Producer: Carey Wilson. An MGM Picture, copyright 1 December 1942 by Loew's Inc. New York opening at Loew's State: 11 January 1943. U.S. release: December 1942. Australian release: 23 December 1943. U.S. length: 8,281 feet (92 minutes). Australian length: 8,326 feet (92½ minutes).SYNOPSIS: Shuttling between Ann Rutherford and Esther Williams, Andy Hardy finally decides on...NOTES: In 1942, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented a Special Award to MGM "for its achievement in representing the American Way of Life in the production of the Andy Hardy series of films". this was Number 13 in the series. Film debut of Esther Williams.COMMENT: Even with Esther Williams in the cast, this overload of homespun philosophy is pretty hard to take. MGM evidently didn't want Andy to get to college too soon. In fact, this film's final sequences are used as the beginning for the next film in the series, Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble. This film is really nothing more than some tedious padding and marking time. The direction of George B. Seitz is, as usual, aggressively nondescript.Still 19-year-old Esther Williams is a very nice girl and she is most attractively photographed by photographer Folsey. It's an impressive debut. Her scenes positively sparkle. What a shame the rest of the movie is such a bore! Fortunately, I love Esther Williams.

This is a fair installment of the Andy Hardy series. While it's very watchable, the story itself isn't especially strong. The bottom line is that Andy's problems (and he ALWAYS has problems) seem easy to solve but he manages to make them seem like Armageddon! The only particularly outstanding thing about the film is that it marks the debut of Esther Williams...and MGM often tried out new female talent in the Hardy films (such as Judy Garland, Ruth Hussey, Marsha Hunt and Lana Turner in some of their earliest films).When the film begins, Andy is preparing to go off to college. The film EASILY could have simply gone from his high school graduation to him being in college but instead we see Andy struggle...mostly over things that really didn't amount to much. One problem is money some friends owe him (which EASILY could have been resolved), another involves two girls who conspire to make Andy think he's engaged to them and the final involves Judge Hardy's case involving a child (Bobby Blake) who is injured...and Andy steps in to help him with the case. All in all, Andy is a dope (as usual) and the film moderately entertaining.

Andy Hardy's Double Life finds Andy planning to go off to Wainwright College which was the Judge's alma mater. Interesting that in 1942 the war apparently had not yet come to Carvel. I would have thought that Andy would be worried about the draft at this time.But Mickey Rooney has his usual girl trouble and I swear I never did understand why Ann Rutherford as Polly Benedict just didn't give this guy the heave ho. It seemed like every film he was getting involved with some other girl, usually an MGM starlet the studio was trying to showcase. In this case it was quite the showcase as Esther Williams who played a college coed and guest of Ann Rutherford decides to do some psychological research on the American male. Guess who she decides will be her guinea pig? Cecilia Parker as Rooney's sister is also having troubles with William Lundigan who is a drinker and is before Lewis Stone for driving while intoxicated. As this hits close to home, Stone is looking for a root cause of the alcoholism as opposed to just tossing Lundigan in the clink.In an even briefer role at the very end of the film is another MGM showcase Susan Peters. She plays a young woman off to Wainwright College and she will be the first in a class of coeds as the venerable institution is admitting girls for the first time. That gets Rooney's attention real fast.Peters would have too brief a career, falling victim to a hunting accident that caused paralysis. She was a lovely talented young lady, probably best known as Ronald Colman's niece in Random Harvest.Andy Hardy's Double Life is an average entry in the series and will satisfy the fans of the eternal Mick.

ESTHER WILLIAMS fans will get a kick out of her luscious appearance in one of her early MGM "training" films wherein she gets to show her stuff in and out of a bathing suit. She's delightfully sly (and coy) in her kissing scenes with Andy, proving even then why she was about to become one of MGM's hottest box-office stars. Not only does she look more beautiful than ever, but she shows a distinct flair for light comedy.As for MICKEY ROONEY, he's the same old Andy--having heart to heart (or man to man) talks with Judge Hardy (LEWIS STONE), getting advice on how to deal with women from big sister (CELIA PARKER), putting up with foolish Polly Benedict (ANN RUTHERFORD) and her schemes to get even with him for jilting her. It's all very silly, cornball and yet entertaining fluff, made worthwhile by the presence of Esther Williams in a key role and such other up and coming personalities as WILLIAM LUNDIGAN and SUSAN PETERS.The only reason I gave this one a watch is to see how Esther Williams fared in her supporting role. Otherwise, these Hardy stories are really too much to bear sitting through tolerably with the cornball stuff too obvious and sentimental for today's viewing.