Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Let's be realistic.

Fantastic!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Just watched this, the second of the Hardy family series. While Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, and Sara Haden return from A Family Affair, Lewis Stone and Sara Holden take over from Lionel Barrymore and Spring Byington, respectively. Some loose ends are tied from the previous film but the bulk takes place on Catalina Island for a family vacation. Both Andy and Marian meet someone they fall for despite both having someone else they're pining for. By the way, Andy's home girlfriend Polly, played previously by Margaret Marquis, is now played here by Ann Rutherford. She's certainly better-looking than her predecessor, that's for sure! This one's more light-hearted than it's predecessor, a tone that remains for most of the series' run. The fact that this was basically a series entry is driven home by the fact that after "The End" shows on screen, Lewis Stone then comes back on screen and tells us to expect more adventures of his family again soon! I'll certainly be coming back for more so watch this space under my username for further reviews of more Hardy family adventures...

The second Andy Hardy film has Judge Hardy, now played by Lewis Stone, quietly manipulating his family into a vacation on Catalina Island, so he can go fishing. Once there, Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) and big sister Marian (Cecilia Parker) get into romantic entanglements bigger than either bargained for. Emily Hardy, the Spring Byington role in the first film, is now played by Fay Holden. Mrs. Hardy manages to keep the family together, as Judge Hardy has to impart a couple important lessons about the ways of the world to Andy and Marian and then has to save the family from financial ruin. Eleanor Lynn, in a rare film appearance, is Geraldine 'Jerry' Lane, Andy's much too sophisticated for her own good girlfriend on Catalina Island. Ann Rutherford makes her first appearance as Andy Hardy's girl, the long suffering Polly Benedict in this film. Frank Craven continues the role of Frank Redmond, newspaper owner, initiated by Charlie Grapewin in the first film. Sara Haden and Selmer Jackson continue their roles as Aunt Milly and Hoyt Wells respectively. It's good old wholesome family fun. **1/2 of 4 stars.

You're Only Young Once (1937) *** (out of 4) Second film in MGM's Hardy series has Judge (Lewis Stone) taking the family to Catalina Island where his daughter gets involved with a marriage man and Andy (Mickey Rooney) gets involved with a girl (Eleanor Lynn) who certainly doesn't have his best interest in mind. Judge tries to settle their problems while trying to catch a swordfish but not knowing the trouble that awaits them when they get home. Even though this was the second film in the series, in many ways it was the first as this is when Lewis joined the cast and it's rather amazing at how wonderful he was for the part. I love Lionel Barrymore as an actor but he simply wasn't right for the role so it's good that he left the series after A FAMILY AFFAIR and that Stone stepped in. The way he plays Judge as the wise, stern but fair father is certainly one of the most memorable roles from this era in Hollywood. Sure, the film and the subject matters are all way too "friendly" and "clean" but that just adds to the fun nature of the messages. As expected, Rooney is certainly full of energy and he makes for some more good times as his relationship with Lynn is quite fresh and rather romantic. If her birth date on IMDb is correct, then Lynn was probably around 11-years-old when she filmed this, which is somewhat troubling in a few of the scenes where she's smoking and pretty much throwing herself on Andy. I'm not sure what her real age is but she certainly looked and acted much older here. Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden, Frank Craven and Ann Rutherford are all good in their roles as well. I thought the film, naturally, went for a lot of laughs but the highlights for me were the more dramatic moments. I thought the moments where Judge has to make the decision to educate his children without being too preachy was handled extremely well and I thought the moments were quite tender and refreshing. There's a sequence where his daughter comes in drunk after Judge has learned that the man is married and the way this scene plays out is certainly the best part of the film. I thought the final ten-minutes were somewhat of a drag when the family left the island but this is still a pleasant little film that fans will enjoy.

As the family vacations on Catalina Island, Judge Hardy puts the family estate at risk, Andy travels with a "fast" girl and sister Marion dates a married (heavens!!) man. Good fun, and a glimpse at a by-gone era, with of course the obligatory "man to man talk."