Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941)

With his high school graduation behind him, Andy Hardy decides that as an adult, it's time to start living his life. Judge Hardy had hoped that his son would go to college and study law, ... See full summary »

Director:

George B. Seitz

Writers:

Agnes Christine Johnston, Aurania Rouverol (characters)

Stars:

Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Fay Holden

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)

Storyline

With his high school graduation behind him, Andy Hardy decides that as an adult, it's time to start living his life. Judge Hardy had hoped that his son would go to college and study law, but Andy isn't sure that's what he wants to do so he heads off to New York City to find a job. Too proud to accept any help from Betsy Booth, Andy finds that living on his own isn't so easy. With perseverance he eventually finds a job and even gets to date the pretty receptionist in his office. He also has to face several of life's lessons leading him to conclude that he may still have a bit of growing up to do.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | graduation | manhood | rooney and garland | singing telegram | 

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Taglines:

Mickey woos! Judy sings! Best Hardy hit yet!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Andy Hardy Cava a Vida

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$401,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Loew's, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The eleventh of sixteen Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney, the third pairing of Mickey with Judy Garland.

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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!

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Connections

Follows Judge Hardy's Children (1938)

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Soundtracks

"The Hardy Series Theme Music"
Written by David Snell
Played at the start and end of the movie

User Reviews

An All Around Good Film

Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941)

*** (out of 4)

Eleventh film in the series is a pure delight as Andy (Mickey Rooney) decides to put off going to college even though Judge (Lewis Stone) feels that would be his best bet. Instead Andy travels to New York City to get a job and see what all life has to offer. He meets up with his old friend (Judy Garland) but quickly falls for a woman (Patricia Dane) who might not have his best interest in mind. I've read some critics who said this series handled dark subjects too lightly and perhaps that's true but that doesn't apply here. This film really shocked me at how mature it was and it even hit some rather dark subjects including suicide and what really makes a man. The movie has plenty of great laughs, some wonderful performances and an all around charm that makes this irresistible to fans of classic cinema. I'm still rather new to the series but the chemistry between Rooney and Stone is just marvelous and the two really come off as a real father and son. I'm not sure if it was just luck or if the two actors really did their homework but they are perfect together and really seem to know how to work off one another. This is certainly true during a brief scene at a table after Judge has come to visit Andy at work. The supporting cast is equally good and that includes Garland in her third and final appearance in the series. I've read she had four songs cut from the film but she doesn't have too much to work with except playing shoulder to Andy. Dane is the one who really surprised me because I thought she made for an excellent femme fatale years before that term would really take off. I think even those who aren't fans of the series would get a kick out of this one because it really does bring those "coming of age" issues up front and looks at them in a pretty serious manor. Even though there are laughs scattered throughout, for the most part the film is looked at in a serious way and this is a major plus.