On the Sunny Side (1942)

Because of the war, a 12-year-old boy from England, Hugh, is sent to live with the Andrews family in Ohio. Don, the Andrews' 11-year-old son, eagerly accepts the English boy, and is happy ... See full summary »

Director:

Harold D. Schuster

Writers:

Lillie Hayward (adaptation), George Templeton (adaptation),

Stars:

Roddy McDowall, Jane Darwell, Stanley Clements

Cast

Cast overview:
Roddy McDowall	...	Hugh Aylesworth
Jane Darwell	...	Annie
Stanley Clements	...	Tom Sanders
Katharine Alexander	...	Mrs. Mary Andrews
Donald Douglas	...	Mr. Andrews (as Don Douglas)
Freddie Mercer	...	Don Andrews
Ann E. Todd	...	Betty (as Ann Todd)
Jill Esmond	...	Mrs. Aylesworth
Fred Walburn	...	Dick
Leon Tyler	...	Flip
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Messenger
Stuart Robertson	...	Broadcast Announcer

Storyline

Because of the war, a 12-year-old boy from England, Hugh, is sent to live with the Andrews family in Ohio. Don, the Andrews' 11-year-old son, eagerly accepts the English boy, and is happy when his school-friends do the same. But his isn't so happy when things begin to change when his father fore-goes their evening game of Chinese Checkers to play chess with Hugh, and Hugh shows himself to be a formidable scholar, and impresses Don's girlfriend Betty, and becomes more popular with the boys than Don was...and Don is beginning to think that Hugh is too much of a good thing. Don gets downright depressed and decides to run away. Uh, oh, here comes Hugh.

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Plot Keywords:

england | scholar | chinese checkers | game | ohio | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Pequeno Refugiado

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

An English boy is sent to live with an American family during World War II.

In his first starring role, Roddy McDowall portrays an English boy named Hugh, who is sent to stay with an American family on the "sunny side" of the pond in order to escape the Nazi blitz.

The initial excitement of the host family's young son (Freddie Mercer, nephew Leroy in the "Great Gildersleeve" film series) at having a "brother" to pal around with gradually gives way to resentment when the visitor's impeccable manners and efforts to adopt American slang charms his parents to the extent that they begin neglecting him. To make matters worse, the members of his kids' club vote to replace him with Hugh as their president after the latter routs a bully who has commandeered their clubhouse (Stanley Clements, GOING MY WAY) from the premises with a homemade, chemical stink bomb.

When Hugh is decked by a flying rock from the hands of the bully, the two boys team up to settle the hash of both the bully and his goon, sending them packing. Then, once Hugh points out to his surrogate parents that they've been favoring him at the expense of their own son, all is happily resolved.

Produced for the lower half of 1940s double bills, this movie was most definitely designed to please the kiddie trade. Since it wasn't filmed in color, however, getting today's youth to give it a look will likely constitute a problem. I rate it two out of a possible five stars.