RED-HEADED WOMAN

Jean Harlow in one of her best roles

RED-HEADED WOMAN (1932). Director: Jack Conway.

"Don't be so cynical. It's very depressing this time of the night."

Red-headed Lillian Andrews (Jean Harlow) has decided she wants to live on the right side of the tracks and sets her cap for her boss, Bill Legendre (Chester Morris), despite the fact that he is married to Irene (Leila Hyams). Both Bill and Irene discover that neither of them are a match for the determined, super-sexy Lillian, who generally gets what she wants when it comes to men. When she discovers after she snares Bill that no one in his crowd or family will accept her, she decides to seek greener pastures. But can she manipulate things to her advantage without everything tumbling down around her? Jean Harlow is simply smashing as Lillian in one of her best roles, making the character kind of likable without ever being sympathetic. "I'm in love and gonna get married," Lil tells her best friend, Sally (Una Merkel) -- but not to the same man! There have been dozens of movies about marital triangles both before and after this picture, but what lifts Red-Headed Woman above the crowd is the acting and Anita Loos' excellent script. Lantern-jawed Chester Morris is fine as the conflicted Bill, with very good support from Hyams [Island of Lost Souls] as his wife; Lewis Stone as his father; Henry Stephenson [Cynara] as a family friend and business associate who develops a hankering for Lillian; May Robson as Irene's down-to-earth Aunt May; and even a very young Charles Boyer [The Constant Nymph] as the chauffeur who dallies with Lillian at inopportune moments. Una Merkel offers her usual adroit performance in her typical role of the heroine's ugly best friend. Harlow gives a rivetingly exciting performance in this, in full command of her considerable gifts and beauty.

Verdict: Sassy and frank pre-code comedy-drama. *** out of 4.

SUZY

Jean Harlow and Cary Grant's hand

SUZY (1936). Director: George Fitzmaurice.

"I don't dance much and I don't sing so well, but I can be awful cute when I want to be." -- Suzy

Suzy (Jean Harlow), an American entertainer in London on the eve of WW1, eventually finds herself married to two men at the same time: Factory foreman Terry (Franchot Tone), who at one point gets shot by a spy; and wealthy French playboy and war hero, Andre (Cary Grant) who distinguishes himself as a flier -- and a heel. How this bizarre situation came about and how it is resolved is the stuff of Suzy, a wartime soap opera that mixes dogfights, Mata Hari-types, inadvertent bigamy, adultery, German spies, and music halls -- and it's still a meandering bore. Jean Harlow is delightful in the first half of the film but director Fitzmaurice is unable to get her to properly handle some of the tougher scenes in the second half, although she certainly had the ability to do so. Tone and Grant are both fine -- although Tone is as unconvincing as an Irishman as Grant is as a Frenchman! --  but Lewis Stone walks off with the movie as Grant's stern but loving father, who eventually comes to care very much for the showgirl he at first disapproves of. [The picture eliminates Stone from the finale and shouldn't have.] Inez Courtney [The Reckless Way], Una O'Connor [Stingaree], and Benita Hume are also notable as, respectively, Suzy's pal, landlady, and love rival. Fitzmaurice also directed Mata Hari with Greta Garbo. The most unforgivable thing about Suzy is that it tries to rip off the "I was reading a book" scene from Dinner at Eight!

Verdict: Melodramatic claptrap that seems cobbled together from scenes from better movies. **.

ANDY! ANDY! ANDY!

Studly? Rutherford, Rooney, Garland, Turner

ANDY! ANDY! ANDY!

One might as well say "Mickey! Mickey! Mickey! as actor and role were pretty much inseparable. There were other girl-crazy teens in old time movie series -- Jimmy Lydon in the Henry Aldrich series and  Kenneth Howell in the Jones Family series [both of whom were quite talented] -- but nobody was quite like Andy Hardy. Andy was sort of in-between the very silly if lovable Henry and the more serious and stable Jack Jones, although all three could lose their heads over the ladies.

Below is a round up of the last entries in the Andy Hardy series beginning with Life Begins for Andy Hardy and ending with Andy Hardy Comes Home, although one could claim that the last true Hardy film was Love Laughs at Andy Hardy 12 years earlier. Andy Hardy Comes Home was to be the first of a new series, but its mediocrity and other problems put paid to that idea.

The Hardy movies varied in quality, ranging from the excellence of Andy Hardy's Double Life to the comparative miserableness of Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble, with others stuck in the middle. But none of the Hardy films were completely awful, if for no other reason than the excellent performances of Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, and especially the irrepressible Mickey Rooney.

LIFE BEGINS FOR ANDY HARDY

LIFE BEGINS FOR ANDY HARDY (1941). Director: George B. Seitz.

"A child? Listen Andy Hardy, my mother just bought me an evening gown that has no visible means of support!" -- Betsy

"What is the world coming to?" -- Andy

"Somebody's dead -- it doesn't seem right unless somebody cries."

Although 18-year-old Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) has been offered a college scholarship, he decides to wait a month and see what living and working alone in the big city, Manhattan, will be like -- "today I am a man," he declares as he drives away from Carvel with ever-hopeful Betsy Booth (Judy Garland). Although previously he had run from a sophisticated city woman as if she had the plague, in this outing he has better luck with a vivacious if slightly shady secretary named Jennitt (Patricia Dane). A genuinely nice young man, Andy offers to share his room with a young aspiring dancer, Jimmy (Ray McDonald), who has become homeless. Meanwhile Betsy does her best to help a proud Andy while he struggles to find work, finally settling at Consolidated Stocks and Bonds, run by the gruff Mr. Maddox (Lester Matthews). And then an unexpected tragedy occurs ... Life Begins for Andy Hardy is one of the best Hardy films, with an excellent script by Agnes Christine Johnson that provides plenty of very funny moments along with more sobering sequences. Rooney and Garland are both simply superb, with the latter looking especially pretty in this entry. Dane [Rio Rita], McDonald [Presenting Lily Mars] and Matthews [The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu] give top-notch performances as well. The picture continues directly after Andy Hardy's Private Secretary, and almost  immediately Andy and Polly (Ann Rutherford) decide to split up amicably. Marion is not seen, and Beezy (George Breakston), now a milkman, and Aunt Millie (Sara Haden) appear only briefly. As usual, Fay Holden is wonderful as Mrs. Hardy. There's an interesting scene when Andy implies that one is washed up at around age thirty, and the Judge (Lewis Stone) all too clearly is thinking of his own age and his lost youth.  Life Begins for Andy Hardy is occasionally on the sappy side -- those evil big city women and so on! -- but it's very entertaining. Mercifully scenes involving a priest and rabbi, undoubtedly concerning a certain character's death, were left on the cutting room floor.

Verdict: The best of the Hardys? ***1/2.

THE COURTSHIP OF ANDY HARDY

Mickey Rooney and "droopy" Donna Reed

THE COURTSHIP OF ANDY HARDY (1942). Director: George B. Seitz.

"Andrew! I do not go back to the American Revolution!" -- Judge Hardy

While Andy (Mickey Rooney) is having problems operating his car towing service, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) intervenes in the case of a divorcing couple (Freida Inescort; Harvey Stephens) whose daughter, Melodie (Donna Reed) is being adversely affected by their behavior. The judge asks Andy to take Melodie to a dance, and he agrees, even though he thinks she's kind of "droopy." However, he gets to like the girl when he actually get to know her,  although he's worried when she develops a crush on him -- this in spite of the fact that Melodie eventually turns herself into quite a dish. And what about the returning Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford)? In the meantime, Marian (Cecelia Parker) meets a brash young man named Jefferson (William Lundigan), and Mother Hardy (Fay Holden) has to deal with dishonest bill collectors. There seemed to be a decision with this film to focus a little more on the other members of the Hardy family, although Andy still gets the lion's share of the footage. The Courtship of Andy Hardy features the usual fine performances, but while it's quite pleasant in spots, it's not one of the more memorable entries. Todd Karnes reappears as Harry Land [Andy Hardy's Private Secretary], who falls for Melodie even before her makeover.

Verdict: One of the weaker Hardy pictures. **1/2.

ANDY HARDY'S DOUBLE LIFE

William Lundigan, Mantan Moreland, Mickey Rooney

ANDY HARDY'S DOUBLE LIFE (1942). Director: George B. Seitz.

"You're really the stuff, dad!"

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) is leaving for Wainwright college in just a few days, and he finds himself with two dilemmas. First, his father, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone), wants to accompany Andy to Wainwright, his old alma mater, where he will introduce him around, and stay for two weeks, a prospect which leaves Andy feeling like a little kid going to kindergarten. Then Andy finds himself supposedly engaged to two women, Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford), and her friend, Sheila (Esther Williams), a psych major. As for the judge, he's dealing with a little boy (Bobby Blake) hit by a truck, while an ever-touchy Marian (Cecilia Parker) has high hopes for her blossoming romance with Jeff Willis (William Lundigan) from The Courtship of Andy Hardy. Both Rooney and Parker were getting older -- Rooney was 22 playing 18 and Parker was 28, starting to look a bit chubby and matronly  --  but the series still had a lot of life in it judging by this superior installment. Lewis Stone and Fay Holden as his wife really have a chance to shine with their expert performances -- Stone is particularly affecting -- and more cannot possibly be said about the simply wonderful Rooney. Parker, Sara Haden as Aunt Millie, and Lundigan are also fine, and there's a funny bit with that excellent comic character Mantan Moreland as Prentiss, the butler for the Benedict family. Addison Richards [The Royal Mounted Rides Again] also makes his mark as Polly's father, as does Robert Pittard as Andy's friend (?), Botsy. There are also brief appearances by Arthur Space as a lawyer, and Junior Coghlan as another of Andy's so-called buddies. Esther Williams [Raw Wind in Eden] was "introduced" in this movie -- it really was her first picture -- and she's quite good in fact, playing the role in just the right note. Andy Hardy's Double Life has an excellent, often touching script with equal parts humor and drama, and despite some silly moments, all of it works.

Verdict: One of the very best of the Hardy pictures. ***1/2.

ANDY HARDY'S BLONDE TROUBLE

Herbert Marshall and Mickey Rooney

ANDY HARDY'S BLONDE
TROUBLE (1944). Director: George B. Seitz.

"We always think the lady smiles at us. It's only our masculine conceit that makes us think so. I'm afraid this time you were not irresistible." -- the dean to Andy.

At the end of Andy Hardy's Double Life our Andy (Mickey Rooney) is traveling by train to Wainwright College when he encounters a pretty gal who tells him that the school is now co-ed -- oh boy! At the opening of Blonde Trouble this gal, originally played by Susan Peters, has been replaced by Bonita Granville and her name has switched from Sue to Kay -- ah, the magic of movies in the days before DVDs. [I could also swear that Andy handed the conductor his ticket at the end of Double Life but it turns out Dad forgot to give it to him in the sequel.] That really isn't a problem, however, although this movie has plenty of others. Andy finds himself a rival for Kay, who digs older men, and in a highly contrived bit of business one of those older men turns out to be the dean (Herbert Marshall)! Because of this, Andy, for a well-raised young man, more than once speaks way too bluntly and rudely to the man who runs the college. Worse, there's a ridiculous sub-plot involving two twins (Lee and Lyn Wilde) who can't stand the notion of being separated and pretend to be one person, giving Andy conniption fits. There are admittedly some amusing sequences and Rooney, always outstanding, seems to be getting even better as he gets older, but, especially compared to Double Life, this picture comes dangerously close to being poorly-scripted schlock. This is a shame because there is some good dialogue, as well as some dramatic potential, but it's dissipated by a surplus of silliness. Bonita Granville [Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase] is lovely and gives a very good performance, but looks too old and sophisticated for the role even though she was a year younger than Rooney. Lewis Stone and the others -- only Marian is missing -- are excellent, and Herbert Marshall [The Letter] excels, as usual, in his oddly-written role. His scenes with Granville have such a certain sensuality to them (the dean admits to Judge Hardy that there is a definite, two-sided attraction) that you're presented with a middle-aged college dean basically making time with a freshman co-ed; she even kisses him. Keye Luke as the new Carvel doctor, and Connie Gilchrist [Two on a Guillotine] as a house mother are both notable. It's interesting that Andy reads a magazine called Horror on the train, and even more interesting is a rare editing gaffe in a major movie: in a scene with the twins one of them is reaching towards her sister when there is an abrupt and awkward cut. and in the next shot she is repeating the motion. Rooney appears more youthful in this than he did in the previous picture.

Verdict: Not one of Andy's best, but Rooney is magnificent! **.

LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY

Dorothy Ford and Mickey Rooney

LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY (1946). Director: Willis Goldbeck.

"I'm an innocent victim of circumstance." -- Andy Hardy

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) is back from a two-year stint in the Army and anxious to get back to Wainwright college -- and Kay (Bonita Granville), his college sweetheart from Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble. The easily-agitated Mrs. Hardy (Fay Holden) is convinced her "baby" is going to get married -- and not to someone worthy of him. In these assertions Mother Hardy may well be correct. Andy's parents at first confuse his girlfriend with Coffy Smith (Dorothy Ford), an extremely tall young woman with whom Andy attends a dance (in a lively and amusing sequence) and who is too fond of calling people "uncle." ("She's a very pretty girl," says Mrs. Hardy "but do you think she'll stop growing?") In the meantime, Kay proves to be a little insensitive and rather stupid considering what she asks of Andy just as he's trying to propose to her. Love Laughs at Andy Hardy is a big improvement over Blonde Trouble, with Rooney, Lewis Stone and Fay Holden giving their usual excellent performances. Six foot two Dorothy Ford is very appealing as Coffy, and Lina Romay scores as the sexy Isobel, who does her best to get Andy out of his funk. Sara Haden appears as Aunt Millie, but Cecelia Parker is missing as Marian. There's a very funny sequence when Andy is locked out of the house in what looks like his mother's bathrobe. While Mrs. Hardy had always been portrayed as a woman who was a little naive and unsophisticated, in this they make her seem like a dope when she often offered sage advice to her husband and son. This was the last Hardy film for twelve years.

Verdict: A return to form for the Hardys. ***.

ANDY HARDY'S PRIVATE SECRETARY

ANDY HARDY'S PRIVATE SECRETARY (1941). Director: George B. Seitz.

"I don't care to discuss anything on such a low level of conversation." -- Andy Hardy to Polly Benedict.

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) is excited about graduating high school and has put together a ceremony based on Greek tragedy; he will play Apollo in a curly blond wig and beard. Apparently having learned nothing from his experiences with snobs in Manhattan in Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, Andy has a high-handed attitude toward two students -- Kathryn  (Kathryn Grayson) and her handsome brother Harry (Todd Karns) -- who are poor because their father (Ian Hunter) is out of work; the judge (Lewis Stone) soon sets Andy straight. [Judge Hardy also rebukes Andy when he says of Kathryn, "does she have to sing grand opera instead of music?"] Wanting to get the two young people involved in the ceremonies, Andy asks Kathryn to be his private secretary, which results in Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) becoming hysterically jealous, as usual. A worse problem arises when it is revealed that old maid Aunt Millie (Sara Haden) is an English teacher and she has had to give Andy a failing grade -- now he won't graduate! Always superb, Mickey Rooney even outdoes himself in this outing, etching a skillful and amusing portrait of a basically decent young man who can be terribly gauche and insensitive -- and dumb -- at times [wanting to cover up a sign put on the stage to advertise the business that loaned the school the sets, Andy asks a fat girl to stand in front of it]. Andy Hardy's Private Secretary is an amusing romp with lots of interesting developments, and Grayson [Rio Rita] sings an aria from Lucia Di Lammermoor as well as a jazzy-type number. Well-acted by all. Todd Karns was the son of Roscoe Karns and later co-starred with his father on a detective program; perhaps his most famous role was in It's a Wonderful Life. Tall, good-looking, and charismatic, it's surprising Karns didn't have an ever bigger career.

Verdict: Another cute Hardy picture. ***.

ANDY HARDY MEETS DEBUTANTE

Andy meets the fowl Mrs. Fowler (Marjorie Gateson)

ANDY HARDY MEETS DEBUTANTE (1940). Director: George B. Seitz.

"Who was it who said only last Sunday that the epistles were the wives of the apostles?" -- Polly Benedict to Andy.

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney), who works on the high school paper, has a massive crush on a New York debutante named Daphne (Diana Lewis). Andy has implied to everyone that he actually knows the young lady, so when it develops that he's going to visit New York for some of his father's (Lewis Stone) legal business, he is importuned to have his picture taken with her. Andy tries his best to get to know Daphne, but in an infuriating scene he is ever-so-gently shown the door by her terribly condescending mother (Marjorie Gateson of Lily Turner), who thinks he's just not their kind. Still contriving to meet Daphne, Andy goes to the veddy fashionable Club Sirocco with only eight dollars in his pocket, then orders the "special" -- starting off with caviar! In the meantime Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), who's had a crush on Andy ever since Love Finds Andy Hardy, gets some help in that department from -- who else? -- her old friend Daphne Fowler. [Talk about fantasies!] Humiliated by his experience in the Sirocco, Andy becomes deeply depressed that he's not good enough for society, and tells his father -- who tries to wake him up -- that "he's just a small-town judge that nobody's ever heard of." His father has his own troubles when he takes on New York lawyers in a case involving an estate versus an orphanage and is (temporarily) blown off. Naturally everything works out in the end. Andy Hardy Meets Debutante -- the "a" is missing from the title because it's meant to sound like a newspaper headline -- is another irresistible Hardy picture, with Mickey Rooney and Garland in top form, and a swell supporting cast. Garland does a semi-comical version of "Alone" [from A Night at the Opera]; Beezy (George Breakston) is still dating Cynthia (although Lana Turner is not seen]; and the little orphan boy, Francis (Clyde Willson) is adorable. Cy Kendall [Borrowing Trouble] plays the owner of the Sirocco and is adequate.

Verdict: Can't beat Rooney and Garland. ***.

ANDY HARDY GETS SPRING FEVER

Mickey Rooney and Helen Gilbert

ANDY HARDY GETS SPRING FEVER (1939). Director: W. S. Van Dyke.

"I think my ending is better than Shakespeare's -- it's more spiritual." -- Andy Hardy

"You mean when the native girl throws herself into a volcano?" -- Miss Meredith

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) is annoyed by Polly Benedict's attentions to a young Naval officer, but his spirits are revived when he meets the new dramatics teacher, Rose Meredith (Helen Gilbert). Andy writes a play, "Adrift in Tahiti," that is inspired by "Romeo and Juliet," with Andy and Polly (Ann Rutherford) cast as the star-crossed lovers. But will all go well on the play's opening night, and will "Tahula" -- Polly's heroine -- warm up her frigid attitude toward Andy? More importantly, will he get pretty teacher Miss Meredith to actually marry him? In a sub-plot Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) discovers that he may have been swindled out of his life savings along with some of his friends, a development already used in the previous year's Jones Family film, Safety in Numbers. This is another charming and amusing Andy Hardy film [these were still called "Hardy Family" movies, but we all knew who the star was] with Andy discovering the pangs of unrequited infatuation. George Breakston ("Beezy") from Love Finds Andy Hardy makes another appearance. Sister Marion Hardy seems less flighty in this outing, Aunt Millie hardly appears, and Fay Holden has a little more to do as Mrs. Hardy and does it as well as ever. Helen Gilbert comes close to giving a very lovely performance but somehow there's something lacking in her.

Verdict: Randy Andy gets romantic. ***.

THE HARDYS RIDE HIGH

Mickey Rooney, Ann Rutherford and William Orr

THE HARDYS RIDE HIGH (1939). Director: George B. Seitz.

"Why do I want to get married and make one woman miserable when I can stay single and make lots of women happy!' -- Andy Hardy.

Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) gets the astonishing news that he may have inherited two million dollars so he packs up the family to a Detroit mansion to check out the claim's validity. In the meantime son Andy (Mickey Rooney) goes "high-hattin'" to nightclubs where he refuses liquor and has trouble taking a smoke, but he is, after all, only sixteen years old [Rooney was actually three years older]. Daughter Marian (Cecelia Parker) proves to be as big an ass as usual. Aunt Milly (Sara Haden), who is the judge's sister-in-law [but always seems more like his sister] glamorizes herself but alas is still pretty homely, although gauche Andy thinks she's "all done up like a plush horse!" And Mrs. Hardy (Fay Holden) is just happy that she found a good frying pan in Detroit. A very young and unrecognizable Virginia Grey [Jeanne Eagels] plays a chorus girl who tries to vamp Andy -- the young stud is positively terrified by such a sophisticated city woman -- at the direction of her boyfriend, and rival heir, Phil Westcott (John King). Andy complains to girlfriend Polly (Ann Rutherford) that he's "all right until some la-di-da lizzie comes along," referring to the snooty Dick Bannersly (William Orr). The Hardys Ride High is a delightful entry in the series, with the usual top performances, especially the great Rooney, lots of humor, and the usual dose of honest sentiment. Judge Hardy comes mighty close to committing a crime in this, and frankly the whole business about the inheritance is never satisfactorily resolved, as if something were left on the cutting room floor. Marsha Hunt has a small role as a wife who appears before the court. William Orr later became the head of Warner Brothers television and was executive producer of many hit shows, including 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye.

Verdict: Riding high indeed. ***.

LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY

LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY (1938). Director: George B. Seitz.

"Really, we're getting much too old for that sort of thing, hugging and kissing!" -- Polly

"Christmas -- with Andy Hardy next door!" -- Betsy

When Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) goes away for the holidays, Andy's (Mickey Rooney) pal Beezy (George P. Breakston) importunes him to date girlfriend Cynthia (Lana Turner) to keep the other guys away from her while he's on vacation. An added complication is Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), who is visiting her grandmother next door and develops a big crush on Andy despite him seeing her as "a child." Betsy, who despairs that she has "no glamour, no glamour at all" sings the cute number "In-Between" and proves that Garland was a great singer even at that tender age; Rooney and Garland both give especially outstanding performances in this and are a simply wonderful team. Meanwhile Polly comes back unexpectedly and is jealous of Cynthia, whom she calls "That awful red-headed creature!" In other developments the Hardy grandmother has a stroke and Mrs. Hardy (Fay Holden) has to go off to take care of her while cook Augusta (Marie Blake) complains about Marion's "mud" or coffee. Marion (Cecelia Parker), as flighty and immature as ever, finally breaks up with a still-unseen Wayne and Betty Ross Clarke again temporarily replaces Sara Haden as Aunt Millie as she did in Judge Hardy's Children. Communicating with Mrs. Hardy over ham radio, Judge Hardy acts as if he'd discovered the iphone. There is an excellent scene when the Judge (Lewis Stone) and Andy talk about the possibility of the much older man dying. Turner is a lot of fun as Cynthia, although she does seem to be out of Rooney's league. Don Castle [Roses are Red] plays a handsome bandleader who turns out to be Polly's cousin. Followed by Out West with the Hardys. 

Verdict: A nice combination of good humor and honest sentiment. ***.

YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE

Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone

YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE (1937). Director: George B. Seitz.

This is the second film in the Andy Hardy series after A Family Affair and the first to star Lewis Stone and Fay Holden as Judge Hardy and his wife. The judge and family go on vacation to Catalina island, primarily because the judge wants to take in some fishing. Although Marion is apparently still in love with the unseen Wayne, she becomes smitten with a handsome lifeguard named Bill (Ted Pearson). Andy is also smitten with a sixteen-year-old named Geraldine (Eleanor Lynn), whom the judge thinks is much too fast for her. Judge Hardy acts as if her son is going to get married to the girl when it's only a summer romance, and Marion (Cecelia Parker) remains completely flighty in this and later pictures; fiance Wayne is simply forgotten. Meanwhile poor Aunt Millie (Sara Haden) is an old biddie if ever there were one, and the family nearly loses their house at one point. Mickey Rooney, terrific as always, was seventeen playing at fifteen, while Eleanor Lynn, playing sixteen, was an old lady of twenty-one looking five years older. You're Only Young Once has some sentiment and humor, but it's pretty much by the numbers, retreading the first picture with much less aplomb. Ann Rutherford is a lot of fun as Polly, however. Followed by Judge Hardy and Son, which was a decided improvement.

Verdict: This installment is a bit hokey and sanctimonious. **1/2.

JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN

Lewis Stone and Mickey Rooney

JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN (1938). Director: George B. Seitz.

Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) wants Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) to take her to a dance, but he's horrified to learn that he'll need to buy a tuxedo (it never occurs to the dope that he could rent one). Therefore it's just as well that he and the rest of the family accompany Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) to Washington D.C. where the judge will serve on a committee exploring certain monopolies. Unfortunately, Andy becomes smitten with a pretty French gal, Suzanne (Jacqueline Laurent), who also invites him to a dance -- which is formal! Will Andy's dad give him the money to get a tuxedo? In the meantime Andy's sister Marian (Cecelia Parker) acts like a complete ass when it comes to her boyfriend and inadvertently gives away some of the committee's secrets to unscrupulous Washington types. Mickey Rooney gives another fine and funny performance as the irrepressible Andy, and has a great scene when he demonstrates the "Big Apple" dance to the French gal. Janet Beecher [So Red the Rose] makes an impression as Miss Budge, Suzanne's tutor, and the rest of the cast, especially Stone, is fine. In this entry, Aunt Millie is played by Betty Ross Clarke, who is much less of a "spinster" type. Dumb Mrs. Hardy (Fay Holden) doesn't know who Leonardo da Vinci is!

Verdict: Highly enjoyable Hardy picture. ***.

JUDGE HARDY AND SON

Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone

JUDGE HARDY AND SON (1939). Director: George B. Seitz.

When Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) discovers that an elderly couple may lose their home, he enlists son Andy (Mickey Rooney) in a search for their daughter, who might be able to help. Andy enjoys looking for the lady as it brings him into contact with several nubile schoolgirls: eternally giggling Euphrasia (June Preisser): the oh-so-Southern Clarabelle Lee (Margaret Early); and the attractive, unhappy  Elvie (Martha O'Driscoll of Li'l Abner), who pretends to be 14-years-old but is actually much older. In a sub-plot Mrs. Hardy (Fay Holden) develops pneumonia and is placed in an oxygen tank by interne Jack Mulhall. One of the film's highlights is Andy's well-written and well-acted talk with his sister, Marian (Cecelia Parker). Judge Hardy and Son is a very entertaining comedy-drama that boasts an interesting story with some novel twists, fine acting and an outstanding performance from Rooney. The religiosity of the piece never quite gets out of hand. Marie Blake/Blossom Rock plays housekeeper Augusta, and Maria Ouspenskaya is one half of the elderly couple. Ann Rutherford is on hand as Andy's ever-jealous girlfriend, outraged as usual when she sees other girls' lipstick on his pan.

Verdict: One of the better Hardy Family entries from MGM. ***.

OUT WEST WITH THE HARDYS

Andy (Mickey Rooney) on a dispirited burro

OUT WEST WITH THE HARDYS (1938). Director: George B. Seitz.

An old flame calls Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) for help when she and her husband fear they'll lose their ranch over water rights. The judge takes the entire family with him to the west, and they sort of just move into this couple's ranch, make themselves at home, and raid the refrigerator as if they own the place. Marian Hardy (Cecelia Parker) falls for a rugged cowboy and widower named Ray (Gordon Jones of The Green Hornet), while his young daughter, "Jake" (Virginia Weidler), develops a crush on Andy (Mickey Rooney). Weidler and Rooney give the most memorable performances, but the others in the cast are swell, as Andy would put it. Fay Holden as Mrs. Hardy can't quite disguise her veddy proper British roots. Ralph Morgan [The Monster and the Ape] and Nana Bryant [Possessed] are the ranchers, and Tom Neal has a small role as a traffic violator in Judge Hardy's courtroom. An unusual aspect of this Hardy feature is that there are no beautiful starlets for Andy to play around and neck with.

Verdict: Pleasant time-waster: **1/2.

ALL THE BROTHERS WERE VALIANT

Battling brothers: Taylor and Granger

ALL THE BROTHERS WERE VALIANT (1953). Director: Richard Thorpe.

"Joel Shore is not afraid of the devil himself -- just don't go lookin' for him, that's all."

In this remake of a silent film with Lon Chaney, Joel Shore (Robert Taylor) sets sail as captain of the whaling ship Nathan Ross with his new bride, Priscilla (Ann Blyth). Both of them assume that Joel's brother, Mark (Stewart Granger) is dead, but when he turns up alive talking of pearls and adventure and narrow escapes, it causes trouble between the brothers. Mark wants to go back for the pearls, but when Joel objects, afraid of how greed will decimate the crew, Mark convinces Priscilla that her husband is a coward. Then the men decide to mutiny ... Frankly this picture would have been better if they went after the pearls or just stuck to whaling. The only good and exciting scene in the entire movie is when they hunt down a whale whose enormous tail capsizes their much smaller boat [not the Nathan Ross but a special whale boat]. If the whole movie had been handled as well it might have amounted to something. The three leads do the best they can, and there are smaller roles for Lewis Stone, James Whitmore, and Keenan Wynn, all of whom are wasted. Director Thorpe does not seem overly enthused by the material, and even the mutiny is awkwardly done and has no dramatic flair. I could swear I spotted a bearded Paul Frees [Space Master X-7] as one of the sailors but he's not listed in the cast.

Verdict: Too bad the silent version is lost; it had to be better than this. **.

THE UNKNOWN MAN

THE UNKNOWN MAN (1951). Director: Richard Thorpe. 

Dwight Masen (Walter Pidgeon) defends a youth, Rudi (Keefe Braselle), who is accused of murdering a shop keeper's son as part of a protection racket. But there's a sinister figure behind the scenes, and when he gets murdered, too, Rudi also gets the blame. But the identity of this particular killer might be a big surprise. It would be criminal to give away the twists of this interesting, generally well-acted courtroom drama, but it certainly presents a bizarre, intriguing, and ultimately tragic situation. Lewis Stone is a judge, Ann Harding is Masen's wife, Richard Anderson is Dwight's son, and Barry Sullivan is the district attorney who prosecutes both cases. Pidgeon is better than usual. Konstantin Shayne is very affecting as the dead boy's devastated father. 

Verdict; A bit perfunctory but not without interest. **1/2.

PASSION FLOWER

PASSION FLOWER (1930). Director: Uncredited.



"Men are kind of handy in the day time and sort of entertaining in the evening. But as far as I'm concerned, I'd just as soon have a good radio." -- Zazu Pitts.

Katherine (Kay Johnson) infuriates her father by marrying the family chauffeur Dan (Charles Bickford). Her cousin Dulce (Kay Francis) is married to a wealthy, much older man, Tony (Lewis Stone). Proud and stubborn, Dan refuses Dulce's help until circumstances force him to give in. Unfortunately the two proceed to fall in love, causing the expected painful complications. As the selfish Dulce, Francis isn't bad, but her part is too one-dimensional for us to feel much sympathy for her and at times her acting is artificial and stilted. Johnson is quite lovely and affecting as the heart-broken Katherine. The gruff Bickford is an unlikely lover boy but a good actor nevertheless; his scenes with his two little boys are touching (Dickie Moore is adorable as Tommy) but his character is also a bit of a stinker. Zazu Pitts plays Katharine and Dan's pessimistic landlady who somehow winds up moving to a farm with them as housekeeper.

Verdict: Entertaining, but maybe not enough passion. **1/2.