Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941)

Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 5 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   223 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 14% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
George B. Seitz
Writers:
Agnes Christine Johnston (writer)
Aurania Rouverol (characters)
Contact:
View company contact information for Life Begins for Andy Hardy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 August 1941 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Romance more
Tagline:
Mickey woos! Judy sings! Best Hardy hit yet!
Plot:
With his high school graduation behind him, Andy Hardy decides that as an adult, it's time to start living his life... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
An Atypically Melancholy Entry in the Series more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Lewis Stone ... Judge James K. 'Jim' Hardy

Mickey Rooney ... Andrew 'Andy' Hardy
Fay Holden ... Mrs. Emily Hardy
Ann Rutherford ... Polly Benedict
Sara Haden ... Aunt Milly Forrest
Patricia Dane ... Jennitt Hicks
Ray McDonald ... Jimmy Frobisher

Judy Garland ... Miss Betsy Booth
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ralph Byrd ... Father Gallagher (scenes deleted)
George M. Carleton ... Florist (scenes deleted)
Frank Ferguson ... Stationer (scenes deleted)
William Forrest ... Commandant (scenes deleted)
William J. Holmes ... Dr. Griffin (scenes deleted)
Gladden James ... (scenes deleted)
Manart Kippen ... Rabbi Strauss (scenes deleted)
Paul Newlan ... Trucker (scenes deleted)
Robert Winkler ... Private (scenes deleted)
Duke York ... Trucker (scenes deleted)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
101 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #7467)
Company:
Loew's more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Four songs prerecorded by Judy Garland were not used in the film: Cole Porter's "Easy to Love" (available on the Rhino CD, "Judy Garland: Collectors' Gems from the M-G-M Films"); the patriotic "America (My Country Tis of Thee)" (written by Henry Carey and Samuel Francis Smith); plus two religious songs: "Abide with Me" and "The Rosary." Miss Garland's one musical moment in the release print was her unaccompanied rendition of "Happy Birthday to You" (music and lyrics by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill). The movie's original poster raves, "Mickey woos! Judy sings! Best Hardy yet!" more
Quotes:
Betsy Booth: Me, a child! Listen here, Andrew Hardy, my mother just bought me an evening dress that simply has no visible means of support! more
Movie Connections:
Followed by Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) more
Soundtrack:
The Hardy Series Theme Music more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 15 people found the following comment useful:-
An Atypically Melancholy Entry in the Series, 20 May 2002
10/10
Author: sdiner82 (sdiner82@aol.com) from New York City, USA

Following his graduation from high school, a small-town teenager decides to try his luck learning about life and making it on his own in New York City. Where he encounters the death of a disillusioned, penniless young friend and the seductive wiles of a glamorous "older woman" he encounters at his office job. Not to mention the wrath of the censors (who forced the studio the change the cause of death from a suicide to a heart attack) as well as the Catholic church (whose Legion of Decency damned the film with an "objectionable for children" rating). Hard to believe that an episode in the ebullient Andy Hardy series caused such controversy, but it is this film's commendable attempt to portray the dilemmas of youth with honesty and candor (incredible for 1941) that make it the most durable and disarming entry of the entire series. As contemporary today as it was 60 years ago, "Life Begins for Andy Hardy" is blessed with, besides a refreshingly adult screenplay that evokes emotions unchanged by the passage of time, astoundingly "mature" performances by Mickey Rooney (for once underplaying) and Judy Garland (displaying a sincerity and warmth without ever singing a note).

Rooney's portrayal of a good-hearted teenager who decent instincts hardly prepare him for the brutal reality of survival in the "Big City" will strike resonant chords with anyone in a similar situation 60 years later. And, in addition to Rooney and Ms. Garland, sterling performances are contributed by the Hardy regulars (Lewis Stone, never more sage or heartrending as Andy's concerned father); the lovely Patricia Dane, as Andy's office co-worker and would-be seducer; and Ray McDonald, heartbreaking as a penniless aspiring actor reduced to living (and starving) in Central Park. A tacked-on happy ending and jarring lapses in continuity (indicating heavy studio re-cutting and re-shooting) fail to undermine the sweet sadness of this most unusual MGM drama--flirting with themes that would be dealt with far more candidly and cruelly some 20 years later in such innocents-lost-in-the-city classics as "The Rat Race" and "Breakfast at Tiffanys," of which "Life Begins for Andy Hardy" is a most poignant pre-cursor.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Start Cheering Andy Hardy's Private Secretary Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble My Heart Belongs to Daddy Andy Hardy's Double Life
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Comedy section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.