Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble (1944) was the 14th movie in the 16-movie series. It is also the last one directed by George B. Seitz, who had overseen the franchise since it began in 1937. He directed all but one of the Hardy movies up until this time.
The movie opens with Andy taking the train for a new destination, Wainright College, where he meets Dr. Standish (Herbert Marshall), the stern Dean of Students. He also meets the Wilde Twins, the blondes of the title. Andy’s first year at college does not go as well as expected, and he winds up back in Carvel (located somewhere in the Midwest) by film end.
There have been 16 Andy Hardy movies, but only one of them has been accepted and recognized by the National Films Preservation Board (NFPB) for inclusion in its National Film Registry (NFR).
In the year 2000, the NFPB board accepted Love Finds Andy Hardy, released in 1938. It was the fourth movie centered around the Hardy clan, to include Judge Hardy, his wife Emily, and Andy’s older sisters Marion and Joan. Andy Hardy was played, as most movie fans know, by Mickey Rooney (1920-2014).
An essay/critique of the movie was written for NFPB by film scholar Charlie Achuff. As of 2025, the registry includes some 900 titles, and each has an accompanying essay offered to the public.
The NFPB itself was organized in 1988 to preserve “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant films.” The public nominates the films, up to 50 a year, and up to 25 titles are added annually. When accepted, a pristine copy of the movie is stored at the Library’s Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Virginia.
A film becomes eligible for inclusion ten years after its original release. For the first selection in 1989, the public nominated almost 1,000 films for consideration. Members of the NFPB and the Library of Congress librarian made the final cut. When writing about Love Finds Andy Hardy, Achuff described the series as “family-friendly B pictures.” He said the entire 16-movie series, “surpassed all expectations.”
He added the film “provided a cultural touchstone of smalltown innocence.” All but three of the 16 movies were directed by George B. Seitz (1888-1944). The first film grossed three times what it cost to make, and MGM studio executives took note, turning it into a franchise. From 1937 until 1946 the movie public could expect two and as many as three titles a year. The 16 Andy Hardy movies in order:
1.) A Family Affair (1937) has Lionel Barrymore and Spring Byington as Judge and Mrs. Hardy. Their middle child Marion is played by Cecilia Parker in the first and the remaining films. Also under contract for all 16 movies was Mickey Rooney as the titular Andy Hardy. Rooney was 17 years old in the first film. He dresses like a grownup – suit, tie, hat –but acts like a kid.
2.) You’re Only Young Once (1937) alters the cast as Lewis Stone takes over as Judge Hardy. His wife is now played by Fay Holden. The Hardy’s live in the fictional town of Carvel, described as somewhere in the Midwest.
3.) Judge Hardy’s Children (1938) has Judge Hardy appointed chairman of a special committee in Washington, DC. The family travels with him and Marion and Andy have love complications.
4.) Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) is the film that Achuff claims would bring Rooney to the forefront of the remaining movie plots. “Producers at MGM realized the full potential of their young star,” he writes. In the film, Andy has too many females in his life: loyal Polly (Ann Rutherford); enticing Cynthia (Lana Turner) and sweet Betsey (Judy Garland. It was the first appearance for Garland in the series; she would reappear as the same character in two more films. Production for “Love Finds …” was between April and June of 1938. MGM had announced earlier that year that Judy Garland would star in the upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939.
5.) Out West with the Hardys (1938) pretty much says it all. The judge is asked for legal advice from a friend, so the family travels to cowboy land, which provides funny costumes for Andy.
6.) The Hardys Ride High (1939) has a happy surprise. Judge Hardy inherits $2 million.
7.) Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939) promises another Andy Hardy crush, this time involving his high school drama teacher.
8.) Judge Hardy and Son (1939) has a complicated plot involving a missing daughter. She is found.
9.) Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940) sees the return of Judy Garland as Andy’s friend Betsey. She is not the debutante.
10.) Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary (1941) involves the Hardy’s attempt to help a poor family by hiring their daughter to assist Andy’s multiple high school committees as he prepares to graduate.
11.) Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941) has Andy and Betsey (Judy Garland for the third and last time) headed for New York after high school graduation. It is a bumpy ride, and Andy ends the movie back at his hometown Carvel.
12.) The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942) mixes the usual Hardy family romantic problems. Andy is back home working as a tow-truck driver, and he is suspected of being a car thief.
13.) Andy Hardy’s Double Life (1942) introduces a new love interest for Andy, this time played by Esther Williams. Enroute he is planning to return to college.
14.) Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble (1944) replaces the hometown setting of Carvel with Andy taking the train for a new destination, Wainright College, where he meets Dr. Standish (Herbert Marshall), the stern Dean of Students. He also meets the Wilde Twins, the blondes of the title. This is the last film in the series directed by George B. Seitz, who died in 1944.
15.) Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946) addresses any questions about Andy’s military service. As the movie opens, he is returning to Carvel from a two-year stint in the Army. He returns to college and is, for a brief time, embarrassed by a date much taller than he (hence the title “love laughs”). This movie marks the last appearance of Lewis Stone as Judge Hardy.
16,) Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) was released 12 years after the previous movie. It was a studio attempt to revitalize the Hardy series. Andy returns to his hometown as a married, successful attorney who wants to open a factory in Carvel. Mickey Rooney’s own son played Andy Hardy’s fictional offspring in this last film.