Andy Hardy Meets Debutante

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante is a 1940 American romantic comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. The film stars Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden, and Judy Garland. It is the ninth of the Andy Hardy full-length film series.

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	George B. Seitz
Written by	Aurania Rouverol Tom Seller Annalee Whitmore
Produced by	J.J. Cohn
Starring	Lewis Stone Mickey Rooney Cecilia Parker Fay Holden Judy Garland
Cinematography	Charles Lawton Jr. Sidney Wagner
Edited by	Harold F. Kress
Music by	Alex Hyde David Snell
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release date	July 5, 1940 (1940-07-05)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$436,000[1]
Box office	$2,623,000[1]

Plot

Andy Hardy from Carvel becomes infatuated with well-known young socialite Daphne Fowler, from New York City. Although he has not met Daphne, he tells his friends that he knows her well and lets them believe that there is also a romantic relationship.

Andy's father, judge James K. Hardy, moves to New York with the whole family to work on a case involving an orphanage. The judge must appear in court against a law firm that is disputing payments from a trust fund that supports the orphanage. Andy’s friends, editors at a newspaper, want to print a story about his relationship with Daphne, forcing him to pursue her to avoid embarrassment. In New York, Andy encounters old friend Betsy Booth, who has a crush on him. Andy has to evade romantic propositions from Betsy while trying to meet the popular and seemingly unattainable Daphne.

Lobby card

Andy hears on the radio that Daphne is to attend a function at a restaurant. He visits the restaurant when Daphne is there, but he courts trouble when he cannot pay his bill. Meanwhile, Judge Hardy wins the orphanage case. Andy is inspired by his father’s successful litigation, and in a moment of honesty, he tells Betsy about his situation. Betsy is a friend of Daphne, and she agrees to introduce Andy to her.^[2]

Andy finds the high-society life too expensive and realizes his feelings for Betsy. They have their first kiss and they promise to write to each other regularly.

Cast

• Lewis Stone as Judge James K. 'Jim' Hardy
• Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy
• Cecilia Parker as Marian Hardy
• Fay Holden as Mrs. Emily Hardy
• Judy Garland as Betsy 'Betty' Booth
• Ann Rutherford as Polly Benedict
• Diana Lewis as Daphne Fowler
• George P. Breakston as F. Baker 'Beezy' Anderson
• Sara Haden as Aunt Milly Forrest
• Addison Richards as George Benedict
• George Lessey as Underwood, a Lawyer
• Cy Kendall as Mr. Carrillo
• Clyde Willson as Francis a.k.a. Butch

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther wrote that the film is "... just another milestone in this popular family series—a milestone to be welcomed, that is. But we can't help speculating upon how much they all look alike."^[3]

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,945,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $678,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,409,000.^[1]