You're Only Young Once (1937)

Director:

George B. Seitz

Writers:

Aurania Rouverol (characters), Kay Van Riper

Stars:

Lewis Stone, Cecilia Parker, Mickey Rooney

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lewis Stone	...	Judge James K. Hardy
Cecilia Parker	...	Marian Hardy
Mickey Rooney	...	Andrew 'Andy' Hardy
Fay Holden	...	Mrs. Emily Hardy
Frank Craven	...	Frank Redmond (Carvel Newspaper Owner)
Ann Rutherford	...	Polly Benedict
Eleanor Lynn	...	Geraldine 'Jerry' Lane
Ted Pearson	...	Bill Rand
Sara Haden	...	Aunt Milly Forrest
Charles Judels	...	Capt. Swenson of the Shorty II
Selmer Jackson	...	Hoyt Wells

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

mock trial | drink | summer | family relationships | sequel | 

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Taglines:

She thought she knew all about love and life...and then her romantic world tumbled about her! Laughs, thrills, heart-throbs...in a drama as warm and moving as "Ah Wilderness!"

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Andy Hardy på vift

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second of sixteen Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney. The first film that Lewis Stone played Judge Hardy.

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Connections

References A Family Affair (1937)

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Soundtracks

"You're Only Young Once"
Music and Lyrics by David Snell

User Reviews

Welcome Lewis Stone as Judge

You're Only Young Once (1937)

*** (out of 4)

Second film in MGM's Hardy series has Judge (Lewis Stone) taking the family to Catalina Island where his daughter gets involved with a marriage man and Andy (Mickey Rooney) gets involved with a girl (Eleanor Lynn) who certainly doesn't have his best interest in mind. Judge tries to settle their problems while trying to catch a swordfish but not knowing the trouble that awaits them when they get home. Even though this was the second film in the series, in many ways it was the first as this is when Lewis joined the cast and it's rather amazing at how wonderful he was for the part. I love Lionel Barrymore as an actor but he simply wasn't right for the role so it's good that he left the series after A FAMILY AFFAIR and that Stone stepped in. The way he plays Judge as the wise, stern but fair father is certainly one of the most memorable roles from this era in Hollywood. Sure, the film and the subject matters are all way too "friendly" and "clean" but that just adds to the fun nature of the messages. As expected, Rooney is certainly full of energy and he makes for some more good times as his relationship with Lynn is quite fresh and rather romantic. If her birth date on IMDb is correct, then Lynn was probably around 11-years-old when she filmed this, which is somewhat troubling in a few of the scenes where she's smoking and pretty much throwing herself on Andy. I'm not sure what her real age is but she certainly looked and acted much older here. Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden, Frank Craven and Ann Rutherford are all good in their roles as well. I thought the film, naturally, went for a lot of laughs but the highlights for me were the more dramatic moments. I thought the moments where Judge has to make the decision to educate his children without being too preachy was handled extremely well and I thought the moments were quite tender and refreshing. There's a sequence where his daughter comes in drunk after Judge has learned that the man is married and the way this scene plays out is certainly the best part of the film. I thought the final ten-minutes were somewhat of a drag when the family left the island but this is still a pleasant little film that fans will enjoy.