Product Details

• Actors: Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden, Judy Garland
• Directors: George B. Seitz
• Writers: Annalee Whitmore, Aurania Rouverol, Carey Wilson, Tom Seller
• Producers: J.J. Cohn
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: April 1, 1992
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301964071
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,178 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Andy Hardy series, thanks to Judy Garland, November 1, 2003

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Andy Hardy Meets Debutante [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The beginning was when debutantes started to wear strapless evening gowns, or so Andy Hardy says as he begins to tell the story of his most recent troubles to his father. Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, the ninth film in the immensely popular Andy Hardy series, is easily my favorite of them all. Comical yet touching, entertaining yet sometimes almost uncomfortably serious, this 1940 classic has the power to make you laugh as well as cry. Judy Garland, a year after attaining superstardom in The Wizard of Oz, makes her second of three appearances in the series, and she was never more beautiful and charming as she was here. While Betsy Booth may fret about her lack of glamour, the teenaged Judy Garland was to my eyes the most beautiful young lady in Hollywood.

As usual, Andy Hardy's troubles are of his own making. After his regular girl Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) tells Andy she thinks they should start seeing other people, he constructs an emotional wall founded on a lie. He tells Polly and his friend Beezy that Miss Daphne Fowler, New York's top debutante, is mad about him; the only problem is that he has no way of getting to New York to be with her. As luck would have it (Andy's luck, anyway), his father Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) soon announces that the whole family is going to New York in order for him to help settle a dispute threatening to shut down Carvel's home for orphans. Andy's supposed love affair with Miss Fowler is set for publication in the school's paper, and if Andy doesn't return with a picture of Daphne and himself to corroborate his claims, he will be ruined socially.

The Hardys are met in New York by Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), whose crush on Andy has not faded one bit since her last visit to Carvel. As always, Betsy gives Andy all the help she can, despite his refusal to tell her what it is all about. The small town boy in New York City makes some of his biggest and most embarrassing blunders yet, leaving him so distraught that he even offends his magnanimous father by asking why he couldn't be rich and socially placed instead of just a small town judge. Even a lesson in the history and spirit of America leaves Andy unmoved and his father visibly disappointed in him, although it offers a terrific and inspirational message on the equality of man. Judge Hardy has troubles of his own, though. Expecting an easy victory over a big New York law firm in the case of the orphanage, he finds himself feeling out-classed for a time and must struggle mightily to figure out a way to save the orphanage.

Betsy Booth is any young man's dream come true, although Andy Hardy has trouble noticing this obvious fact. Judy Garland contributes two wonderful songs to her entrancing performance, one of which, in the words of her character, will either bring Andy around or prove that he is made of concrete. Her dramatically expressive singing of the song Alone fails to penetrate the blinders on Andy's eyes, but her spirited singing of I'm Nobody's Baby later on finally manages to touch the heart of the boy she adores. This leads to a somewhat melancholy, incredibly tender, deeply touching scene between Betsy and Andy toward the end of the picture.

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante is one of the early Judy Garland movies than any Garland fan simply must have in his/her movie collection. Judy is stunningly beautiful and charmingly vivacious, and her two very different but equally powerful songs stand among the best of her early career. Her acting skills are almost as impressive as her singing, and it really pains me to see the very visible tears in her eyes whenever Andy fails to notice, let alone, reciprocate her love for him. The final scene between the two is a quiet and almost heartbreakingly emotional tour de force that will touch the heart of anyone who has ever loved someone. I simply adore this movie.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Judy and Mickey at top form, January 4, 2001

By 

Mark Twain "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" (zoon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Andy Hardy Meets Debutante [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is my favorite of the Andy Hardy series. Judy Garland plays Betsy Booth, the plain-Jane foil to Andy's more glamourous girl interests. Betsy, good natured friend, secretly pines for Andy while helping him connect with another girl, a NY debutante. Judy was never better, offering renditions of "Alone" a comic ballad you may recognize from "A Night at the Opera", and "Nobody's Baby" a swing number that she belts out with characteristic verve. All of Rooney's mugging can't take away from the pair's undeniable appeal, and there is something so sweet in young Judy's eager smile and wide eyes. Sit back and enjoy what our parents flocked to see when they were teens. It was a different world, and this affords you a glimpse back.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Quality Film, May 17, 2006

By 

Samantha Glasser "Maliejandra" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Andy Hardy Meets Debutante [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante is a sweet film in the Andy Hardy series. It begins with Andy (Mickey Rooney) who has fallen in love with the number one debutante of New York. He reveals his crush to some friends who tease him endlessly to the point that he brags that the two are romantically involved. When he finds his family is set to go to New York, his blood runs cold in fear. After fighting to stay home, he finds his friend Betsy (Judy Garland) waiting with love in her eyes. He looks right past it though, and utilizes her eager helpfulness to scheme his way to his society girl.

The best part of this film is the acting. Both Rooney and Garland are spectacular. Rooney is an amazing actor; the camera could stay on his face the entire time and it would still be entertaining. He acts while he is not speaking which makes for a much better film than had he not done so. Garland is gorgeous here though she was still very young. She is sweet and lovable, hopelessly in love with an unsuspecting Andy who she does everything for. Her voice is wonderful too; she sings two beautiful songs: "Alone" and "I'm Nobody's Baby."

The film might be a trifle preachy with its speeches about the opportunities in America and the importance of morality, but it has quality. It can be watched by any age and still be related to and entertaining. They don't make 'em like this anymore.