Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944) User Reviews

Great Addition to Series

[Maleejandra · 8/10 · 18 August 2006]

Andy Hardy is at it again, and this film takes up right where the last one left off. Andy (Mickey Rooney) is on board a train heading toward Wainwright College, the place where his father (Lewis Stone) made a name for himself years before. Andy has sworn off girls to focus on his studies, that is until he learns that the school has gone co-ed. First he meets Kay (Bonita Granville), a beautiful girl whose maturity causes problems for Andy. Also, he meets a blonde who seems to hate him one moment and love him the next. This girl turns out to be two girls (Lee and Lyn Wilde), twins masquerading as one person. Besides problems with girls, Andy faces issues with an older man (Herbert Marshall) who is not who he seems to be. At home, Judge Hardy battles sickness and a new doctor (Keye Luke) while Mother Hardy (Fay Holden) misses her son.

This is a truly enjoyable film; nothing special happens, but it retains the upbeat attitude of the other films in the series. The cast is wonderful, though Rooney's personality seems to have waned a bit to show off the talents of the women in the cast, especially the twins. They're beautiful and funny, adding a welcome new dimension to the movie.

One strange part of the movie are the scenes with the doctor. He is a Chinese man, and everyone in the cast seems to think this is strange and frightening. However, Luke's character takes their stares well and proves himself to be an intelligent and clever member of the cast.

Judge Hardy's College Boy

[lugonian · 7/10 · 7 April 2019]

ANDY HARDY'S BLONDE TROUBLE (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1944), directed by George B. Seitz, marks the 14th installment to the popular "Judge Hardy's Family/Andy Hardy" comedy series that all began as A FAMILY AFFAIR in 1937. Having graduated from Carvel High School with his classmates back in 1941, three years have lapsed since graduation day from ANDY HARDY'S PRIVATE SECRETARY (1941), followed by a few installments before Andy finally heads out for college by the end of ANDY HARDY'S DOUBLE LIFE (1942). Rather than titling this as ANDY HARDY GOES TO COLLEGE, it becomes ANDY HARDY'S BLONDE TROUBLE, meaning the usual antics involving Andy and more girl trouble along the way to college.

Starting off where the previous film, ANDY HARDY'S DOUBLE LIFE (1942) left off (over a year since its last release), Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) leaves parents, Judge James K. Hardy (Lewis Stone) and Emily (Fay Holden), his Aunt Milly (Sara Haden) and his hometown of Carvel on a train bound for Wainwright College, now a co-ed university. (The train sequence which follows lasts nearly 40 minutes). While on board, Andy meets Kay Wilson (Bonita Granville), a girl raised by her guardian; Doctor M.J. Standish (Herbert Marshall), a middle-aged gentleman who not only winds up being a former student at Wainwright College, and his father's old classmate, but to be his college dean; and blonde sisters, the flirtatious Lee (Lee Wilde) and serious-minded Lynn Walker (Lynn Wilde). It so happens that the Walker girls are identical twins traveling separately so not to give away their secret that their father, believing Lee is heading for Vermont, that his daughters should be spending more time apart than always together. Yet complications ensue as the confused Andy believes one of the girls to be an individual and not a twin, especially after having loaned one of them money needed for his college expenses. While back in Carvel, Judge Hardy is treated for his tonsilectomy by by Lee Wong How (Keye Luke), a Japanese doctor from Brooklyn (New York). After his recovery, Judge Hardy visits Wainwright College to see how his son is doing, with some surprises ahead.

Other members in the cast are: Jean Porter (Kathy, Beezy Anderson's sister, who dumps her $8 car in the custody of Judge Hardy); Marta Linden (Mrs. Townsend); Connie Gilchrist (Mrs. Gordon); Tommy Dix (Mark); Jackie Moran (Spud); Irving Bacon, Eddie Acuff and Frank Sully (The Taxi Drivers). Series regulars as Marion Hardy (Cecilia Parker); Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) and Beezy Anderson (Georgie Breakstone) do not appear. With this strictly Andy Hardy material, Lewis Stone still resumes his star-billing over Mickey Rooney's name in the casting credits. A classic Cole Porter tune, "Easy to Love" is vocalized by The Wilde Twins.

Aside from being the longest (107 minutes) of the entire 16-film series, ANDY HARDY'S BLONDE TROUBLE simply takes time resolving situations involved. The big surprise comes by the appearance of British-American actor, Herbert Marshall, known for his many movie roles dating back to 1930, in notable support, along with Keye Luke (of the "Charlie Chan" series) carrying on his role of Doctor Lee Wong How from the "Doctor Kildare" movie series starring Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore. While its extreme length might cause the movie to drag in spots, at least the cast members and Andy Hardy's blonde trouble simply add to its enjoyment.

Never distributed on video cassette but available on DVD, ANDY HARDY'S BLONDE TROUBLE can be found broadcast on cable television's Turner Classic Movies. Next installment: LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY (1946) reuniting Mickey with Bonita Granville and their further adventures at Wainwright College. (***)

That Hardy Boy Meets Nancy Drew

[FlushingCaps · 6/10 · 25 October 2021]

After two movies that covered a busy summer for Andy between high school graduation and going off to college, he finally does go in this, the 14th of the 16 movies made in the series-counting the 1958 finale, made 12 years after the 15th movie that really should count as the last in the series, made from 1937-46.

Either way it's a mix of the usual comic antics of Mickey Rooney and drama about the troubles of beginning college.

I call this one "That Hardy Boy Meets Nancy Drew" because the phrase "that Hardy Boy" was used in this film and the female co-star was Bonita Granville, who starred in four reasonably-entertaining comedy-dramas in the 1930s as that famous teen detective Nancy Drew. The only connection between the other famous detectives written by the same syndicate that wrote the Nancy Drew series and this film is the shared last name of "Hardy."

And one of the other key players in this film is the most-famous son of movieland's famous detective of this whole Andy Hardy era-Key Luke, who played a doctor from Brooklyn here, after years of playing Charlie Chan's Number One son Lee. Maybe they should have made this some sort of detective story?

The previous film-released two years earlier, Andy Hardy's Double Life, ended with him boarding the train for Wainwright College. Almost as soon as he gets on board, he spots a pretty female and learns from her that his new home is accepting coeds for the first time this fall, and she is one of them.

They re-filmed that scene here. Andy is wearing a totally different tie-a wild pattern contrasted with the simple stripes in the earlier film, and while he was sitting right behind a woman before, he is now sitting right behind a man when he approaches the coed. Oh, and the girl he meets, Granville here, has a totally different hair style than the other actress, Susan Peters, who played the unnamed woman in the earlier film.

Now the producers likely didn't care about the obvious differences, and with a two-year gap in viewing, they would have figured nobody will notice. I had a gap of one day, so I noticed a few things.

Viewers learned that the young blonde Andy keeps flirting with on the train-not Granville-is not one young woman, but twins. Andy keeps seeing one smiling at him, then when he tries to be fresh, he is doing so with the other, less friendly, twin. I think it would have been more interesting if we viewers were kept in the dark about there being two identical young women on the train for a while.

Granville's character is named Kay, and she is all about being a top notch student, while Andy...well, at one point I asked aloud, "Is he ever going to do anything concerning his education or is he only going to college to see how many girlfriends he can accumulate?" Kay and Andy meet a Dr. Standish, who takes an interest in both of them. It turns out there's a very good reason for this. The twins, Lee and Lyn, are the same age, but they have their own troubles and Andy comes to the rescue, first with money, then he really gets involved in helping them work out their problems with their father.

Andy was told about various hazings the boys would treat him to, but this never materialized, nor did several of the other things he was warned about. Early on, he looked like he was going to be in real trouble because Dad forgot to give him his train ticket. But it was easily resolved and we wondered why they bothered clogging down the script with that plot point. He was shown attending class one time, but the going to college bit was not the focus here.

We are treated to a few scenes of his family back home-really just his parents, no sister. And the judge does come for a visit at just the right time, helping his "number one" son just when he needs it most.

The details aren't important. It was moderately funny, definitely interesting, more light-hearted than some of these films. I would describe this series as comfortable movies to view on a rainy day-or a day when you are home sick with a bad cold. My mom loved to watch them on Sunday mornings when a local channel aired them often-along with Shirley Temple films and others-while preparing Sunday dinner. She felt you could enjoy them without having to be watching every second of the movie. I agree.

This one gets a 6 from me.

Lesser Entry in the Series

[Michael_Elliott · 1 July 2010]

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)

** (out of 4)

Overlong, boring and overall disappointing fourteenth entry in the series finds Andy (Mickey Rooney) going to college at Wainright. On the train ride there he meets a woman (Bonita Granville) who is more mature than him and feels that Andy needs to grow up. Also on the train are a couple twins (Lee and Lyn Wilde) who Andy ends up helping. Back in Carver, the rest of the Hardy clan must try and come to terms with Andy being gone. At 107-minutes, this entry runs a good thirty-minutes too long but I'm going to guess part of the blame is on the pre-production. Originally this was meant to be a Rooney-less entry as the star was fighting in WWII so the studio did a screenplay without him. I'm going to guess that the stuff here dealing with the Hardy family on their own was from it and the stuff with Andy was added after he returned. The first thirty-minutes here were actually pretty good as Rooney and Granville had some nice chemistry and their relationship was an interesting one. I thought we also got some funny moments with the twins and a running joke of one constantly flirting with Andy while the other slaps him around; poor Andy not realizing they are twins. We even have another interesting subplot involving an older doctor (Herbert Marshall) and his questionable dealings with Granville. What doesn't work is when they finally arrive at college and things just get stretched out. The screenplay goes in so many directions that it's just downright silly, naive and in the end very boring. Things back in Carver aren't any better as the running joke comes from a Chinese doctor (Keye Luke) filling in for a sick doctor and everyone being shocked that he is a doctor due to his race. We see Judge (Lewis Stone) deal with a sore throat as well as a few more stories involving the broken down car that Andy started selling in the previous film, ANDY HARDY'S DOUBLE LIFE. It goes without saying that the entire cast is good and once again it was a real pleasure seeing Granville, best remembered for her Nancy Drew roles at Warner. The cast is certainly up to a high level but it's a shame the screenplay didn't try to do more.

Not among the better episodes.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 9 July 2018]

"Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble" begins with Andy on a train bound for Wainwright College, as he just graduated high school in the previous film. The filmmakers made a poor choice here, as way too much of the story takes place aboard the train....making for a rather slow portion of the film. The bottom line is that he meets a lovely girl (Bonita Granville) and her guardian (Herbert Marshall) and strikes up a friendship....and not knowing that the guardian already knows Andy...or at least knows of him. Additionally, he meets two lovely blondes...not realizing they are identical twins and thinking they are one very odd girl. There's more to it than this but overall the story, while enjoyable, drags and certainly could have been better. Worth seeing if you love the series but not exactly a high point in the series.

By the way, if you do watch it note the character Dr. Lee (Keye Luke)...he plays the same exact character in another long-running MGM series...the Dr. Kildare/Dr. Gillespie films.

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble was another one in the series I liked

[tavm · 7/10 · 13 February 2015]

This was on the same disc as Andy Hardy's Double Life and took off from the end of that one in which Mickey Rooney's character was on the train to go to his father's alma mater of Wainwright College and talking to a woman also on the way there-the formerly all-male institution was now co-ed! That woman was played by Susan Peters but here, it's now Bonita Granville. Also on the way is a blond woman who seems to go hot-and-cold when encountering Andrew but it's actually twins (Lyn and Lee Wilde) passing as one. Meanwhile, at home his father the judge (Lewis Stone) is sick and gets cared for by a new doctor played by Keye Luke who initially gets looks because of his race. Anyway, this was my third viewing of an Andy Hardy picture. Like the other two, I liked Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble. P.S. Since I always like to cite when a player from my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful Life-is in something else, here it's Frank Faylen-Ernie the taxi driver in that-as Taxi Driver # 2 (Was that typecasting on Frank Capra's part when he did that for him in IAWL?).

"I've been kissed before and I expect to be kissed again."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 16 August 2014]

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) starts Wainwright College, his father's alma mater. He gets into trouble with a couple of mischievous blonde twins and clashes with the dean (Herbert Marshall) over a pretty coed (Bonita Granville) both are attracted to.

Fourteenth entry in the Andy Hardy series. The last film from director George B. Seitz, who died a couple of months after this was released. Seitz had directed most of the Andy Hardy films up to this point. The Hardy series always had cute girls and this one is no exception. Bonita Granville is pretty and likable. Twins Lee and Lyn Wilde are absolutely adorable and very much steal the movie. Also features a crossover with the Dr. Gillespie series via the appearance of Keye Luke's Dr. Lee Wong Howe. The Hardy series and the Kildare/Gillespie series were MGM's best from the late '30s to the mid '40s so it's a nice bonus for fans of both.

One of the lesser Andy Hardy movies. It goes on too long and is in desperate need of some trimming. The movie spends about twenty more minutes on the train to the school than it needed to, plus too much time spent on new characters and too little time spent on the Hardy family back home. Anyway, it's still enjoyable, innocent fun. If you're a fan you're likely to be pleased. But this isn't a good jumping-on point for new viewers.

Andy Hardy is his father's son.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 28 July 2006]

Girls...trouble...Andy Hardy...duh! After a man-to-man talk, Judge Hardy(Lewis Stone) sends young Andrew off to the Judge's alma mater, Wainwright College. Andy wants to stand on his own two feet, but its a little hard to get started. On the train he meets and is infatuated with a pretty young woman, Kay Wilson(Bonita Granville)and his soon to be college adviser Dr. Standish(Herbert Marshall). Trouble begins when Andy finds that his father still has his train ticket; and it multiplies when he meets a young blonde that is also on her way to Wainwright. Hardy is confused with the blonde's hot and cold attitudes not knowing he's dealing with not one, but two blondes(Lyn and Lee Walker). Soon the new freshman realizes it is twins that collectively owe him $37.95. Another situation bothering Andy Hardy is the suspicion that there is a romantic situation with Kay and Dr. Standish. All is well that ends well; the twins arrive at the Hardy home to tell Andrew that their problems have been solved thanks to him...now Mrs. Hardy(Fay Holden) has a problem as she stares at not one but two plucked turkeys for Thanksgiving dinner.

Love this one, mature and heartwarming

[HotToastyRag · 9/10 · 6 December 2019]

Andy Hardy is going to college! If you've never seen any of the Andy Hardy movies, this isn't a good one to start with, for the sole reason that it's a bit different from the other movies. Usually, Mickey Rooney is a goofy teenager, his older sister Cecilia Parker gets into boy trouble, his mother Fay Holden is ditzy and harmless, and his father Lewis Stone fixes everyone's problems. You've got to watch a few movies to get used to the family before checking this one out, and when you do, you'll be in for a wonderful, heartwarming treat. This installment ends at Thanksgiving, so feel free to check this out with your family at the start of the holiday season.

This is a fantastic addition to the Andy Hardy collection. Mickey is more mature as he leaves for college for the first time. If you're sick of seeing him as an open-mouthed lunatic, you'll love seeing the new side of him. Yes, he has to juggle a set of beautiful twins who make him jump through a couple of hoops, but he grows up immensely. The beautiful twins are Lyn and Lee Wilde, and the fact that Mickey is more interested in the mature Bonita Granville shows his own maturity. Bonita is perfectly cast, a former child star herself who shows the audience a new, calm version as well. She's extremely mature and classy without being snobby, and Mickey is given a great role model of how he should behave during college. Can you imagine how silly he could have become with hazing and fraternity games? Instead, he's introduced to Bonita on the train before school starts and we get to see the positive results.

Also on the train is Herbert Marshall, this volume's guest star. He has a bit of a mysterious persona, so rather than ruin his purpose in the movie, I'll simply give this recommendation: If you liked him in Girls' Dormitory, you'll like him in this.

Don't be surprised if you tear up during the classic man-to-man talks; since they're separated across the miles, Lewis Stone and Mickey Rooney give voice overs to their thoughts, imagining what the other would say. This is a great movie showing how a young person goes to college to prove him or herself independent, but then wishes Mom and Dad were there to help. It's scary going out on your own, and in some ways, this doesn't really feel like an Andy Hardy movie at all. It's very solemn, ending in a somewhat cliffhanger, and picking right up the next movie where it left off. WWII interrupted the series a bit, and it's sobering to know that Mickey joined the army and fought for his country after this movie.

Andy Goes To College

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 17 May 2018]

This installment of the Andy Hardy series of films picks up where the last one left off. Andy is off to Wainwright College. On the train ride there, he meets another frosh-a female (Bonita Granville as Kay Wilson)-who tells him Wainwright is now coed (how convenient for young Hardy!). He also meets a flirty blonde whose erratic behavior is very confusing.

When Andy arrives at Wainwright, he deals with the usual frosh concerns, like uncertainty , then settles into his usual problems-girls and money. Kay is a challenge for small-town Andy; she seems to like older men. The problematic blonde (L. Wilde as L. Walker) brings out the chivalry in Andy.

The theme of this film is maturity. The rather subdued action fits the theme, with Andy becoming circumspect, learning to consider the perspectives of others.

Herbert Marshall acts with restraint as a man who may play a significant part in Andy's education.

Andy Hardy's Movie Trouble

[wes-connors · 3/10 · 26 April 2015]

After several movies teasing his admittance, Andy (Mickey Rooney) is finally going to Wainright College. MGM seemed very reluctant to have Andy in the college setting, which was promised several films ago. Here, Andy spends much of his time on the train to college; he had been on the train since December, 1942. All aboard, we meet the Wainright players. The most significant is attractive co-ed Bonita Granville (as Kay Wilson), who will become the girl for Andy. However, she also appears interested in other passenger, much older Wainright dean Herbert Marshall (as Standish). Also on the seemingly endless train ride are beautiful blonde twins Lee and Lyn Wilde (as Lee and Lyn Walker)...

Meanwhile, back in Carvel, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) develops tonsillitis...

One of the problems with this movie series was length. These films had little business going over 90 minutes. Many of the weaker entries were over 100 minutes, when MGM should have been aiming for 70 minutes. Not only that, Andy's college life turns out to be a complete bore. "Blonde Trouble" is the a most disappointing episode. As seen previously, Mr. Rooney's lip ailment (possibly a "cold sore") returns for several scenes. He is able to tighten his lip to hide the blister, at times. Make-up, camera angles and re-takes could have solved the problem; obviously, Rooney's star power had diminished. The minor Carvel story involving Mr. Stone and Chinese doctor Keye Luke (as Lee Wong Howe) is commendable.

*** Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (5/4/44) George B Seitz ~ Mickey Rooney, Bonita Granville, Herbert Marshall, Lewis Stone

Reasonably amusing comedy about a naive college boy

[istara · 8/10 · 8 June 2017]

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble is a surprisingly long film starring Mickey Rooney as a kid going to college. The woman he likes (Bonita Granville) prefers Herbert Marshall, the college dean, to Mickey Rooney. And no wonder - Rooney is 24 in this film but looks and sounds about 14, and Granville is 21 and is styled to look like she's in her mid 30s. In the first scene I thought the "twist" was going to be that she was a professor rather than a student.

As a result, visually, a Marshall-Granville romance is significantly more credible than a Rooney-Granville one, even though Marshall was 54. (The fact that he's the college dean and she is a freshman student never appears to be the slightest issue. Nor the fact that he's sleeping on the berth above her during the longest train journey since the Orient Express got stuck in the snow with a corpse).

Had they axed the rather contrived side plot about two identical blonde twins rinsing Rooney for cash, they could have made a shorter and tighter movie. Plus all the family scenes with Rooney's father could easily have been swept away on the cutting room floor. But this film is part of a series of Hardy family films, which I suppose is why they're in there.

There is one very touching scene with a Brooklyn-born Chinese American doctor, in dialogue very compelling for the 1940s (and even so today) he introduces himself with: "Oh I see you're wondering about my nationality. I'm Chinese, and I have a charming disposition, until someone pulls that old crack about 'Confucius say'. At which I go completely berserk and bite little children. Now let's have a look at that throat." Plus ça change, eight decades later.

I would recommend this film as a curiosity, and to fans of any specific actors in it. The twins can apparently sing, so it's rather a shame we don't get more of that.

fun with twins

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 10 January 2024]

Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) is starting Wainwright College, his father's alma mater. On the train there, he is surprised to find that Kay Wilson (Bonita Granville) is also going to Wainwright. It's the first year for the school to go co-ed. They are joined by Dr. M. J. Standish (Herbert Marshall). Blonde twins, Lee Walker (Lee Wilde) and Lyn Walker (Lyn Wilde), pull a trick to stay together, but they need to keep it a secret. Lee keeps making eyes at Andy, but Lyn wants to slap him in the face.

Andy does careen from annoying to endearing. A large part of that is his cluelessness. I do wish that he concentrates on one girl at a time, but he wouldn't be Andy Hardy if he did that. He just can't help himself. That is both annoying and endearing. I really wish that this doesn't suggest a relationship between Kay and Dr. Standish. It's a different time. Today, it doesn't come off as comedic. I'm not marking down on either issue. The home front is less compelling although the Chinese doctor is an interesting insight into the era. The twins are fun and they get into some comedic mayhem. Kay is almost unnecessary especially since her and Standish have become so dated. This is Andy being Andy although it does end on a character growth note.

Andy's been on that train to college for a year and a half.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 29 January 2021]

And Susan Peters, seen in the last moments of "Andy Hardy's Double Trouble", has become Bonita Granville.

We only find out that the action has really not changed time because Andy is hearing in his head his father's last speech to him, one not in the previous film. Also, Judge Hardy has forgotten to give Andy his ticket which leaves Andy strapped. So with over 20 minutes of train time, it gives the opportunity to set up a big plot involving Granville, urbane doctor Herbert Marshall who turns out to be the dean. Judge Hardy, having decided not to accompany Andy to school at his request, does visit, so it's a limited appearance for Stone, Fay Holden and Sara Haden. Cecilia Parker is still in the opening credits in that scary serious family portrait but is absent and not mentioned, as is Polly, Andy's ex.

Then there's the Wilde twins who seem to get their jollies fooling people by pretending to be one. At one moment, one of them is flirting with Andy and when he responds to the other one later, they slap him across the face. It's obvious that the double trouble is really here which makes you wonder if the double trouble title of the previous entry gave the writer the idea for this one. Unfortunately, the twins are complete opportunists which removes any interest in their story. Then there's two male students on the train giving him a hard time being a freshman with money, setting Andy to become paranoid about hazing.

A crossover with the Dr. Kildare Series has Keye Luke playing the same character from that film here, as feisty as ever and determined to knock any type of stereotype out of the town of Carvel resident's minds. But good old Judge Hardy proves how liberal he is just so his heroic reputation won't be besmirched as a racist. Granville seems too mature to be a college freshman and Mickey overdoes the nervousness as he adjusts to college life. This is more dramatic than comic, and the attempts at comedy with the Wilde twin gag is not a pleasant one. It's obvious that this was trying to be somewhat topical but fails miserably.

A GREAT addition...Mr. Ruskin has lots to philosophy about in this movie

[kenn_honeyman · 10/10 · 23 November 2007]

I have one caveat going into this comment: I am not a big fan of this series.... HOWEVER, this particular piece hits home to my personal life's experience.

First, I'd like to edify the previous comment;about the Chinese Doctor. You haveta remember that this was made in 1944, and the Japanese in the USA on the West Coast were INTERRED at camps around the US---EVEN the Japanese that were born in America had to give up EVERYTHING, and leave.

Remember, The doctor was born in "That bastion of culture, and learning"....to which, the Judge replies, 'Peking?'.... The Doctor says, "No, .... "Brooklyn"!!!! This upheaval the Japanese-Americans/ Naturalized-Americans/ETC. was HIGHLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL!... BUT, in 1944, there was still a high number of 'flag waving patriots' that still thought this was right...ie:to 'STEM the flow of the 'Japs'! These SAME Americans, today are uttering this kind of comment;sorry for my editorial comment!

There is much sage advice given by the Judge in this flic!!!;even though he is stricken with tonsillitis-and can't talk;there is an hilarious scene where his wife is GLAD he can't speak. I'd especially want to draw you to the later scenes with Ms. Granville, and Mr. Marshall that are DEFINITELY NOT comedic! In fact, some of the teachers down here in Florida need to heed the advice of the learned Judge!

In fact, the scene where he pontificates...hey, pretty big word for moi!... about Student/Teacher 'relations' is a GREAT scene... It takes place at the bus stop when Andy is quitting school, and taking the easy way out of his troubles... He, unwittingly, had come up with a HUGE 'TALL-Tale' to the father of the Walker Twins---who are GORGEOUS!!knock-outs!.

Please watch this movie, and the sequel,"Love Laughs at Andy Hardy" ...again with Ms. Granville-even though made 2 years later, it takes place in the same 'Frosh' year of Andy Hardy. Finaaly, i'd suggest you check out the bio of Ms. Granville she IS the gal in this movie... I believe she is still alive.

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944) **

[JoeKarlosi · 5/10 · 10 June 2010]

Young Andy (Mickey Rooney) spends much screen time on a train ride to Wainright College, the same school his dad once attended. On his journey he befriends a woman (Bonita Granville) who's more mature than he is, and who's also headed to Wainright as a Freshman. At the same time Andy gets constantly confused by a pair of adorable identical twin sisters (Lee and Lyn Wilde), one of whom likes to flirt with him while the other prefers to smack him across his face (providing some of the few fun moments). This installment seems to drag at 107 minutes, and once Mr. Hardy arrives on campus there seems to be far too much of everything going on at once with nothing really coming together. It's disappointing that Andy's dad (Lewis Stone) is not prominently featured this time; he's mostly stuck home with a bad case of tonsillitis, and is administered to by a Chinese doctor who was born and raised in Brooklyn (Keye Luke). These sequences don't seem to belong in this picture, and overall this is not one of the more consistently entertaining offerings I've seen from this series. ** out of ****

Dear old dad's alma mater

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 3 July 2017]

After what seemed an interminable stay at Carvel high school young Andy Hardy is finally packed up and headed for Wainwright College, the alma mater of dear old dad, Lewis Stone. Would you doubt that Andy would go anywhere else?

A few years earlier Bud Abbott and Lou Costello when they were doing In The Navy there was a plot gambit involving Martha Raye as a pair of twins who were confusing both Bud and Lou. Nearly the whole film of Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble has Andy in a similar state of confusion involving fellow freshmen Lee and Lyn Wilde and what they put him through on the train to Wainwright. Them and Herbert Marshall who is the Dean of the college and an old pal of Lewis Stone's.

Andy also meets Bonita Granville about whom he's going to get interested at least until this film of the series is over.

The Hardy family was about running its course and even given his height Mickey was getting a bit old to be playing an eternal juvenile. And the twin gambit really wasn't enough to carry the whole film through. The Mick does a really nice impersonation of Herbert Marshall. Mimickry was one of his many talents.

One more thing though, I cannot believe that freshman had to wear those stupid looking beanies back in the day. A custom I'm glad we grew out of.