Customer Reviews

Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Spring is in the air all around the town of Carvel, but for Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) it might as well still be winter as he and his steady Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) have had a falling out. Enter Rose Meredith (Helen Gilbert), a substitute drama instructor fresh out of the university whom Andy falls head over heels for from the get-go. Ms. Meredith invites the students to write their own play for the annual spring production at Carvel High. Andy seizes opportunity and composes his own version of "Romeo and Juliet" involving two star-crossed lovers - a U.S. Navy admiral and a young Tahitian woman - that is eventually chosen to be performed.

Meanwhile, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) takes up the offer of two land speculators who claim that a piece of property he owns is valuable for mining. Marian Hardy (Cecilia Parker) becomes a stenographer for the two men only to find out that the land deal with her father is a scam.

This clever entry (number seven) in the Hardy series was not directed by George Seitz as most of them were but rather by W.S. Van Dyke who was famous for such films as "San Francisco" and "Marie Antoinette". As a result, the finished film seems to have a smoother, more polished feel to it. Even though Helen Gilbert never achieved major stardom during her career, I find her performance in this, her first feature film, quite endearing and especially appreciate her poise and excellent diction. Ms. Gilbert is rather unusual in Hollywood history in that she was originally a cellist in the MGM studio orchestra. There is also a humorous appearance by Terry Kilburn (Tiny Tim in 1938's "A Christmas Carol") as a friend of Andy's nicknamed "Stickin' Plaster" who gets into some interesting scrapes as a stagehand for Andy's play.

All in all, "Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever" is better than I originally expected.

I'm going to go a step above previous reviewers of this movie and give it a higher mark. Why? I feel that movies must be judged as a product of their time and intended audience. If a resident of the 21st century doesn't like the old classic B&W movies, then this movie will bore them to tears. If you are like me and appreciate the lost art of this type of film, you just relax and enjoy it.

Here Andy has a typical Andy Hardy adventure. Its a rare Andy Hardy story where Andy doesn't get in over his head in some enterprise, and here it is developing a crush on his young High School drama teacher. Andy writes a trite but interesting play for the drama class to perform, and wins the leading role. In the last scene of the play, Andy, experiencing a truly heartfelt emotion, gives a strong performance. It is not only a step up in the performance of Andy the character, but Mickie Rooney the actor as well.

In a sub-plot, Judge Hardy and a group of local businessmen are scammed by some hit and run confidence men. In true 30s and Hardy family style, this situation in the end worked out happily for all concerned.

One of the final scenes, where the teacher has to let Andy down gently, is touching, funny, and brilliantly written. It is a substantial payoff for the time invested in the rest of the film.

The Andy Hardy series was never meant to be either high drama or high comedy. They were somewhat like an early movie era version of a latter day sitcom. They were popular, so MGM pushed them out just as quickly as they could. The movies were slice of life stories with amusing situations and twists, and life lessons typical of 30s family movies. The loving guidance and gentle wisdom of Judge Hardy would make anyone welcome his like as a real father.

I would have to say that out of all the Andy Hardy movies I have seen this is the least entertaining. It doesn't have as good of a story line as the other ones. Basically what happens is Andy doesn't care much for his drama class...that is until he falls for the new substitute drama teacher. He improves rapidly in his class and even writes and stars in a play called "Adrift in Tahiti." Everyone notices the obvious difference in his age and the teachers age, well, except Andy. And he becomes heartbroken when he finds out of her engagement to another man.

Like all Andy Hardy movies, this movie does have a few comical situations, but it is not near as good as the other ones.

Classic yarn of high school boy falls for teacher. I have seen all the Andy Hardy movies and this one ranks as the lowest in the series. If you are a fan of the series you can tolerate it just to see Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone in action, otherwise look elsewhere.

This is one of the weaker installments of the Andy Hardy series about the Hardy family. It begins with Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) being told he owns some land that is worth a substantial amount of money. He goes into partnership with the men and hires his daughter (Cecilia Parker) as their secretary. Andy (Mickey Rooney), meanwhile, falls in love with his new drama teacher (Helen Gilbert). To impress her, he writes the school play, an island version of Romeo and Juliet. He begins to believe that the teacher likes him to and plans to marry her, but he is in for a world of heartbreak.

Normally, Rooney is animated and a joy to watch, but he seems less enthusiastic here and more juvenile. Perhaps the story is a bit dated by today's standards; no self-respecting 17 year old would behave so immaturely around a teacher.