Judy
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)
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.
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ANDY HARDY MEETS DEBUTANTE (1940)
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.
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LIFE BEGINS FOR ANDY HARDY (1941)
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.
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