tavm In the previous series entry, Andy Hardy was attending Wainwright College-his father's alma mater-and was falling for a woman named Kay Wilson (Bonita Granville). That was two years before this one. Since then, it's revealed that Andy got drafted and is revealed at the beginning he's coming home. This was probably put in to capitalize on the fact that Mickey Rooney had indeed joined the military between both pictures. Anyway, he wants to go back to Wainwright right away-mainly so he can propose to Kay-but first he meets a pretty Latin beauty named Isobel Gonzalas (Lina Romay) who sings and dances for the family's enjoyment. Oh, and the sponsor is Mr. Benedict (the return of Addison Richards) who mentions daughter Polly as she doesn't appear here. When Andy goes back to school, he and Kay have a nice reunion but soon she has to go home for a while so at the dance there, Andy ends up on a date with a Coffy Smith (Dorothy Ford) who is revealed to be real tall as Andy is real short resulting in an initially awkward jitterbug dance between them but it works out at the end of that! There's more but I'll just now say this was both touching and funny with another fine "man to man" talk between Andy and his father. So on that note, I recommend Love Laughs at Andy Hardy. P.S. This turned out to be Lewis Stone's final one as Judge Hardy. After appearing in a few more movies, he was confronted by some teen toughs at his garden and when he tried to chase them away, his heart gave out causing him to die on September 12, 1953.

wes-connors After serving two years in World War II, marriage-minded Mickey Rooney (as Andrew "Andy" Hardy) is back in Carvel, Idaho. He is welcomed by wise father Lewis Stone (as James Hardy) and concerned mother Fay Holden (as Emily); aunt Sara Haden (as Milly Forrest) appears briefly. Later, you can be sure Mr. Stone will have a helpful heart-to-heart talk with Rooney. From home, Mr. Rooney goes to finish his freshman year at Wainright College, and culminate his romance with pretty sweetheart Bonita Granville (as Kay Wilson). She hears wedding bells, but they aren't music to Rooney's ears..."Everybody worries about my future, but nobody worries about my now," is an apt reflection by Rooney's "Andy Hardy". His famous character seemed dated when this was released, and it was the penultimate episode in MGM's "Judge Hardy's Family" series. "Love Laughs at Andy Hardy" has the level of maturity evident in these movies; but, apparently, viewers expected progress. In hindsight, the film delivers the usual good will, with a little of the usual fun. Rooney's dating Dorothy Ford (as Coffy Smith) is an obvious stand-out. A 1958 update, with Rooney assuming the fatherly role, failed to revive the series.***** Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (12/25/46) Willis Goldbeck ~ Mickey Rooney, Bonita Granville, Lewis Stone, Dorothy Ford

thirteenthfloorelevator The problem with this Andy Hardy movie is that Andy is no longer in High School and has just arrived home from the war. The plot about Andy wanting to marry some girl is contrived, as are the dancing sequences. Mickey seems to be just going through the numbers, and the other performances are nothing to see the film for. There are a few funny sequences, and all the Hardy clichés are in place, from the man to man talk, and Mickey coming to his senses after the talking to with The Judge. The film feels flat without Ann Rutherford or Judy Garland in it, and the girls in it instead are simply there to elicit a few cheap laughs. Mickey Rooney certainly gives the script his best effort, but not even he can save it. It feels like MGM stopped caring about the quality of the script and just about the Hardy name. This is a cheap cash in on the usually outstanding Hardy series and cheapens their memory! The worst of all the Andy Hardy movies!

John (opsbooks) Andy arrives back in Carvel, tumbling off the back of an army truck in front of his folks. The family reunion in the middle of the main street, blocking the traffic flow to the amusement of all concerned, is the best scene in the movie. Andy's been separated (demobbed) from the Army and has but one thought on his mind, proposing to Kay Wilson who he'd met at college.'Kay Wilson' is played by the (in this movie) maternal Bonita Granville who unfortunately doesn't sing for once. Mickey Rooney looks appropriately much older than his previous movie (he has, after all, come back from service in the Army) in the series but still manages to play the irrepressible 'Andy' as only he could. Lewis Stone and Fay Holden as his folks are wonderful as usual, despite the often insipid script. That's the main problem with this movie. The script is at times puerile and it's only the mostly excellent cast which makes it worth watching. We miss 'Marion' and Polly', while the charming Sarah Haden as 'Aunt Milly' is given few lines. She might as well not be there. Marion is apparently working in New York (it is she who wires the family that Andy is on his way) while we, so far as I noticed, are given no reason for Polly's absence, despite her father's presence.The standout guest in this movie is the stunning Dorothy Ford as 'Coffy Smith'. Not only is Dorothy tall at 6ft 4", she is both graceful and beautiful. Though as before (and after), the script remains puerile, but the cast do their best to rise above it.The high point in most Hardy movies - those without Judy Garland, anyway - is the father and son or rather 'man to man' talk between Lewis Stone and Mickey Rooney. In this movie it's on the subject of Andy either going to college and following in the Judge's footsteps, or running off to South America to make his fortune. Unfortunately, the problematic script results in an awkward, almost embarrassing scene between the two. Lewis Stone doesn't look at all well; he was in his late 60s at the time but looks much older (he died in 1953, chasing vandals off his property). Lina Romay as 'Isolbel' sings on two occasions but she's an unsatisfactory substitute for Polly. Hal Hackett as 'Duke' is unimpressive but again, maybe that's the fault of that script.Overall, this is a necessary part of the Hardy series but it deserved a much better script. Despite this reservation, I can still recommend it. My copy came as one half of a double bill region 4 DVD (with 'The Perils of Pauline'). It was made from an extremely poor print and should be avoided at all costs.