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.
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.