Andrew Hardy
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Andrew "Andy" Hardy is a fictional character best known for the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
series of 16 films in which he was played by
Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...
. The main film series was released from 1937 to 1946, with a final film made in 1958 in an unsuccessful attempt to revive the series. Hardy and other characters initially appeared in the 1928 play ''Skidding'' by Aurania Rouverol. Early films in the series were about the Hardy family as a whole, but later entries focused on the character of Andy Hardy. Rooney was the only member of the ensemble to appear in all 16 films. The Hardy films, which were enormously popular in their heyday, were sentimental comedies, celebrating ordinary American life.


Theatre

The Hardy family first appeared in Aurania Rouverol's play ''Skidding'', which debuted on May 21, 1928, at the Bijou Theatre and ran until July 1929. The original cast included
Carleton Macy Carleton Macy (1861–1946) was an American stage, screen and vaudeville actor. He appeared in much stage work before embarking on a film career in 1915 with William Fox. He often appeared in vaudeville with his wife, Maude Hall, in an act called ...
as Judge Hardy, Clara Blandick as Mrs. Hardy, Charles Eaton as Andy, Joan Madison as Myra, and Marguerite Churchill as Marion. Samuel Marx recommended to MGM that the play be adapted into a film.


First film

The initial Hardy film, '' A Family Affair'' (1937), was based directly on Rouverol's play and was produced without a view to producing a series. It featured
Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blyth; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' A Free Soul'' (1931) ...
as Judge Hardy and
Spring Byington Spring Dell Byington (October 17, 1886 – September 7, 1971) was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of '' December Bride''. She was an MGM contract player who appeared in films from the ...
as Mrs. Hardy, Andy's parents, and Margaret Marquis as Andy's on-again-off-again sweetheart, Polly Benedict. Several of the actors in this initial Hardy film had been in the 1935 film ''
Ah, Wilderness! ''Ah, Wilderness!'' is a comedy play by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 2, 1933. It differs from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction o ...
'', based on
Eugene O’Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier associated with Chekhov, Ibsen, a ...
’s only comedy: Barrymore, Byington, Rooney,
Eric Linden Eric Linden (September 15, 1909 – July 14, 1994) was an American actor, primarily active during the 1930s. Early years Eric Linden was born in New York City to Phillip and Elvira (née Lundborg) Linden, both of Swedish descent. His father ...
,
Cecilia Parker Cecilia Parker (April 26, 1914 – July 25, 1993) was a Canadian-American film actress. She was best known for portraying Marian Hardy, the sister of Andy Hardy, in twelve films of the Andy Hardy series. Early life and career Cecilia Par ...
,
Charley Grapewin Charles Ellsworth Grapewin (December 20, 1869 – February 2, 1956) was an American vaudeville and circus performer, writer, and stage and film actor. He worked in over 100 motion pictures during the silent and sound eras, most notably portrayin ...
, and Margaret Marquis. (
Bonita Granville Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather (February 2, 1923 – October 11, 1988) was an American actress and producer. The daughter of vaudevillians, Granville began her career on the stage at age three. She initially began as a child actress, making ...
, who was also in ''Ah, Wilderness!'' but not in ''A Family Affair'', has a major role in the last two original Hardy films, ''
Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble ''Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble'' is a 1944 romantic comedy film directed by George B. Seitz, the fourteenth in the series starring Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy. In the film, Andy goes to college, but soon gets in trouble with some pretty female stud ...
'' and ''
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy ''Love Laughs at Andy Hardy'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Willis Goldbeck and starring Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone and Bonita Granville. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is also known under its American promotional t ...
''.)


Series

When the series was launched, most of the cast was changed, with the exception of Rooney,
Cecilia Parker Cecilia Parker (April 26, 1914 – July 25, 1993) was a Canadian-American film actress. She was best known for portraying Marian Hardy, the sister of Andy Hardy, in twelve films of the Andy Hardy series. Early life and career Cecilia Par ...
as Andy's older sister Marian Hardy, and
Sara Haden Sara Haden (born Catherine Haden, November 17, 1898 – September 15, 1981) was an American actress of the 1930s through the 1950s and in television into the mid-1960s. She may be best remembered for appearing as Aunt Milly Forrest in 14 of the ...
as Aunt Milly (except for two films when
Betty Ross Clarke Betty Ross Clarke (born May Clarke,National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; ''Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887-1940''; Mi ...
appeared as Milly). The second and subsequent films starred
Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular '' Andy ...
as Judge Hardy,
Fay Holden Dorothy Fay Hammerton (26 September 1893 – 23 June 1973), known professionally as Fay Holden, was a British-born, American-based actress. She was known as Gaby Fay early in her career. Biography Holden was born in Birmingham, England. After ...
as Mrs. Hardy, and
Ann Rutherford Therese Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012) was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the An ...
as Polly Benedict. The Hardys' oldest child, married daughter Joan Hardy Martin, appeared only in the first film and was not mentioned in the subsequent films. 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. (In the short film ''Andy Hardy's Dilemma'', the Hardys are described as living in Los Angeles, with no mention of Carvel.) 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 MGM mogul
Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...
'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 fourth film and all films from the seventh on.''1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year''.
Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...
, 2009.
They were instrumental in Rooney's rise to stardom. The first two Hardy films dealt with the danger of adultery among the younger generation, but the later ones avoided such controversial themes. 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, with a stern demeanor, but a kind heart and droll sense of humor. A typical plot involved Andy getting into minor trouble with money or girls, usually because of youthful selfishness and a willingness to fudge the truth. This would lead to a "man-to-man" talk with his father, after which Andy would do the right thing. In three films, Rooney was paired with
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...
, beginning with ''
Love Finds Andy Hardy ''Love Finds Andy Hardy'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy film that tells the story of a teenage boy who becomes entangled with three different girls all at the same time. It stars Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker, ...
'', and continuing with '' Andy Hardy Meets Debutante'' (1940) and ''
Life Begins for Andy Hardy ''Life Begins for Andy Hardy'' is a 1941 American comedy film and the 11th installment of the 16 popular Andy Hardy movies. Directed by George B. Seitz, ''Life Begins for Andy Hardy'' was also the last Andy Hardy movie to feature ...
'' (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, when he appeared in ''
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy ''Love Laughs at Andy Hardy'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Willis Goldbeck and starring Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone and Bonita Granville. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is also known under its American promotional t ...
'' (1946), in which Andy returned to civilian life after fighting in World War II. Twelve years later, an attempt to revive the series with an older, wiser Andy was made in 1958 with ''
Andy Hardy Comes Home ''Andy Hardy Comes Home'' is a 1958 American comedy film directed by Howard W. Koch. It is the 16th and final film in the Andy Hardy series, with Mickey Rooney reprising his signature role. It was produced 12 years after the previous Hardy film, ...
'', but it turned out to be the final film in the series. Thus, the Andy Hardy series ended with a "To Be Continued", which indeed has yet to be continued.


Filmography

# '' A Family Affair'' (1937) # ''
You're Only Young Once ''You're Only Young Once'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. Following '' A Family Affair'', it is the second film of the Andy Hardy series. Lewis Stone replaces Lionel Barrymore as Judge Hardy while Fay Holden replace ...
'' (1937) # '' Judge Hardy's Children'' (1938) # ''
Love Finds Andy Hardy ''Love Finds Andy Hardy'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy film that tells the story of a teenage boy who becomes entangled with three different girls all at the same time. It stars Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker, ...
'' (1938) # ''
Out West with the Hardys ''Out West with the Hardys'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz and the fifth film in the Andy Hardy series of sixteen films. Plot Judge Hardy gets a request to help out an old friend so he takes his family on a holiday ou ...
'' (1938) # '' The Hardys Ride High'' (1939) # ''
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever ''Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film directed by W. S. Van Dyke. The plot is about Andy Hardy having a crush on his high school drama teacher, Miss Rose Meredith. It is the seventh of sixteen Andy Hardy films s ...
'' (1939) # ''
Judge Hardy and Son ''Judge Hardy and Son'' (1939) is the 8th film, of 16, in the Andy Hardy series. It is the last MGM film in the 1930s.
'' (1939) # '' Andy Hardy Meets Debutante'' (1940) # ''
Andy Hardy's Private Secretary ''Andy Hardy's Private Secretary'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Kathryn Grayson, Ann Rutherford and Fay Holden. It was the tenth of the 16-film Andy Hardy series. Marian Hard ...
'' (1941) # ''
Life Begins for Andy Hardy ''Life Begins for Andy Hardy'' is a 1941 American comedy film and the 11th installment of the 16 popular Andy Hardy movies. Directed by George B. Seitz, ''Life Begins for Andy Hardy'' was also the last Andy Hardy movie to feature ...
'' (1941) # ''
The Courtship of Andy Hardy ''The Courtship of Andy Hardy'' is a 1942 film, part of the Andy Hardy series. It gave an early role to Donna Reed although Mickey Rooney had lobbied for his then-wife Ava Gardner to have her part. Within a few months of the film's release, she fi ...
'' (1942) # ''
Andy Hardy's Double Life ''Andy Hardy's Double Life'' is a 1942 comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. It was the thirteenth installment of MGM's enormously popular Andy Hardy film series starring Mickey Rooney as the title character. It was the feature film debut of ...
'' (1942) # ''
Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble ''Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble'' is a 1944 romantic comedy film directed by George B. Seitz, the fourteenth in the series starring Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy. In the film, Andy goes to college, but soon gets in trouble with some pretty female stud ...
'' (1944) # ''
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy ''Love Laughs at Andy Hardy'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Willis Goldbeck and starring Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone and Bonita Granville. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is also known under its American promotional t ...
'' (1946) # ''
Andy Hardy Comes Home ''Andy Hardy Comes Home'' is a 1958 American comedy film directed by Howard W. Koch. It is the 16th and final film in the Andy Hardy series, with Mickey Rooney reprising his signature role. It was produced 12 years after the previous Hardy film, ...
'' (1958) Also, a 1940 short subject promoting the Community Chest was called ''Andy Hardy's Dilemma'' (18 minutes).


Characters

* Names in white rectangles show which actors appeared in each film. A dark grey rectangle indicates that the character did not appear in that film.


Screen debuts

The Andy Hardy series served as a platform for
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
to introduce new performers, some of whom became stars themselves. As examples, ''
Love Finds Andy Hardy ''Love Finds Andy Hardy'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy film that tells the story of a teenage boy who becomes entangled with three different girls all at the same time. It stars Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker, ...
'' (1938) featured
Lana Turner Julia Jean "Lana" Turner ( ; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. ...
in one of her first film appearances, while ''
Andy Hardy's Private Secretary ''Andy Hardy's Private Secretary'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Kathryn Grayson, Ann Rutherford and Fay Holden. It was the tenth of the 16-film Andy Hardy series. Marian Hard ...
'' (1941) launched
Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. From the age of 12, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ...
's movie career, and ''
Andy Hardy's Double Life ''Andy Hardy's Double Life'' is a 1942 comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. It was the thirteenth installment of MGM's enormously popular Andy Hardy film series starring Mickey Rooney as the title character. It was the feature film debut of ...
'' (1942) marked the screen debut of
Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...
.


Other adaptations


Public service announcements

A number of
public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...
s involving the Andy Hardy character and his father were shown in theaters in the 1940s. A notable example had Andy trying to persuade his father to give him $200 for a car. Instead, his father took him on a tour of several charities that needed the money more. After each visit to a charity, the car Andy wanted to buy became more and more decrepit.


Radio series

From late 1949 into 1952, ''The Hardy Family'' was syndicated by
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
as a half-hour weekly series on radio, with a cast including
Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...
,
Fay Holden Dorothy Fay Hammerton (26 September 1893 – 23 June 1973), known professionally as Fay Holden, was a British-born, American-based actress. She was known as Gaby Fay early in her career. Biography Holden was born in Birmingham, England. After ...
and
Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular '' Andy ...
, and writers including Jack Rubin and Jameson Brewer, directed by Thomas A. McAvity. Radio historian J. David Goldin identifies the personnel and summarizes a dozen episodes, with episode numbers suggested more than 70 episodes were broadcast. Seven episodes of the series are preserved in an
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
collection.


Comic books

In June 1947, ''Fiction House's Movie Comics'' published a comic book adaptation of the film ''Love Laughs at Andy Hardy''. Andy Hardy was also the subject of a six issue comic series published by Dell in 1952–1954.''The comic book: the one essential guide for comic book fans everywhere'' by Paul Sassienie Chartwell Books, Inc., 1994


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Andy Male characters in film American film series Film characters introduced in 1937 Film series introduced in 1937