When an old flame asks Judge Hardy for help, he packs up the whole family and heads to Arizona. Once there Marian falls for a cowboy with a daughter, much to the concern of her parents. Surprisingly this entry doesn't have much in the way of Andy's usual girl troubles. There's a tiff with on-again/off-again girlfriend Polly Benedict (the always adorable Ann Rutherford), but that's before they even leave Carvel. Once out west Andy's story centers around a friendship with a young tomboy (Virginia Weidler).
Lewis Stone is very likable in this one, playing up some of the typically stiff Judge Hardy's flaws. There's an amusing subplot about the Judge fearing his saintly wife will find out about some decades-old scandal involving a picnic and his ex. The whole thing is cute and much ado about nothing, of course. Mickey Rooney has one of his more "love him or hate him" turns here. Andy's supposed to learn a lesson in humility. To get him to that point the script basically has him acting like a pompous jerk for an hour. Rooney conquers the material, though, and manages to make Andy likable even when he's not so very. Fay Holden gets a little more to do than usual and owns every scene. She's delightful and impossible to dislike. Cecilia Parker is fine as Marian. I never really care for Marian's stories but this one was better than usual as Marian wasn't too bratty. Sara Haden returns to the series as Aunt Millie after being replaced by Betty Ross Clark for two movies. Virginia Weidler is fun and has a nice rapport with Rooney.
Tom Neal appears in opening scene as a punk who stopped two gunmen and now believes he can do whatever he wants. Judge Hardy reads him the riot act, which is always fun to see. Ralph Morgan has a small role as the husband of the Judge's ex. A decent Hardy movie but not one of my favorites. The plots just aren't that strong, although the performances elevate it. I usually hate it when old series would do their obligatory western episode but this one does better than average with it.
Lewis Stone is very likable in this one, playing up some of the typically stiff Judge Hardy's flaws. There's an amusing subplot about the Judge fearing his saintly wife will find out about some decades-old scandal involving a picnic and his ex. The whole thing is cute and much ado about nothing, of course. Mickey Rooney has one of his more "love him or hate him" turns here. Andy's supposed to learn a lesson in humility. To get him to that point the script basically has him acting like a pompous jerk for an hour. Rooney conquers the material, though, and manages to make Andy likable even when he's not so very. Fay Holden gets a little more to do than usual and owns every scene. She's delightful and impossible to dislike. Cecilia Parker is fine as Marian. I never really care for Marian's stories but this one was better than usual as Marian wasn't too bratty. Sara Haden returns to the series as Aunt Millie after being replaced by Betty Ross Clark for two movies. Virginia Weidler is fun and has a nice rapport with Rooney.
Tom Neal appears in opening scene as a punk who stopped two gunmen and now believes he can do whatever he wants. Judge Hardy reads him the riot act, which is always fun to see. Ralph Morgan has a small role as the husband of the Judge's ex. A decent Hardy movie but not one of my favorites. The plots just aren't that strong, although the performances elevate it. I usually hate it when old series would do their obligatory western episode but this one does better than average with it.