banner
Andy Hardy Series
Andy Hardy Series

Betsy BoothJudy Garland made only three appearances in the "Andy Hardy" series. However, due to her success in the films, along with her chemistry with co-star Mickey Rooney, and the popularity of the seven other films they made together, most people assume that she was in all of the films in the series.

Judy played Betsy Booth, the [visiting] girl-next-door whom Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) barely notices until the end of the films, excepting her last series appearance in Life Begins For Andy Hardy (1941). The role is really a "throw-away" for Judy and her talents, but it gave her a chance to initially gain more exposure with moviegoers, sing a few popular songs and, more importantly, work with Rooney. They also helped form Judy's screen image as the girl-next-door, which would prove to be an important aspect of her connection with audiences.

The series itself was hugely popular, the most popular being the three that Judy appeared in. The quintessential Hardy film, the one that most people remember as the best example of the series, is the one with Judy's first appearance Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938). All of the elements are there, Andy's dilemma with girls, the "man to man" talks with Dad, and the happy resolve of all the dramatics at the end of the film, and lessons learned.

All images on this page from the collection of Scott Brogan.

The following is a listing of Judy's "Andy Hardy" films that includes her songs and where to find them:



LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY
(1938)
Love Finds Andy Hardy
Judy's first appearance as Betsy Booth, visiting the fictional town of Carvel right next door to Andy and his family. Judy made the film between April and June of 1938, just a few months after Variety announced on February 24th that MGM would make a film of The Wizard Of Oz with Judy as the star.

Garland Songs:

"It Never Rains But What It Pours" (recorded June 21, 1938)
Note: This is the earliest known Garland recording that exists in stereo. MGM recorded utilizing microphones placed in multiple angles that were then mixed together to create a balanced mono track for the finished films. Many of these multiple angles survive and have since been remixed utilizing today's technology to true stereo.
The stereo pre-recording is available on Judy Garland - Collector's Gems From The MGM Films.

"Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" (recorded June 21, 1938)
This song was cut prior to filming. The pre-recording is available on Judy Garland - Collector's Gems From The MGM Films.
It was also originally available in 1962 on the M-G-M Records The Judy Garland Story Volume 2 - The Hollywood Years, with no explanation that it was an outtake. It made it's CD debut in 1994 on Judy Garland - The Hollywood Years.

"In Between" & "Meet The Beat Of My Heart" (both recorded June 24, 1938)
The stereo extended-versions pre-recordings for both songs were first presented on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M. They made their CD debut on Judy Garland - Collector's Gems From The MGM Films.
The cut version of "In Between", as presented in the final film complete with Judy's spoken verse, is on the CD 21 Hollywood Hits.
The pre-recording of "Meet The Beat Of My Heart" was originally released on the LP Cut! Outtakes From Hollywood's Greatest Musicals - Volume 3.

Photo: Publicity picture of Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford, Judy, and Mickey.



ANDY HARDY MEETS DEBUTANTE
(1940)
Debutante
Judy's second appearance in the series. This time Betsy is in New York, with Andy visiting, meeting, and falling for the debutante of the title. Judy filmed Debutante in the spring of 1940 while also filming Strike Up The Band (1940).

Garland Songs:

"I'm Nobody's Baby" (recorded March 14, 1940)
One of Judy's biggest hits for Decca Records (her Decca version recorded on April 10, 1940 peaked at #3 on the charts). The M-G-M pre-recording was first presented on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M. An alternate take is on the CD Judy Garland - Collector's Gems From The MGM Films. The pre-recording of the version used in the film is on the CD Judy Garland In Hollywood - Her Greatest Movie Hits. All of these versions are in stereo.
The version as heard in the film first appeared on the M-G-M Records LP in 1962 on the M-G-M Records The Judy Garland Story Volume 2 - The Hollywood Years. It made it's CD debut in 1994 on Judy Garland - The Hollywood Years.

"Buds Won't Bud" (Outtake - recorded March 14, 1940).
The complete outtake of this song is on the 2006 Rhino re-released CD set That's Entertainment! The Ultimate Anthology of M-G-M Musicals.
Previous to this release, only the first part of this song was known to exist. This partial take is available on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M.

"Alone" (recorded May 10, 1940)
The M-G-M pre-recording was first presented on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M. The song is on the CD Judy Garland - Collector's Gems From The MGM Films. The version as heard in the film is on the CD 21 Hollywood Hits.


"All I To Is Dream Of You" (Outtake - recorded May 10, 1940)
Multiple takes of this outtake are on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M in stereo. The song, in stereo, is on the CD Judy Garland - Collector's Gems From The MGM Films.

Photo: Mickey and Judy in a scene from the film.



LIFE BEGINS FOR ANDY HARDY
(1941)
Life Begins
Judy's final appearance in the series, and the only time in the series that a guest star was billed above the title. This is an indication of just how much Judy's star status had grown since her last appearance. All of Judy's songs recorded for the film were deleted. In the final film she only sings a brief a cappella version of "Happy Birthday".

Garland Songs (all outtakes):

"America (My Country 'Tis Of Thee)" (recorded May 19, 1941)
This song is only available, in stereo, on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M.

"Easy To Love" (recorded June 4, 1941)
The pre-recording was originally released on the LP Cut! Outtakes From Hollywood's Greatest Musicals - Volume 1.
The M-G-M pre-recording session in stereo was first presented on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M. The stereo version is also available on Judy Garland - Collector's Gems From The MGM Films.

"Abide With Me" (recorded June 4, 1941)
This song is only available, in stereo, on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M.

"The Rosary" (recorded June 4, 1941)
This song is only available, in stereo, on the laser disc set Judy Garland - The Golden Years At M-G-M.

Photo: Mickey & Judy in a scene from the film.

Top of page