Sadly Over-hyped

Boring

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

I had originally watched this on VHS back in the '90s and I remember enjoying this very much then, my first viewing of an Andy Hardy movie. The fact this was Judy Garland's first appearance in the series was the main reason I sought this out and boy, she's sensational when she sings here! Now that I'm watching each entry in sequence, I noticed how past eps are referenced such as Andy mentioning to Betsy Booth (Ms. Garland's character) teaching the Big Apple to some diplomats in Washington, D.C., in Judge Hardy's Children. Anyway, Andy is in a real pickle: He wants a car but he doesn't have enough money so he agrees-with pay-to date Cynthia (a young Lana Turner) while her boyfriend-and Andy's pal-Beezy is away while Polly (Ann Rutherford, of course) is also somewhere else. Betsy herself has a crush on Andy but he's oblivious to her. Judy really shows her feelings clearly here when playing her as a bit disappointed with how Mickey goes into how much he loves Polly or was initially excited by Cynthia. There's also a subplot of Emily and Milly having to leave to visit their mother when she's revealed to be in a coma which has Fay Holden and Betty Ross Clarke off-screen much of the time. Anyway, this was a most enjoyable entry of the Hardy family series mainly because of the three songs sung by Ms. Garland as well as Mickey's scenes with her and Lana Turner. Also, nice seeing the future Grandmama from "The Addams Family" (Blossom Rock, then known as Marie Blake) as the temporary family cook and Gene Reynolds-later a producer/director of "Hogan's Heroes" and "M*A*S*H"-as a kid who uses a ham radio to relay a message to Mrs. Hardy in Canada. So on that note, Love Finds Andy Hardy is highly recommended. P.S. The DVD I watched this on had a wonderful intro by John Fricke with a brief insert interview with Ms. Rutherford herself.

Polly Benedict is leaving poor Andy alone for Christmas. Andy is also short the money he needs to buy a car from Mr. Dugan. So, for a fee, Andy agrees to date his friend Beezy's girl (Lana Turner) while he's away. The plan is that Andy will date her to keep other guys away, then when Beezy returns Andy will dump her and she'll go back to Beezy. At the same time, a slightly younger girl (Judy Garland) has moved in next door. She falls for Andy (naturally) but Andy sees her as just a kid. As usual, things start to go wrong for Andy and he has to have one of those famous talks with Judge Hardy.The regulars are all pitch-perfect. The writing is great, managing to juggle several plot lines, big & small, and tie them all together nicely. Of course, what would an Andy Hardy movie be without the lovely girls that were always infatuated with him? Here we have the ever-adorable Ann Rutherford, a beautiful and fun young Lana Turner, and the immensely likable Judy Garland in her first of three Andy Hardy appearances. She gets to sing too and is terrific, as one would expect. Highly enjoyable entry in the series. One of the best.

Once again, MICKEY ROONEY is in all sorts of trouble and Judge Hardy is always there to get him out of it--or at least talk things over with him. And this time, the accent is on his girl troubles. It's kind of amusing just to see the pretty ANN RUTHERFORD and a very young LANA TURNER throwing themselves at Rooney the way they do--I mean, let's fact it, he was never a looker.Gone are the days when teens dressed like they do here--Rooney wearing a derby on a bright summer day and not a pair of jeans in sight. The script has Ann Rutherford's Polly going away on a Christmas visit to an aunt, which gives Rooney an excuse to discover Lana Turner's Cynthia at a swimming pool. She serves as his playmate for this particular Hardy story and it's easy to see why MGM kept her under contract for years to come.JUDY GARLAND is Betsy Booth, who announces right at the start that she's "going to be on the stage some day"--and was that a good prediction! She also gets to sing a few numbers in the now famous Garland style.The plot ambles along predictably and pleasantly, as most Hardy films do, and suffice it to say that Rooney's fling with Lana Turner is the most enjoyable aspect of the story and well played by both youngsters. But boy, could he mug! Yes, even then, he dispensed with some pretty extravagant bits of mugging that became more and more pronounced as the years went on. Some called it talent--others may have disagreed. Whatever it was, he was a very popular box-office star at the time this one was made.Summing up: Pleasant enough for Hardy fans, and certainly a reminder of how different times were for teens in the late '30s.

"Love Finds Andy Hardy" is the third film in the Andy Hardy series about a Judge (Lewis Stone) and his irrepressibly manic son, Andy (Mickey Rooney). In this film young Andy gets a run for his money when the girl next door, Betsy Booth (Judy Garland) pulls cupid's arrow with sincerity and comes out the winner. This was the first film in which Garland's character appeared and perhaps, it's the best in the whole series. The hokum and corn is deep and laughable but hey, that's part of the film's charm and truly, you have to be a die hard cynic not to fall for Andy's overwhelmingly patriot schmaltz. A winner through and through.TRANSFER: Warner gives us an impressive looking transfer with a solid B&W picture. The gray scale is nicely balanced. Age related artifacts are kept to a bare minimum. There is some minor shimmering of fine details that is distracting at times. Blacks are solid. Contrast levels are well represented. The audio is mono but nicely cleaned up for this DVD.BOTTOM LINE: This is a must have for collectors. One only wishes that Warner had had the foresight to release the entire Andy Hardy series as a box set.