Love Finds Andy Hardy

Andy Hardy (Rooney) wants to buy a car.  He saved enough money to make a down payment, but needs to pay the rest by December 23.  He needs the car to take his girlfriend, Polly Benedict (Rutherford) to the Christmas Eve dance.  But everything changes when he learns that Polly will be away over Christmas.

He vows to go to the dance alone, until his friend Beezy (George P. Breakston) asks for favor.  Beezy will be away for Christmas and offers to pay Andy to take his girlfriend, Cynthia Potter (Turner), to the dance.  He also has an admirer, Betsy Booth (Garland), who is staying with a neighbor. Betsy also wants to go to the dance with Andy
  As Christmas approaches and Polly's plans change, can Andy find a way to take the right girl to the dance?


From 1937 to 1958, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer made 16 films about Andy Hardy and his family (A Family Affair, You're Only Young Once, Judy Hardy's Children, Out West with the Hardys, The Hardys Ride High, Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever, Judge Hardy and Son, Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, Andy Hardy's Private Secretary, Life Begins for Andy Hardy, The Courtship of Andy Hardy, Andy Hardy's Double Life, Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble, Love Laughs at Andy Hardy, Andy Hardy Comes Home); this is the fourth film in the series.  All 16 films star Mickey Rooney as Andy.

The Good:
Mickey Rooney is great as Andy Hardy.  I love the family dynamics and family values portrayed in the film.  The Hardy family is very close and they listen to the advice / guidance of patriarch Judy Hardy.  It is a clean, easy going film that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
The three love interests add to the comedy of the film, without making the characters into caricatures.

The Bad:
It drags a little in places.  As much as I enjoy Judy Garland and her voice, there were too many songs.  The songs were fine, but they take away from the film and slow it down.

Other Comments:
-This was one of Lana Turner's first films.  MGM liked to use the series to introduce new stars.
-It might be a little corny and outdated, but it is still a fun film.

Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) 91 minutes
Director: George B. Seitz
Starring: Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy
Lewis Stone as Judge James Hardy
Fay Holden as Emily Hardy
Cecilia Parker as Marian Hardy
Judy Garland as Betsy Booth
Lana Turner as Cynthia Potter
Ann Rutherford as Polly Benedict