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Meet the Hardys
Judge James K. Hardy (center), generally addressed as James, Jim, Judge. He is a judge in small-town Carvel, though
it is not clear what kind of court he presides over. I have come to the conclusion that he must be in a circuit court,
since he is often called upon to help with problems in Washington D.C. and other places. He met Emily when he was in
college, and they were married after he graduated. He has strong moral values, a passion for the law and for justice and
the American judicial system, where each citizen is treated equally under the law regardless of their social standing.
He works hard to instill his values in his children (Andy and Marian).
Mrs. James K. Hardy (far right), generally referred to as Mrs. Hardy though Judge Hardy sometimes calls her Emmie or
Mother. Mrs. Hardy is often muddled and comical. She is easily upset and worries incessantly about her children (Marian and
Andy). She is afraid of telegrams; she thinks they always bear bad news. She is often zany and good for a few laughs. Her
maiden name is Forrester, she was born in Canada, and Aunt Milly is her sister. Aunt Milly lives with the Hardys and teaches
English at Carvel High School.
Andrew Hardy (second from right) becomes the focus of the series as it evolves from the earlier episodes. Andy has
a talent for trouble, and at least once in each episode, he gets quite embroiled in some kind of problem that seems
insoluble. Andy is exuberant to the point of hyperactive, a typical adolescent of his generation. His childhood sweetheart
is Polly Benedict, who appears in nearly every episode, but being a young male adolescent, his affections often travel far
beyond Polly.
Marian Hardy (second from left) is Andy's older sister. She is the Big Sister, and often tries to boss Andy around,
which really gets him riled up. Her character is never developed to a great extent, but she is usually having some problem
of her own, which runs as a subplot in many episodes.
Auny Milly Forrester (far left) is Emily's sister. She, too, is from Canada. Milly's and Emily's mother still lives on
a farm in Canada. Shown in this picture is Betty Ross Clarke who took over for Sara Haden for two (early) episodes of the
series. Sara Haden plays Aunt Milly in all of the other episodes. She is not a strong character in the series, generally
seen comforing Emily in times of crises, and also Andy's English teacher in several episodes.
Other Characters:
Polly is the daughter of the town banker Mr. Benedict. She is a well developed character who plays a significant
role in nearly every episode. She is played by Ann Rutherford in all but the first two episodes. Polly is a little spoiled,
but sweet. She is very jealous of
any other "woman" who catches Andy's eye - which happens in nearly every episode. Andy and Polly are deeply in love, but
are usually quarreling or not speaking to each other as a result of some transgression of Andy's which Polly will not forgive
him for.
Beezy Beezy is Francis Bacon Anderson. He is one of Andy's closest friends, and on more than one occasion Andy's
bumbling has somehow grown out of something he and Beezy have done.
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