So says Ma Hardy (Fay Holden) in the opening scene of the film, finding out that Andy's on his way home, having been separated from the army. She misunderstands and thinks that he separated from a wife that and he hadn't told them about. But once this misunderstanding is fixed, they get to see Andy make his big entrance, tossed off an army truck right in front of them as they make their way to Sunday church services. This comes along with the fact that Pa Hardy, the aging Lewis Stone, is stuck wearing a hat that is too small for him, and Andy is perplexed about how to keep in touch with his old sweetheart, Bonita Granville (returning for her second film in the series), while old girlfriend Polly's father introduces him to swinging senorita Lina Romay who is fascinated by his reputation, something that in later episodes of the series prior to this one perplexed me because there is no way in any high school that Andy Hardy of all people would be the most popular kid, something that MGM executive Louis B. Mayer tried to push down everyone's throat by keeping this series going far too long.
The best part of the movie is the presence of a statuesque beauty played by Dorothy Ford, paired with Andy at a dance for comic relief because of their difference in height. She is completely charming and steals the film with her wit and self evasing attitude. It's obviously thrown in for visual comedy and could have been presented as tasteless, but it's the one element of the film that I found memorable outside the Nostalgia of seeing the Elder Hardys, including Sarah Haden's Aunt Millie, as Andy has not matured in the intervening years even though he's been away at war. The element of re-adapting to society after being away at war could have been an interesting dramatic twist to the story, but it's far too light-hearted and formula to try something daring. For that reason, this film is not at all realistic considering the time, showing that while the world had changed, certain parts of MGM and the Hardy family had not. Rooney is still consistent in this characterization so he's all right, but so many elements of the film just don't work considering that the series has been going on for 10 years, and he's still a man child, not having changed much since moving past his teen years. No Cecilia Parker or Ann Rutherford, although both characters are mentioned, and of course no Judy Garland or mention of Betsy Booth. Granville and Romay lack the spark of the other future stars like Donna Reed and Kathryn Grayson who earlier appeared in the series and were now bigger stars.
The best part of the movie is the presence of a statuesque beauty played by Dorothy Ford, paired with Andy at a dance for comic relief because of their difference in height. She is completely charming and steals the film with her wit and self evasing attitude. It's obviously thrown in for visual comedy and could have been presented as tasteless, but it's the one element of the film that I found memorable outside the Nostalgia of seeing the Elder Hardys, including Sarah Haden's Aunt Millie, as Andy has not matured in the intervening years even though he's been away at war. The element of re-adapting to society after being away at war could have been an interesting dramatic twist to the story, but it's far too light-hearted and formula to try something daring. For that reason, this film is not at all realistic considering the time, showing that while the world had changed, certain parts of MGM and the Hardy family had not. Rooney is still consistent in this characterization so he's all right, but so many elements of the film just don't work considering that the series has been going on for 10 years, and he's still a man child, not having changed much since moving past his teen years. No Cecilia Parker or Ann Rutherford, although both characters are mentioned, and of course no Judy Garland or mention of Betsy Booth. Granville and Romay lack the spark of the other future stars like Donna Reed and Kathryn Grayson who earlier appeared in the series and were now bigger stars.