In the late 1930s to mid-1940s, the Andy Hardy movies were MGM’s most popular film series. Set in the fictional average American town of Carvel, USA, these films represented everything that was America at the time. In recognition of their popularity, the mayor of Hollywood held a special ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Aug. 15, 1941, to present a plaque to the actors playing the Hardy family, whom he dubbed “the first family of Hollywood.” In 1943, the Academy Awards gave the series a special Oscar for its “achievement in portraying the American way of life.”
The Hardy film series originally centered on the adventures of the whole Hardy family, consisting of father Judge James K. Hardy (Lewis Stone), mother Emily Hardy (Fay Holden), Aunt Milly Forrest (Sara Haden), daughter Marian (Cecilia Parker), and son Andy (Mickey Rooney).
