Judy Bolton Days

Judy Bolton Days
First annual in 1991!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

THE THIRD HARDY BOY!

The THIRD Hardy Boy!
MICKEY ROONEY AS ANDY HARDY


A lot of people who grew up during the 1930s and 1940s confuse The Hardy Boys from the books with Andy Hardy from the Andy Hardy movies, as played by Mickey Rooney. These movies were family comedies and still can be seen often on TV on Turner Classic Movies. They were filmed throughout the thirties and forties and Mickey literally grew up while making them. However, they have nothing to do with the Hardy Boys books, even though Mickey Rooney is often considered to be a Hardy Boy. Well, actually, he was! He was Andy Hardy.


On this magazine cover from 1942 he is shown with Esther Williams, Hollywood's glamorous swimming star, and Ann Rutherford. The movie was Esther's film debut and actually came out titled Andy Hardy's Double Life.



People often confuse the Andy Hardy movies with the Hardy Boys books, and Mickey Rooney with being one of the Hardy Boys. Now you know why!

The movies are terrific period pieces, showing how life was in the thirties and forties for young people, and Andy is generally girl crazy in the later ones when he is a teenager. In a couple of them, his girl-crazy interest is Bonita Granville, who played Nancy Drew in the four 1930s Nancy Drew movies. So Mickey Rooney, the third Hardy boy who wasn't really a Hardy Boy, even did some on-screen romancing with the gal who was Hollywood's Nancy Drew!


FIRST JUDY BOLTON DAY 1991 *PHOTOS 2*

more JUDY BOLTON DAY PHOTOS 1991



Judy Bolton fans on the North Hollow Road, photographing the meadow that leads to the Dry Brook Hollow house, the old Smeed Farm.

The wall of deer inside the Dry Brook Hollow house.

Mike DeBaptiste in Potter County Courthouse, used as a site in The Pledge of the Twin Knights.

Mike with Ann Creamer and daughter Meg outside the Potter County Courthouse.

The swimming pool in Sizerville State park, used as a site in The Voice in the Suitcase.

Lorraine Rogers with Mike DeBaptiste and Joyce Wallner in Dry Brook Hollow (Odin PA).

Ruins of the Austin Dam, used as the Roulsville Dam in The Vanishing Shadow,

John Rotello and Mike DeBaptiste completing a book sale outside the Laurelwood Motel.

Lorraine Rogers and Mike DeBaptiste speak at assembly in Austin PA (Roulsville) Firehouse.

Lorraine and Mike with Peg Rotello in Austin Firehouse.

Host John Rigas of Adelphia Communications talks to Judy fans Meg Creamer, Lorraine Rogers, Diana McInerney, and Rosemarie DiCristo at Saturday evening banquet at the Crittenden Hotel in Coudersport PA.