Product Details

• Actors: Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Fay Holden, Ann Rutherford, Sara Haden
• Directors: George B. Seitz
• Writers: Agnes Christine Johnston, Aurania Rouverol
• Producers: George B. Seitz
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: April 1, 1992
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301964063
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,658 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Given the namby-pamby reputation of the Andy Hardy series--always thought of as a paradigm for upbeat, Depression-era middle America--this is a film with a surprising mix of tones, as Andy tries life on his own. Having graduated from high school and kissed his girlfriend Polly (Ann Rutherford) goodbye when she left for the summer, Andy has to figure out what to do with his own life. His father wants him to go to college and become a lawyer, but Andy wants to put off college to go work in New York. As an experiment, Andy agrees to spend a summer month in New York working before making his decision--and gets considerable proof that the world is a much starker, tougher place than he'd imagined. Mickey Rooney is very good in this loss-of-innocence performance. Check out his father-son chat with Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone), who offers his own arguments for premarital chastity. Judy Garland appears (but doesn't sing) as girl-next-door Betsy Booth. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Andy Hardy's difficult transition from boyhood to manhood, November 1, 2003

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Andy Hardy Collection - Life Begins for Andy Hardy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Life Begins For Andy Hardy (1941) is a rather dark film in an otherwise happy, idyllic series of pre-World War II Americana. Judy Garland makes her third and final appearance in this eleventh installment in the Hardy family saga, but her role is much less significant here than it was in her two previous appearances. Young Andy (Mickey Rooney) has just graduated from high school, but he has little time to celebrate his new freedom. His father, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) compels him to think about his future, holding out the promise of a scholarship should he follow in his father's footsteps and study to become a lawyer. At the same time, Andy parts ways with his long-time girl Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) as she heads off to college. The prospect of seven years of schooling is not something Andy can get excited about, and his father agrees to let Andy go to New York, find a job, and then decide after a month whether he wants to continue working or go to college. A visiting Betsy Booth (Judy Garland) accompanies Andy back to the Big Apple but soon finds herself somewhat isolated from the boy she continues to pine after.

Andy's experiences in New York change him forever and do much to transform him into a man. He struggles to find work, makes many mistakes, and finds himself virtually penniless at one point. The young man whose room he takes at a boarding house tips him off on the job he just quit, but Andy's application for employment gains him nothing but the interest of a potentially dangerous young lady with a penchant for getting what she wants from men. Jennitt Hicks (Patricia Dane) is a somewhat incomprehensible character to me; she is, in Betsy Booth's terminology, a "wolfess," and she does subtly sucker this new kid in the big city for a gift or two early on, yet she also helps him get a job and seems to at least care for the boy in a nurturing sense at one point later on. Betsy recognizes her for what she is early on, as does Judge Hardy when he first meets her. This gives rise to a father-son speech which may sound like the essence of old-fashioned silliness to modern-day viewers but strikes me as a truly insightful, important defense of morality and the vows of marriage. He speaks to his son about fidelity, advising him of the importance of being faithful to his future wife well before marriage. It's a moral lesson few would subscribe to today, but I found great words of wisdom in this heartfelt father-son exchange.

Andy Hardy hits a very low point during his time in New York, finding himself virtually penniless, but this pales in comparison to the feelings that grip him when a very real tragedy of the worst sort invades his little world. Betsy is there for Andy when and if he needs her, yet he still thinks of her as something of a child and is too proud to accept her help in most things. In the end, Andy's life-changing experience in the real world exerts a profound change upon him; he still retains some of that classic Andy Hardy spunk and free spirited nature, but he has in some very real ways become a man by the time this movie ends. There is a lesson for the youth of today in this movie, as its theme and message are universal in nature.

While Judy Garland sang several memorable songs in her first two Andy Hardy films, you will find no Garland musical numbers in Life Begins For Andy Hardy. She actually did record four numbers for this film, including a wonderful version of Easy to Love, but none of these songs made it into the final cut. Perhaps that was for the best, though, because her beautiful singing might well have taken something away from the overall darkness of a very serious film. Growing up is not an easy thing to do, as Andy Hardy finds out for himself. Thus, while this is among the less enjoyable of the Andy Hardy movies, it easily stands as one of the most important and valuable of them all.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Today I am a man.", April 27, 2004

By 

"ehsmith4" (Sheffield, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Andy Hardy Collection - Life Begins for Andy Hardy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) has just graduated from Carvel High School and begins to ponder his future after his sweetheart Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) leaves for the summer. His father, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone), would like to see Andy follow in his footsteps by attending Wainwright College & law school, but Andy himself isn't so sure.

Meanwhile, Andy's friend & not-so-secret admirer Betsy Booth (Judy Garland) comes from New York City to pay a visit. Andy decides to return with Betsy to her hometown & spend a month away from his family to see if he can succeed in the Big Apple.
Andy has visions of living the high life, but a strong, sharp dose of reality awaits him. Andy eventually finds himself down to his last quarter, too proud even to accept Betsy Booth's help, and becomes the target of Jennitt Hicks (Patricia Dane), an "older woman" switchboard operator with a rather odious track record re relationships with men.

This eleventh Hardy series entry, as judged by my previous description, is so very different from the other films in the series as it takes on a darker, downbeat, and sometimes cynical air more in line with serious drama than sentimental comedy. Judy Garland made her third & final series appearance in this film, and Betsy Booth's maturity, sophistication & worldly-wise qualities contrast sharply with Judy's first appearance in "Love Finds Andy Hardy". Patricia Dane is also superb as the icy, calculating "wolfess" who tries to make Andy another of her conquests.

The very adult subject matter, quite straightforward for its time, earned "Life Begins for Andy Hardy" an "unobjectionble for adults" rating from the Legion for Decency of the Catholic Church, meaning that the film was unsuitable for children. Such a rating would be laughable by today's standards as the issues raised still ring true in many respects over 60 years later.

Yes, Andy Hardy definitely becomes a man after his time in New York City in more ways than one.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Andy Hardy entry, August 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Andy Hardy Collection - Life Begins for Andy Hardy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

These charming old Mickey Rooney movies will delight anyone who hasn't been jaded by todays largely immoral standards. It must be understood that this film was created in the early 1940's, a time when WWII was raging, and this country was FAR less sarcastic and more humbled than many people can understand today. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland shine in this as they did many times during the decade. Next time you're enduring a rainy Saturday afternoon, rent this one and just sit back...