JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1938), directed by George B. Seitz, marks the third installment to what was to become relatively known as "The Andy Hardy series." Getting better by this time and a little longer than the previous two entries consisting of A FAMILY AFFAIR (1937) and YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE (1937), the series still places Lewis Stone's name heading the cast over the scene stealing Mickey Rooney, whose career by this time was reaching its peek with character gathering most of the attention.
The movie opens during the opening credits with a family portrait of the Hardy family, starting from left with Andy (the son); Judge Hardy (father); Emily Hardy (mother); and Marian Hardy (daughter) with "Another story of Judge Hardy's Family" printed above. The photoplay begins in the courtroom with Judge James K. Hardy (Lewis Stone) reading a petition headlined with, "Students of Carvel Arise! Unite! We Refuse to Recite." The students in the courtroom explain their reaction against Superintendent Warwick, but the judge punishes them with a 20,000-word essay to write on the American system of free education. He tells the boys that if his son were the offender, the punishment would be ten times worse. Unknown to the judge, his son, Andrew (Mickey Rooney), is involved in the petition, but it would be a while before Judge Hardy learns of it. Later, the Hardy's go to Washington, D. C., where the judge serves as the chairman of a special Federal Commission investigating the power industry. After the industry's affairs have been resolved, the judge has to solve the problem his daughter, Marian's (Cecilia Parker) after getting herself mixed-up with a couple of lobbyists, Margaret (Ruth Hussey) and John Lee (Jonathan Hale) who get into her confidence and attempt on blackmailing the judge by confronting him with some incriminating statements given to them unwittingly by Marian. As for the teen-age Andy, who has become romantically involved with a French girl named Suzanne Cortot (Jacqueline Laurent), at least for a while anyway, he assists his father with a bright idea to "fight fire with fire" against those blackmailers wanting to get him to resign from the bench or else ruin his reputation.
While Fay Holden resumes her motherly role as Mrs. Hardy, and Ann Rutherford playing Polly Benedict, Andy's girl back home, Sara Haden, the original Aunt Milly Forrest, is replaced (for two installments) by Betsy Ross Clark. Erville Alderson is back for the third time as Dave, the courtroom bailiff, while others in the cast include Ruth Hussey (Margaret Lee); Jonathan Hale (John Lee); Janet Beecher (Miss Budge); Don Douglas (J>J> Harper); and Leonard Penn (Steve Prentiss). Robert Whitney substitutes for Eric Linden (from A FAMILY AFFAIR) as Marion's romantic interest, Wayne Trenton, whose character would soon be written out following this third theatrical installment.
A not-bad family-oriented production that includes one fine moment where father and son learn America's history by going through the Washington, D. C. landmarks, and Andy having his man-to-man talk with his father confessing he being part of the passing the petition with the other boys back home. Though not up to the standards of the episodes that were to follow, JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN offers family values and tradition in the MGM style from the days gone by.
Never distributed to video cassette, JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN often plays on cable television's Turner Classic Movies. Next installment, LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY (1938), hailed by many the very best and known of all the "Andy Hardy" editions, possibly due to more Andy Hardy's antics, and the supporting cast of young starlets on the rise, Judy Garland and Lana Turner. (***)
