The Happy Years (1950)

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Owen Johnson (stories)
Harry Ruskin (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 July 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

Plot:

Based on a collection of stories with the focus on young John Humperkink "Dink" Stover, a student at the Lawrenceville Prepatory School...

Plot Keywords:

Trip | Father Daughter Relationship | Referee | Mother Son Relationship | Latin Class

Cast

Dean Stockwell	...	John Humperdink 'Dink' Stover
Darryl Hickman	...	'Tough' McCarty
Scotty Beckett	...	'Tennessee' Shad
Leon Ames	...	Samuel H. Stover Sr.
Margalo Gillmore	...	Mrs. Maude Stover
Leo G. Carroll	...	The Old Roman
Donn Gift	...	Big Man
Peter M. Thompson	...	'Sambo' (as Peter Thompson)
Jerry Mickelsen	...	'Cheyenne' Baxter
Alan Dinehart III	...	Coffee Colored Angel
David Bair	...	White Mountain Canary
Danny Mummert	...	Butsey White
Eddie LeRoy	...	'Polar' Beckstein
George Chandler	...	Johnny
Claudia Barrett	...	Miss Dolly Travers

Also Known As:

You're Only Young Twice (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #14319)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Robert Wagner's first film.

Great Overlooked Family Movie

This is one of my favorite movies. Dean Stockwell is great as the main character. This is not your run of the mill story about sweet little boys at some boy school. They all are characters, The main character (Humperdink)Dink is a feisty kid who doesn't take any mess from anyone. He is not annoying or disrespectful. He just feels very strongly about certain things and will let you know. He is a little guy among older boys, But they soon find out he is not a pushover. The supporting characters are great.

And I love the message the schoolmaster had. Dinks grades are not the best, and he almost gets expelled. But the school master, played by Leo G Carroll says that even though he may not have good grades his character offers so much more then that and people could learn from people like him too. I adhere to that. I have seen so many A students with nothing to offer but a good grades. I feel grades are important, but they should not count for every thing and at times should not be the most important factor to judge if one is a success. This movies picked up on that Dink was a leader who had roadblocks but he tackled them and that was what was the most important.

There is a subplot about him playing football which is also very good. His classmates fall in love with him eventually, like you will.

I think this was a part that could of been easily played two different ways. One is the smart azz, disrespectful way that we see so many child stars act today, The parts where the kids are smarter then the adults and go around the whole movie calling adults by their first name. The movie would of failed if it went in that direction. Or the way Dean Stockwell played it. This part has to work for the movie to work.

I just got to see this movie by mistake for the second time in my life this morning on TCM. I didn't even know its name until today. But I never forgot the movie and was elated to see it on the TV when I woke up this morning. I am just mad I did not DVR it because it is not on video. Something I found out when went to buy it online. Check this movie out if you can catch it on TV.