MovieChat Forums > Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1947) Discussion > Bonita Granville was the best actor in i...

Bonita Granville was the best actor in it!


I watched it just to see her. Rooney's Andy Hardy character seems like an overgrown schoolboy in this continuation of the Andy Hardy films. He comes home from the army and returns to college, still a freshman but immature as a fourteen year old. His brash cockiness with girls is a real turn-off. Bonita, on the other hand, gives a smooth and polished performance in her brief appearance as Kay Wilson. Andy plans to ask Kay to marry him, but she forestalls the question by announcing that she's going to marry someone else. It's one of the few times Andy Hardy faces the real world. He's obviously shocked and upset, which is not helped when Kay asks him to be best man. The charm of the earlier Andy Hardy movies is not present in this one.

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BONITA GRANVILLE was a under-appreciated actress. When younger she played little bitches, then a earnest teenager and as a adult she took all her skill and made it work. Adjusting to the times with her talent. MICKEY ROONEY though seemed to be reversing the trend showing none of the natural talent he displayed earlier in CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS or YOUNG TOM EDISON. Read our review on YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE (1937). ROONEY need strong direction to control his excesses.

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Indeed, Bonita Granville was an excellent actress.
She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for THESE THREE.
This was the first year the "Supporting" category was added by The Academy.
Although she lost to Gale Sondergaard, Bonita Granville was nominated with Beaulah Bondi, Maria Ouspenskya, and Alice Brady.
Not bad for a 13 year old!

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jfd0210: I have always liked her and found her performances right on. Plus thought She was very attractive and approachable. Smart also, segued from Actress to Producer in a easy transition.

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