Themes: College Life, Fathers and Sons, Generation Gap
Main Cast: Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden, Ann Rutherford
Release Year: 1942
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
Plot
Incredible as it may seem, rambunctious 18-year-old Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) finally makes it to college in Andy Hardy's Double Life. Just as he did at Carvel High School, Andy majors in "girls" at college, at one point finding himself engaged simultaneously to two different coeds. On a more serious note, Andy has his first major row with his father Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) over such vital matters as money and poor grades. But in keeping with the "honor thy parents" edicts of MGM head-man Louis B. Mayer, the plot manages to reunite father and son in the final footage, with Andy respectfully bowing to the wisdom of the good gray judge. Much of Andy Hardy's Double Life is a showcase for MGM's new swimming star Esther Williams, as cute as all get out in a two-piece bathing suit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
For the most part, one Andy Hardy film is pretty much like another, and Andy Hardy's Double Life is no exception. If it's a bit better than some of the other entries in the series, it's not because anything truly original happens in it. Oh, sure, good old Andy does finally leave high school and go to college, but that's just a change of setting. There are still familiar faces aplenty among the supporting cast, and the main problems still revolve around Andy's brashness and rashness, his awkward way of getting involved with more girls than he should, and his inability to handle his finances in a responsible manner. What makes Double stand ever-so-slightly above the average entries is the smoothness with which everything happens. It's a well-oiled machine, from Mickey Rooney's energetic performance that knows all the notes it's supposed to hit to George B. Seitz's keep-it-coming direction, which sets up the scenes, lets them play their proper length and then quickly moves on to the next, to the dependable art direction of Cedric Gibbons, which makes sure that all the right flowers are in place on the table and all the houses are sufficiently Middle American. Also helping to pop Double up a notch is the presence of the very young and beautiful Esther Williams, not yet the aquatic star she very soon would become. Fans of the series will find Double pleasant and enjoyable; those who don't care for the series might find this one slightly more pleasing but aren't likely to find much that makes them anxious to stick around for another entry. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
