A Yank at Eton (1942)

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

George Oppenheimer (story)
George Oppenheimer (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

September 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot Keywords:

American In The Uk | Cricket The Game | Stable | False Accusation | Automobile Accident

Cast

Mickey Rooney	...	Timothy Dennis
Edmund Gwenn	...	Headmaster Justin
Ian Hunter	...	Roger Carlton
Freddie Bartholomew	...	Peter Carlton
Marta Linden	...	Winifred Dennis Carlton
Juanita Quigley	...	Jane 'The Runt' Dennis
Alan Mowbray	...	Mr. Duncan
Peter Lawford	...	Ronnie Kenvil
Raymond Severn	...	'Inky' Weeld
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wally Albright	...	Boy in Locker Room (uncredited)
George Aldwin	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Jimmy Aubrey	...	Cabby (uncredited)
King Baggot	...	Man on the Street (uncredited)
Dick Baron	...	Student (uncredited)
Gregg Barton	...	Coach (uncredited)
Billy Bevan	...	Tour Guide (uncredited)
Howard Blanchard	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Lyndon Brook	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Eddie Buzard	...	Boy (uncredited)
Jimmy Carpenter	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Bill Cartledge	...	Boy in Locker Room Knocked Down By Jane (uncredited)
Dennis Chaldecott	...	Whitson - Eton Student (uncredited)
Conway Chiles	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Herbert Clifton	...	Flossie's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Richard Clucas	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Valerie Cole	...	Imogen (uncredited)
John Considine	...	Boy (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Harry Duff	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Bobby Hale	...	Gardener (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Gelson - Horse Groom (uncredited)
Wayne Kerruish	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Terry Kilburn	...	Hilspeth (uncredited)
Carolyn Lee	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Jack Lynn	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Robert Lynn	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Aubrey Mather	...	Widgeon - Carlton's Butler (uncredited)
Paul Matthews	...	Graham (uncredited)
Roger McGee	...	Boy in Locker Room (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Steven Muller	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Alan Napier	...	Restaurateur (uncredited)
Minna Phillips	...	M'Dame (uncredited)
Mickey Rentschler	...	Boy (uncredited)
Jerry Rush	...	Darrence - Eton Student (uncredited)
Paul Scardon	...	Old Cleaner (uncredited)
Florence Shirley	...	Mrs. Sampson (uncredited)
Byron Shores	...	Mr. Rocky Brown (uncredited)
Billy Smith	...	Boy in Locker Room (uncredited)
Schuyler Standish	...	Eton Student (uncredited)
Charles Stroud	...	Boy in Locker Room (uncredited)
William Telaak	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Walter Tetley	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Tina Thayer	...	Flossie Sampson (uncredited)
Cyril Thornton	...	Judson - Carlton's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Johnny Walsh	...	Boy (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Billy Wolfstone	...	Fat Student (uncredited)
Al Young	...	Referee (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Taurog

Writing credits
George Oppenheimer		(story)
George Oppenheimer		(screenplay) &
Lionel Houser		(screenplay) and
Thomas Phipps		(screenplay)

Produced by
John W. Considine Jr.	....	producer

Original Music by
Bronislau Kaper

Cinematography by
Karl Freund
Charles Lawton Jr.		(as Charles Lawton)

Film Editing by
Albert Akst

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Howard Shoup		(gowns) (as Shoup)
Gile Steele		(costumes: men)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hugh Boswell	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Stanley Goldsmith	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Daniel B. Cathcart	....	associate art director
Henry Grace	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Clyde De Vinna	....	photographer: exteriors (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo Arnaud	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Lennie Hayton	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Wally Heglin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Hon. Cecil Howard	....	etonian advisor
Gaius Shaver	....	technical advisor: football (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (as Loew's Inc.)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1942) (USA) (theatrical) (as Loew's Inc.)
• Warner Home Video (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #8498) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Connecticut, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Timothy meets Flossie while running errands, the cars are driving on the right side of the street. Cars drive on the left in England.

Movie Connections:

References Love Affair (1939)

Soundtrack:

The Eton Boating Song

The Mick Goes Abroad

Although A Yank At Eton is supposed to put you in mind of MGM's classic A Yank At Oxford, in fact this film is a reworking of the plot of Boys Town. Please note that Norman Taurog directed star Mickey Rooney in Boys Town and Men Of Boys Town.

After the death of her husband, Marta Linden takes a trip to Europe and returns with a new husband in Ian Hunter to the distress of her children, Rooney and Juanita Quigley. She says they're moving to England and Rooney doesn't like the idea because he wants to play football for Notre Dame.

Hunter gets the Mick into his old alma mater Eton and Rooney takes to it much like his character of Whitey Marsh took to Boystown. But the Mick's got a heart of gold which soon comes out. If you have seen Boys Town and remember the plot situations that's roughly what happens here.

There were some criticisms of A Yank At Eton one of which was the mistake of showing folks using left hand drive in cars instead of right hand which is what they have in the UK. Most of the time the negative was just reversed like they did for Gary Cooper to show a left handed batting Lou Gehrig in Pride Of The Yankees. In crowd scenes that couldn't be helped and unlike A Yank At Oxford, this film was done on the MGM back lot.

However having Rooney as a track star was a bit much. Face it folks, Mickey's size and short legs would never have made him any kind of star in running. And here they have Mickey doing hurdles and doing it in street shoes. Track coaches around the world probably laughed their heads off.

Although this was a wartime film with the obligatory reminder to buy bonds at the end of the film, there's not a mention of war or impending war in the film. Just a reminder of how Eton trains some of the future leaders in Great Britain who have never let the country down in peril. They might well have quoted the Duke of Wellington's aphorism of how the Battle Of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.

It's not Boystown, but A Yank At Eton is an entertaining film if one can overlook some flaws. They should have had Mickey stick to football, he would have been interesting playing rugby in the climax.