Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

SunnyHello Nice effects though.

PodBill Just what I expected

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

utgard14 Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) takes his family on vacation to Catalina Island where his kids have romantic troubles. Andy's fallen for a more experienced girl (Eleanor Lynn) and Marian's gotten involved with a married lifeguard. Looks like it's time for some of those patented Judge Hardy talks (a series staple). There's also a plot continuing from the last film that sees the Hardys in danger of losing everything. This series had pretty good continuity for the time and was good about tying the events of one film into the next.The cast is excellent, with Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, and the adorable Ann Rutherford joining the series in this sophomore entry. Eleanor Lynn is a pretty and lively bad influence on poor Andy. A fine movie in a terrific series with healthy doses of comedy along with the drama. There's a touching scene late in the film where Fay Holden talks about the loss of their first child on the same night she was born. A beautiful scene that exemplifies the kind of heartfelt drama this series did so well.

wes-connors Following the success of "A Family Affair" (1937), MGM continues "The Hardy Family" in earnest. This second of the long-running series makes some important changes in the family. Most notably, the role of judge father is taken over by Lewis Stone (as James K. Hardy), who decides to take his small-town family to California's Catalina Island for a summer vacation. He wants to catch swordfish. Pretty blonde daughter Cecilia Parker (as Marian Hardy), energetic son Mickey Rooney (as Andrew "Andy" Hardy), supportive wife Fay Holden (as Emily) and aunt Sara Haden (as Milly Forrest) round out the family...The children find "romance" with significantly more "experienced" partners. Fast lifeguard Ted Pearson (as Bill Rand) begins to date Ms. Parker. He's married. And, mature-looking teenager Eleanor Lynn (as Geraldine "Jerry" Lane) begins smooching young Rooney. She smokes and shares liquor. Good parenting skills from Judge Hardy come in handy when the children's romances become more serious. Lastly, Mr. Stone faces an unexpected crisis. A valuable addition to the "Hardy" series, Stone is a great strength. It ends with Stone inviting viewers to watch for "Judge Hardy's Children" (1938).***** You're Only Young Once (12/10/37) George B. Seitz ~ Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden

Michael_Elliott 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.

bux 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."