Andy Hardy - Subsequent Film Series

Subsequent Film Series

Most of the movies were set in the Hardys' fictional hometown of Carvel, located in Idaho in the original play but described in the films as being in the Midwest. All of the films were sentimental comedies celebrating ordinary American life. The people in Carvel were generally pious, patriotic, generous and tolerant. The town represented movie mogul Louis B. Mayer's idealized vision of his adopted country.

The early movies focused on the Hardy family as a whole, but the character Andy soon became the center of the series, and his name was featured in the title of the 4th film and all films after the 7th (inclusive). They were a big factor in Rooney's rise to stardom. The first two Hardy films dealt moralistically but fairly frankly with the danger of adultery among the younger generation, but the later ones avoided such controversial themes. While teenager Andy's romantic misadventures were pivotal in most of the films, they were always "wholesome" affairs.

The central relationship in the movies was between Andy and his father. Judge Hardy, played by the grandfatherly-looking Stone, was a man of absolute morality and integrity, but behind his stern demeanor was a gentle humanitarian with a droll sense of humor. A typical plot involved Andy getting into minor trouble with money or girls, usually because of youthful selfishness and a slight willingness to fudge the truth. But after a "man-to-man" talk with his father, Andy would listen to his own better nature and do the right thing, assuring a happy ending.

The Andy Hardy series served as a platform for MGM to introduce new performers, some of whom became stars themselves. As examples, Love Finds Andy Hardy featured Lana Turner in one of her first film appearances, while Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941) launched Kathryn Grayson's movie career, and Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) marked the screen debut of Esther Williams.

In three films, Rooney was paired with Judy Garland, beginning with Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), and continuing with Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940) and Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941). Garland's character, Betsy Booth, is an aspiring singer and she sings in the first two of these films. However, although Garland songs were planned for the final film, they were eventually dropped. Unlike Garland-Rooney films outside of the Andy Hardy series, Rooney's Hardy character is not a musician, so Garland and Rooney do not perform together in the Hardy films.

Rooney played the character continuously from age 16 to 25, wrapping up the series with Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946), in which Hardy returned to civilian life after fighting in World War II. 12 years later, an attempt to revive the series with an older, wiser Andy was made in 1958 with Andy Hardy Comes Home, but a new series failed to emerge. Thus, the series ended with a "To Be Continued" which, indeed, has yet to be continued.

There were also a number of public service announcements involving the Andy Hardy character and his father. A notable example had Andy Hardy trying to convince his father to give him $200 for a car. Instead, his father takes him on a tour of several charities that need the money more. After each visit to a charity, the car Andy wants to buy becomes more and more decrepit.