The Happy Years (1950)

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Just in case anyone has seen the movie "Enders Game" without reading the book, and/or feels rushed or confused by the psychology and fast growth of young "Ender" as characterized in the movie...Well, this old film from 1950 is excellent.It tells a very similar story about a young man's experiences as a youth in a prep school, in fighting and sports and knowledge.I wonder if Orson Scott Card ever saw this movie.The minimum length for my review is 10 lines of text... working on that. Do I have 10 lines yet? I do believe that brevity is the soul ofwit.

In 1896 New Jersey, wealthy small city editor Leon Ames (as Samuel H. Stover) learns delinquent Dean Stockwell (as John Humperdink Stover) has just been "fired" (expelled) from school, for blowing up the chemistry lab. At home, young teenage Stockwell paints a snooty neighbor's prize horse green (don't adjust your color, it does look blue). Described as both a "heathen" and an "anarchist," Stockwell is sent to picturesque "Lawrenceville School" where he plans to "own" the school. After a stimulating buggy ride, the binding around Stockwell's suitcase magically disappears - causing his belongings to spill out in front of six house-mates, posed by director William A. Wellman to block his entrance to "Green House"...All bigger than Stockwell, the laughing delinquents are led by bully Darryl Hickman (as George "Tough" McCarty), who is caressing a pussycat. In all likelihood, director Wellman is having some fun with this assignment. Also note Stockwell's roommate Danny Mummert (as "Butsey" White) is quite logically introduced from their bedroom window, rather than on the stoop. The four other lads are Alan Dinehart III (as "The Coffee Colored Angel"), David Bair (as "The White Mountain Canary"), Jerry Mickelsen (as "Cheyenne" Baxter), Eddie LeRoy (as "Polar" Beckstein) - they don't have a lot to do, but the nicknames are great. Determining Stockwell is not there to sell "removable underwear," Mr. Hickman dubs him "Dink"...Stockwell has a rough year, but does receive some sympathy from roommate Mummert. Another friendship is formed when Stockwell meets school-skipping Scotty Beckett (as "The Tennessee Shad"). Playing his entire part with a toothpick in his mouth, Mr. Beckett looks like his just walked out of a Norman Rockwell painting. After a bizarre summer vacation - wherein Stockwell and his rich friends play a surreal joke on young Elinor Donahue (as Connie Brown) and some other girls while the black-eyed director's son Tim tolls church bells - Stockwell will join Beckett at "Kennedy House" and finally resolve his Hickman problem. And in 1897's class, we meet hungry Little "Big Man" Donn Gift (as Joshua Montgomery Sneed)...Wise Leo G. Carroll teaches us all a lesson as house-master Hopkins ("The Old Roman"), and Wellman maneuvers the young actors exceptionally well. Working with his award-winning "Battleground" photographer Paul C. Vogel and the MGM team, Wellman handles "The Happy Years" like he's bringing a turn of the century painting to life. It exudes a Norman Rockwell quality, shot in beautiful Technicolor - without looking real, it appears authentic. Drawing from his youthful experiences and adult directorial skills, Wellman stages scenes with skillful simplicity. Never given the power and glory of 1890s peers like John Ford and Alfred Hitchcock, director Wellman could make classics out of arguably unlikely assignments, like this...********* The Happy Years (7/7/50) William A. Wellman ~ Dean Stockwell, Darryl Hickman, Scotty Beckett, Leo G. Carroll

When I first started watching this film, I found it slow going. I couldn't get into it and couldn't understand how it could have gotten such rave reviews from others. And then something happened. It "grew on me." The excellent acting, the classic story (think of a pre-teen Paper Chase with Leo G. Carroll being the dreaded professor), the quaintness of the 1800s setting...I don't know, it just got to me.And then I realized that life imitated art. Because that's the whole theme of the film, that this boy who goes off to school and hates it eventually grows to not just fit in but flourish (but as I say, that's a classic story). And much of the success of the movie is due to that boy (Dean Stockwell) and his winning ways, as an actor and in character.Leo G. Carroll deserves a special tip of the hat, too. He will always be Topper to me from the old TV show. But he brings just the right amount of bassett hound looks and solid good nature yet strictness to the role.The Happy Years may not be the best movie ever, but it is a happy few hours of entertainment.

Great Dean Stockwell coming of age, and this is one of his best roles.Stockwell plays a rebellious, wisecracking schoolboy at odds with the world. The film captures a slice of early 20th century Americana through precocious teens at prep school discovering sports, academia, and of course, girls. Funny and touching, with a great cast and story that even connects today. Leo G. Carroll as a nemesis teacher is excellent, and the antics of the "Tennessee Shad" are still being copied in similar themed films.