Mickey Rooney is back to his awkward gawking, after taking a break from it in Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, in this eleventh installment of the Andy Hardy movies: Life Begins for Andy Hardy. He's a high school graduate now, and instead of pleasing his parents, Lewis Stone and Fay Holden, by going to college, he decides to go to New York City and get a job. Even with his good friend Judy Garland there to help him get out of scrapes, the big bad city is scarier than he thought. . .I guess after you've made ten silly Andy Hardy movies, you're desperate to put a little drama into the franchise. Even though Mickey Rooney lets his hormones run as rampant as his pocketbook and acts like an open-mouthed idiot whose been kicked in the head by a mule one too many times, you can't help but feel sorry for him halfway through the movie when he discovers the ups and downs of life. I wasn't expecting these teen comedies to take such a dark turn. Poor Mickey, only twenty-one at the time, gave a very convincing performance of never having seen anything upsetting before.This isn't the best Andy Hardy movie to start with, but if you like the franchise, you'll probably want to stick with Andy as he muddles through life as a grown-up.

After visiting New York in the previous year's "Andy Hardy Meets Debutante", the Mick is back there, this time for a whole summer while waiting for college to begin. He is reunited with his old buddy Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), whom it was insinuated he might romance in that predecessor. But now, Andy has his heart set on Jennitt Hicks (Patricia Dane), a receptionist at the firm he learns there is a job opening at. Jennitt is pretty, sophisticated, and isn't all quite what she seems to be. A visit from Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) and investigation by Betsy brings all that out into the open. This segment is also more dramatic than prequels with the character of dancer Jimmy Frobisher (Ray McDonald) who had Andy's room at the boarding house he moves into as well as the job Andy is after.The character of Jimmy is where the show's heart lies. Andy runs into Jimmy in the park, finds out he's homeless, and takes him in against the rules of the boarding house. Tragedy strikes, and along with the revelations made about Ms. Hicks, Andy comes out of this much wiser than he realized he would be after a summer in the Big Apple. This is a colder New York than usually seen on screen, and for that, this "Andy Hardy" segment rates a higher rating. It's still not quite *** (Good) in my book, but its **1/2 marks it as definitely worth a look with some very good qualities about it. I would say of the Andy Hardy films I've seen, this is probably Rooney's best performance, even if the two previous ones with Garland rank as more popular. Sadly, Judy fans won't get a big number out of her, as she only sings a "Happy Birthday" telegram a Capella.There's no Cecilia Parker in this one, and very little of Ann Rutherford's Polly, or Fay Holden's Ma Hardy and Sara Haden's Aunt Milly. The goodbye scene between Andy and his mother is a bit embarrassing and overdoes it on the sentimentality. But once Andy finds himself on his own, he has some great growing up to do and that's where the film more than momentarily shines.

This movie is worth seeing just for the advice Judge Hardy gives Andy. He explains beautifully why every unmarried person should be faithful to his or her future spouse, even before they ever meet each other.It is interesting that the Legion of Decency objected to this speech. In 1941 such parental advice was so well known that it was not helpful to hear it in a movie, and it was dangerous to display sexual advice in the public setting of a movie. Keep in mind that the speech is so tasteful that we would not even call it sexual at all. Yet to them it was good, sound advice but far too personal to publicize.In our time we have fallen so far from those wholesome principles that it would be very helpful to publicize them broadly. I am seeking a copy of this movie to show to my children and friends.

Although I have enjoyed every Andy Hardy movie that I have seen, this is probably my favorite entry in the series. It is admittedly a departure from the usual light-hearted comedy of the Hardy movies, but in this case, it works.In the film, Andy leaves his sheltered small-town life for the city of New York in order to decide whether he wants to go to college or directly join the professional ranks. Andy's dilemma hit home with me when I first saw this film a few years ago since it was a decision that I was facing myself. Many younger viewers will probably be able to relate to the issues and problems that Andy must deal with as he attempts to make the transition from carefree adolescence to adulthood.Mickey Rooney gives a good performance as Andy Hardy, as does Judy Garland in the role of Betsey Booth. This picture is not as cheerful as most entries in the series, but the most melancholy aspect of this film is the fact that it is Garland's last appearance as Betsey. Betsey is one of the most entertaining characters in the series of movies, and it's unfortunate that she only appears in three of the films.Overall, this is a very good, although different, entry into the Andy Hardy series of movies.