OPERATION MAD BALL

Mickey Rooney and Jack Lemmon

OPERATION MAD BALL (1957). Director: Richard Quine.

In France at a U.S. Army hospital just after the end of WW2, Private Hogan (Jack Lemmon) wants to do something to give his pal Corporal Berryman (Roger Smith of 77 Sunset Strip) a chance to spend time with his nurse girlfriend, even though she outranks him and shouldn't be fraternizing. Somehow this segues into a "mad ball" held off the base in a restaurant where nurses and men can get together for some dancing, drinking and fun. But there are complications, such as Colonel Rousch's (Arthur O'Connell) brother heading for the base and being the guest of honor at Rousch's own party -- now the nurses won't be allowed any passes (literally and figuratively). However, the fertile mind of Private Hogan will figure a way around this.

Kathryn Grant and Arthur O'Connell

Judging from its title, Operation Mad Ball should be a riotous service comedy, but the only time it really comes to life is in the last few minutes (the party) and when Mickey Rooney shows up and shows "em how it's done. He's a breath of fresh air in a "comedy" that is surprisingly dull for most of its length. Lemmon is okay, but other players make more of an impression, including the wonderful Rooney, Dick York as Corporal Bohun, Kathryn Grant as Lt. Bixby, who ignites Hogan's romantic interest, Jeanne Manet [Slightly French] as Madame LaFour who owns the aforementioned restaurant, and especially Arthur O'Connell as the head officer of the hospital. Ernie Kovacs, one of the three leads, is also okay, but not especially funny. Other soldiers are played by James Darren, William Leslie, and L. Q. Jones. Darren and Grant appeared together in The Brothers Rico.

Verdict: Generally good-natured but distinctly minor. **1/4.

RECKLESS

RECKLESS (1935). Director: Victor Fleming.

By the time agent Ned Riley (William Powell) realizes he's really in love with his client, singer-dancer Mona Leslie (Jean Harlow), Mona is being swept off her feet by the wealthy Bob Harrison Jr. (Franchot Tone). Harrison even goes so far as to buy out every seat for a performance of the show Mona is in. Mona's wise old grandmother (May Robson) scolds and gives sage advice in equal measure. Rosalind Russell turns up as Harrison's kind of forgotten fiancee, Henry Stephenson is his concerned father, and little Mickey Rooney is his usual charming self as an enterprising youngster befriended by Ned (perhaps the film's most touching sequence has Rooney trying to help out Ned when he thinks he's down and out). If that cast weren't enough, we've also got Allan Jones singing a romantic ballad in his inimitable way, Leon Ames turning up both with and without his mustache, Charles "Ming the Merciless" Middleton playing a district attorney, and Margaret Dumont showing up for one line as a heckler in the theater! Powell, Harlow, and Tone are all just marvelous, and Robson almost manages to steal every scene she's in. The story veers in unfortunately melodramatic directions, but the film still manages to be quite entertaining. And that cast! 

Verdict: Crazy script but a feast of fine actors! ***.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961). Director: Blake Edwards.

Paul Varjak (George Peppard) is an author being kept by the married Mrs. Fallenson (Patricia Neal). Paul meets his slightly kooky neighbor, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), who has no desire to talk about her past. Holly makes her living accepting gifts from men. Will these two hustlers triumph over their demons and find true love? Breakfast at Tiffany's is the kind of utterly artificial movie that only Hollywood could churn out, not dealing with reality on any particular level. Part of the problem, of course, is that the film is a complete bowdlerization of Truman Capote's novella, on which this was very loosely based. (In turn, Holly was inspired by Christopher Isherwood's Sally Bowles). Hollywood needed to "straighten" out the Paul character so a romance between the two main characters was fabricated. Hepburn's performance is more than adequate for this, but Holly never seems like a real person. Often through the movie Hepburn is self-consciously "cute" and seems over-rehearsed without a moment of spontaneity. Peppard [The Carpetbaggers] does the best he can with his own underwritten and dishonest role. Patricia Neal [Diplomatic Courier] adds a degree of class in the thankless role of the "cougar" (as we would say today) with a hankering for Paul. To say she is one-dimensional is a major understatement. Mickey Rooney is surprisingly good in his way as Holly's excitable upstairs neighbor, but others have also noted that he is an hysterical Japanese caricature. The movie does have some nice moments, such as an excellent scene between Holly and her ex-husband, Doc (Buddy Ebsen, who would star in The Beverly Hillbillies one year later), when they say farewell at a bus station. And cat fanciers will go "ahh" over the shot of Holly's poor cat sadly looking after her after she (temporarily) sets her free. Mercer and Mancini's "Moon River" is possibly the best thing about the movie.

Verdict: Bohemians strictly from Hollywood. **1/2.

BABES IN ARMS

BABES IN ARMS (1939). Director: Busby Berkeley.

When some old vaudevillians leave town to go on tour, their children decide to put on their own show.  That's the plot of this okay Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland "let's put on a show" musical. This is based on a Rodgers and Hart stage musical, but the only songs by the team that are left are the title tune and "Where or When?," which I believe was from another show. ("The Lady is a Tramp" from Pal Joey plays in the background of one scene.) As usual, some of the "kids" in this are a bit too old, such as Douglas McPhail and real-life wife Betty Jaynes, both of whom have beautiful semi-operatic voices (they do "Where or When?"). Mickey and Judy are in splendid form, of course, and we see footage of Rooney when he was a small boy performing in vaudeville. Of the older cast, which includes Guy Kibbee,  Margaret Hamilton, Henry Hull and Ann Shoemaker, Charles Winninger [Three Smart Girls] is a stand-out as Mickey's father, Joe Moran. Johnny Sheffield of Bomba fame also has a small role. Judy sings "I Cried for You," Mickey does an excellent impression of Gable, and there's a memorable finale in "God's Country." McPhail had hoped to have a career along the lines of Nelson Eddy, but when it didn't materialize and he and Jaynes got divorced, the poor guy took his own life at age thirty.

Verdict: Not the best Mickey-Judy musical but fun enough. **1/2.

WORDS AND MUSIC

Mickey as Lorenz Hart and Judy as herself

WORDS AND MUSIC (1948). Director: Norman Taurog.

"... strange places with strange people ..."

Richard Rodgers (Tom Drake) and Lorenz Hart (Mickey Rooney) become a highly popular song-writing duo and a theatrical force to be reckoned with. This is a heavily fictionalized biography that completely suppresses Hart's homosexuality and alcoholism, and instead makes the man unlucky in love. The highlights of the film are the musical interludes: Judy Garland, playing herself, singing "I Wish I Were In Love Again" with Mickey; and doing a solo on "Johnny One-Note." Lena Horne scores with "Where or When? " and "The Lady is a Tramp,"  and Mel Torme does "Blue Moon." Then there's the excellent "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" from On Your Toes with Gene Kelly at the top of his game. Rooney is as superb as ever, Drake [Betrayed Women] is fine as Rodgers, and Marshall Thompson plays associate Herbert Fields. Perry Como plays a fictional character in the film, and while his acting isn't bad, his singing style (at that time) apes Bing Crosby shamelessly. Janet Leigh has a nice turn as Rodgers' wife, as does Ann Sothern as Joyce, but the best one can say about Betty Garrett is that she's utterly unexciting. The picture is very handsomely produced, but the narration is unnecessary. To cap it all off we've got "With a Song in My Heart," one of Rodgers most beautiful melodies.

Verdict: Not the real story but colorful and entertaining. ***.

BABES ON BROADWAY

The irrepressible Mickey as Carmen Miranda!

BABES ON BROADWAY (1941). Director: Busby Berkeley.

Tommy Williams (Mickey Rooney) and Penny Morris (Judy Garland) are talented young people who dream of being on Broadway. Penny gets the idea of putting on a show to raise money for some orphans to get a vacation in the country, but when Tommy learns of a possible engagement in Philadelphia, he's ready to chuck the whole thing until his conscience catches up with him. (The point is made that aspiring artists are often thinking more of themselves than others when it comes to charitable performances.) Like most of the Rooney-Garland musicals, this one is sheer fantasy in terms of how to get on Broadway, but the duo are in top form and the picture is quite entertaining. The highlights include Mickey doing one number as Carmen Miranda, and another as Cyrano de Bergerac. Ray McDonald [All Ashore] is a stand-out, especially when he dances, and there's a cute little kid (Richard Hall of Shadow of the Thin Man) who plays a number on the piano. The excellent song numbers include "How About You?'; "Hoedown," and especially "Carry On," which in a sobering moment refers to the London Blitz. Burton Lane was one of the composers.

Verdict: An unbeatable combo of Rooney and Garland. ***.

THE BIG OPERATOR

Steve Cochran and Mamie Van Doren

THE BIG OPERATOR (1959). Director: Charles F. Haas.

Bill Gibson (Steve Cochran) comes afoul of a foul union boss named Little Joe Braun (Mickey Rooney). In his campaign to keep everyone in line and stay out of jail, Braun has Gibson's friend and neighbor -- and an angry union advocate -- Fred McAfee (Mel Torme) beaten, dumped and set on fire. Worse, Braun has Gibson's little boy, Tommy (Jay North), kidnapped, leading to a surprisingly dull and protracted scene when Gibson and his wife, Mary (Mamie Van Doren) drive around -- and around and around -- searching for the kid. The Big Operator is decidedly minor-league film noir of a type, but it is distinguished by some vivid performances. Rooney gets top honors for his sterling portrait of the loathsome mob boss, with Ray Danton also making his mark as Braun's "executioner." Cochran [The Chase], and even Van Doren [Born Reckless], are fine as the parents (in an early scene they express worry over the child and then leave him alone in the house!), and while not a "revelation" as such, Mel Torme [The Fearmakers] is quite good as McAfee. Others in the cast include everyone from Jim Backus and Vampira (Maila Nurmi) to Jackie Coogan and 'Red" Barry, with Ziva Rodann thrown in for good measure.

Verdict: Minor crime film with interesting cast. **.

STRIKE UP THE BAND

Mickey!

STRIKE UP THE BAND (1940). Director: Busby Berkeley.

High school student Jimmy Connors (Mickey Rooney) has one passion: playing the drums in a band. Mary Holden (Judy Garland) has just one passion: Jimmy Connors. Mary can also sing quite well. Jimmy wants to take his band to Chicago to play on Paul Whiteman's radio show in a band competition, but where oh where can  he get the money for traveling expenses. Just when the money is raised, a dear friend, Willie (Larry Nunn), becomes seriously ill and needs an operation ... The sentiment is thick  but somehow never overbearing in this charming musical which boasts the talents of Rooney and Garland, both of whom are typically superb. Larry Nunn offers a highly appealing and sympathetic portrait of Willie, who has a hopeless crush on Mary and proposes -- at thirteen! William Tracy [Terry and the Pirates] and June Preisser [Judge Hardy and Son] play two more of the kids, most of whom look like they've been out of high school for quite a few years. The title tune was composed by Gershwin, but the other songs are by Freed and Edens, including the memorable "Our Love Affair," expertly warbled by Garland, and "I Ain't Got Nobody." (Garland's torch song, "The Curse of an Aching Heart," was cut.) Ann Shoemaker [Seventeen] plays Jimmy's mother, who has always wanted him to be a doctor. While Shoemaker is always good, in this she just seems to come on too strong and smothering.  Nunn was a very talented child actor but his film career only lasted eight years.

Verdict: Rooney and Garland in top form! ***.

THOROUGHBREDS DON'T CRY

Ronald Sinclair, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland

THOROUGHBREDS DON'T CRY (1937). Director: Alfred E. Green.

Young Roger Calverton (Ronald Sinclair) travels to America in the company of his beloved grandfather (C. Aubrey Smith); the old man's employee, Wilkins (Forrester Harvey); and their horse, which they hope to enter in a race. They induce a  brash jockey, Timmie Donovan (Mickey Rooney) to ride the horse, but fate intervenes in the form of Timmie's miserable father (Charles D. Brown), who claims he desperately needs an iron lung or else he'll die. Timmie is importuned to throw the race, leading to tragedy ... Thoroughbreds Don't Cry was an early hit for Rooney, but he's also got Judy Garland (their very first teaming) -- who for once isn't in love with Rooney's character -- and the inestimable Ronald Sinclair, who proves more than a match for Rooney's thespian skill. Sophie Tucker makes her mark as the woman who runs the boarding house where many jockeys, and Garland, live. Garland does a great rendition of "Goin' to Town." Frankie Darro appears briefly as another nasty jockey. Darro and especially Sinclair were extremely talented child actors, but the former was often relegated to bit parts as he got older, and Sinclair retired from acting only five years later, becoming an editor and producer of several Roger Corman flicks and working on everything from The Amazing Colossal Man to Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikimi Machine to Island Claws. Despite some charming moments and the uniformly excellent acting from the cast, Thoroughbreds can't quite seem to overcome its dated quality, and the whole movie at times seems a little unreal.

Verdict: Not Mickey's best. **1/2.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MICKEY ROONEY

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MICKEY ROONEY. Richard A. Lertzman and William J. Birnes. Gallery/Simon and Schuster; 2015.

Well ... this is an exhaustive, frank, detailed,  ugly, and often exasperating biography of the great Mickey Rooney, whom most people agree was one of the most talented people in movies or on the stage, and whose private life was an absolute mess. Lertzman and Birnes present a portrait of a man who really had no identity or personality aside from the always-on Mickey Rooney, and who had little empathy for others, including his many wives and sadly neglected children (Rooney didn't even attend his own son's funeral). But we're also treated to glimpses of Rooney stealing the show as a little boy in burlesque, becoming the "Mickey McGuire" of the silents, then turning into Andy Hardy. Then there's his descent into show biz has-been status, his insistence on remaining in the limelight and continuing his career despite the odds, his comeback with "Sugar Babies" on Broadway, The Black Stallion in films, and Bill on television; his messy divorces, gambling debts, and so on. The authors investigate how Rooney wound up a virtual pauper in old age after making millions (especially from the highly successful Sugar Babies) -- even after factoring in tax debts, gambling losses, and expensive spending habits (by this time Rooney no longer needed to pay alimony or child support), there should have been much more money. Although charges were leveled against Rooney's family members, the authors here seem to conclude that it was the legal fees that done him in, fees which the lawyers are still collecting from Rooney's estate. A month before his death, Rooney disinherited all of his biological children -- an eyebrow-raising situation that apparently didn't make the judge suspicious. Then there are the tempestuous marriages to the likes of Ava Gardner, Martha Vickers, and even one wife who was brutally murdered by her lover while Rooney was in the hospital. The worst claim made about Rooney in this book  is that he was a pedophile, even though the information is all hearsay. The source for a story in which a 14-year-old Liz Taylor went down on Rooney in a dressing room is not Rooney's ex-wife (who allegedly first told the story and is now deceased) but a friend of hers, making it double hearsay! This kind of thing cheapens the book and calls a lot of other things into question. [At least we're spared that nonsense about Norma Shearer having sex with Rooney in her dressing room.] Then there are strange omissions: there's a photo of Rooney making his directorial debut with star Helen Walker, but absolutely no mention of the film in the text. Some of his movie appearances and his performances in them, especially in the first half of the book, are given short shrift. A description of a celebration for Rooney's 90th birthday, written by the event's organizer, reads like a report from a press agent and has no real value, Along with fresh interviews, some of the material is recycled from Rooney's memoir and Arthur Marx's biography. While Rooney was once awarded a special Oscar and was nominated more than once, he never received an AFI or Kennedy Center honor, and should have. Rooney is typical of show biz types who are extremely talented but fall short -- no pun intended -- as human beings.

Verdict: Certainly absorbing, if at times suspect, look at a fascinating Hollywood figure. ***.

SUMMER HOLIDAY

Mickey Rooney and Marilyn Maxwell

SUMMER HOLIDAY (1948). Director: Rouben Mamoulian.

In this musical adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!" Mickey Rooney plays Richard Miller, the teen son of a solid Connecticut family. Richard is always trying to stir the pot with his radical political ideas, even as his Uncle Sid (Frank Morgan) hopes to gain the hand of Cousin Lily (Agnes Moorehead) in marriage. Richard has a girlfriend in Muriel (Gloria DeHaven ) but out on the town with a friend he encounters hooker-hard showgirl, Belle (Marilyn Maxwell). Unfortunately, none of this leads to anything very interesting and eventually the flick becomes quite tiresome. Rooney is as good as ever, as are Moorehead, and Walter Huston as the boy's father, and Maxwell makes a minor impression as the showgirl. The songs by Warren and Blaine might be the type that need to grow on you, but on first hearing they don't linger in the mind. This is Eugene O'Neill as filtered through Andy Hardy! The same play was also turned into a Broadway musical by Bob Merrill called "Take Me Along" with Jackie Gleason playing Uncle Sid.

Verdict: Scene by scene this might mimic O'Neill, but there's something missing. **.

FRANCIS IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE

FRANCIS IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE (1956). Director: Charles Lamont.

"You've been in politics twenty years and you've never heard of a talking jackass?"

After several "Francis, the Talking Mule" movies with Donald O'Connor, Mickey Rooney took over -- as another character -- for the final entry in the series. In this David Prescott (Rooney) is somehow seeing a lovely heiress named Lorna McLeod (Virginia Welles) when he gets a phone call from a "man" named Francis. Miss Welles is represented by a law firm whose partners are being murdered one by one, with Prescott as the chief suspect. Naturally no one believes him that Francis (Paul Frees of The Star) is a witness who can alibi him and can actually talk. Rooney is fine (as is Frees as the voice of Francis) but this is one dip in the well too often, and despite a couple of chuckles and a surprise ending (to the mystery plot), this is more frenetic than funny. David Janssen [Moon of the Wolf] has a supporting role as a cop. The "haunted house" of the title is McLeod Castle, where supposedly a ghost roams at night atop a horse.

Verdict: Francis should have kept his mouth shut. **.

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 COMES HOME

Mickey Rooney and Fay Holden

ANDY HARDY COMES HOME (1958). Director: Howard W. Koch.

"Wouldn't it be nice some time to take a trip around the world?' -- Aunt Millie

"Oh, I don't know. I'd rather go somewhere else." -- Mrs. Hardy

Twelve years have gone by since the last Hardy film and Andy is now happily married to Jane (Patricia Breslin of Homicidal) and living in Los Angeles with their two children. Andy now works for the legal department of the Gordon Aircraft company and thinks it might be a good idea to open a plant in his home town of Carvel. Unfortunately, a couple of people with grudges against Andy conspire to turn the whole town against him, insisting the factory will lead to slums, criminals, and who knows what else. Old pal "Beezy" (now played by Joey Forman) shows up and tries to help Andy but is stymied by his fearful wife, Sally (Jeanne Baird). Will Andy have to turn his back on Carvel the way they've seemed to turn their backs on him? Andy Hardy Comes Home is an amiable, if minor, picture that in its day served chiefly as a way for the audience to catch up with the Hardy family after many years. Lewis Stone had passed on, but Fay Holden (in her warm if slightly ditsy turn as Mother Hardy), Sara Haden as Millie, and Cecelia Parker (returning as Marian) are all good, as is Rooney. The film introduced Pat Cawley, who plays Sally, the woman who helps Andy in his search for property, although it is highly unlikely that her handsome boyfriend (William Leslie of Mutiny in Outer Space) would actually be jealous of Andy. Also introduced in this picture were little Teddy Rooney, who is okay as Andy Hardy Jr., and Johnny Weissmuller Jr. , who plays Andy's very tall nephew, Jim. Jerry Colonna shows up as Doc, who runs the soda shoppe. There are flashback scenes with Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and Esther Williams in clips from the older Hardy films. At the end of Andy Hardy Comes Home it says TO BE CONTINUED in big letters, but it was not to be. Andy was too old, and his son too young, to capture the teen-aged girl-crazy humor of the earlier installments, and the script for the film was no world-beater, making a mild attempt at recreating the humor and sentiment of the original series. The very pretty and competent Cawley only did two other movies.

Verdict: A middle-aged and mostly mediocre Andy Hardy. **1/2.

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. ***.