Andy Hardy Comes Home

Andy Hardy Comes Home
Directed by Howard W. Koch
Produced by Red Doff
Written by Edward Everett Hutshing
Robert Morris Donley
additional dialogue
Harry Ruskin
Based on characters created by Aurania Rouverol
Starring Mickey Rooney
Patricia Breslin
Fay Holden
Music by Van Alexander
Cinematography William W. Spencer
Harold E. Wellman
Edited by John Baxter Rogers
Production
company
Fryman Enterprises
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
 22 December 1958
Running time
 80 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $313,000[1]
Box office $610,000[1]

Andy Hardy Comes Home is a 1958 film, the 16th and final film in the Andy Hardy series, with Mickey Rooney reprising his signature role. It was made 12 years after the previous Hardy film, and was an attempt to revive what had once been an enormously popular series. However, the film was unsuccessful, and the series did not resume.

Plot summary

Returning to his hometown of Carvel after several years' absence, Andrew "Andy" Hardy (Mickey Rooney), now a high-flying West Coast lawyer, reminiscences about his past (with flashbacks to his earlier filmed exploits alongside Judy Garland and Esther Williams et al.) and reconnects with his mother, aunt, sister (returning co-stars Fay Holden, Sara Haden and Cecilia Parker respectively) and nephew Jimmy (Johnny Weissmuller, Jr.) as he attempts to convince the skeptical townsfolk to let his company build a factory there.

When his plan to buy land from his old friend Beezy (now played by Rooney's TV co-star Joey Forman) runs into difficulty, Andy brings his wife, Jane, (Patricia Breslin) and two children, Andy Jr. (played by Rooney's real-life son Teddy) and Cricket, to bolster his resolve, and to help him live up to the lessons instilled in him by his late father.

While all seems lost, the closing moments re-position the resurrected series for a new set of Andy Hardy movies, but these never materialized.[2]

Cast

Production

Songwriter Robert Donley and journalist Edward Hushting wrote an original Andy Hardy synopsis on "spec" and brought it to Rooney's agent, Red Doff. He showed it to Rooney, who was enthusiastic, and they pitched the project to MGM as a co-production with Rooney's own company, Fryman Enterprises.[3][4] The studio, then under the control of Joseph Vogel agreed to make the film.[5][6]

"We feel it's time for another Hardy picture," said Doff. "Time for a good, warm, wholesome family comedy - no violence, no monsters, no sex! There are millions who have seen and loved the Hardys - and who would like to see them again. And there are millions who never saw them on the big screen but who are being presold by seeing them on TV. People like things nostalgic. We believe they'll be curious to see a re-creation of what they loved 15 and 20 years ago."[3]

Lewis Stone, who had played the beloved Judge Hardy in the earlier films, had died in 1953, and his character's passing was noted in the film. Fay Holden, Sara Haden and Cecilia Parker all reprised their roles. (The latter had been mostly retired since the series ended, devoting herself to raising her children.[7]) Mickey Rooney tried to persuade Ann Rutherford to return as Polly Benedict, Andy's on-and-off sweetheart in most of the original movies, but Rutherford refused.[8] In line with MGM's practice of introducing studio contract players in the series, contractee Pat Cawley was given a role.[3]

Filming started 7 May 1958.[3]

Reception

According to MGM records, the movie earned $400,000 in the US and Canada and $210,000 elsewhere, making a loss to the studio of $5,000.[1]

Before the film was released, Hutshing and Donley worked on a sequel about Andy Hardy as a judge called Andy Hardy Carries On.[9] There was also some talk of an Andy Hardy TV series.[10] In the early 1960s, a pilot was shot for a prospective Andy Hardy sitcom for NBC, with a totally different cast and with the character of Judge Hardy returning. But NBC did not pick it up as a series.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ↑ http://www.allmovie.com/movie/andy-hardy-comes-home-v83700
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hardy Family at Old Stand: Mickey Rooney and Company Resume After 10-Year Hiatus Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 07 May 1958: B13.
  4. ↑ Andy Hardy's Return Forecast; Diana Dors Will Rejoin Gassman Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 15 Oct 1957: A9.
  5. ↑ Andy Hardy to Live Again: Lewis, Nugent on 'Owyhee'; Guinness Sets Three Films Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 08 Jan 1958: B7.
  6. ↑ MGM to Make Huge Schedule of New Films Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 22 Jan 1958: B20.
  7. ↑ CECELIA PARKER IN 'HARDY' MOVIE: Kid Sister In Series Ending 12-Year Screen Absence -- James Garner in Film By THOMAS M. PRYORSpecial to The New York Times.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 02 May 1958: 30.
  8. ↑ Article on film at Turner Classic Movies accessed 11 Jan 2014
  9. ↑ Father Damien's Life Due for Carey: 'Daphnis and Chloe' Planned; Studios Vie for 'Size' Sets Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 23 May 1958: B7.
  10. ↑ Looking at Hollywood: Hits for Mickey Rooney: Hardy Movie, and a Song Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) [Chicago, Ill] 15 July 1958: a6.

External links

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