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The Habit of Happiness

  • 19161916
  • 37m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
71
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Douglas Fairbanks in The Habit of Happiness (1916)
  • Short
  • Comedy
Sunny Wiggins is regarded as worthless by the other members of his family, who have risen to the social station where they are snubbed by the best people. The morning of the day the play beg... Read allSunny Wiggins is regarded as worthless by the other members of his family, who have risen to the social station where they are snubbed by the best people. The morning of the day the play begins his sister is preparing to entertain a party of butterflies, among whom is the mentall... Read allSunny Wiggins is regarded as worthless by the other members of his family, who have risen to the social station where they are snubbed by the best people. The morning of the day the play begins his sister is preparing to entertain a party of butterflies, among whom is the mentally lacking beanpole she intends to marry. Sunny is in bed with as queer a lot of associates... Read all
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
71
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Allan Dwan
  • Writers
    • Allan Dwan
    • Shannon Fife
  • Stars
    • Douglas Fairbanks
    • George Fawcett
    • Macey Harlam
Top credits
  • Director
    • Allan Dwan
  • Writers
    • Allan Dwan
    • Shannon Fife
  • Stars
    • Douglas Fairbanks
    • George Fawcett
    • Macey Harlam
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos7

    Douglas Fairbanks in The Habit of Happiness (1916)
    Douglas Fairbanks in The Habit of Happiness (1916)
    The Habit of Happiness (1916)
    Douglas Fairbanks and Dorothy West in The Habit of Happiness (1916)
    Douglas Fairbanks, George Backus, George Fawcett, Macey Harlam, William Jefferson, and Adolphe Menjou in The Habit of Happiness (1916)
    Douglas Fairbanks, George Backus, George Fawcett, Macey Harlam, and Dorothy West in The Habit of Happiness (1916)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Douglas Fairbanks
    Douglas Fairbanks
    • Sunny Wigginsas Sunny Wiggins
    George Fawcett
    George Fawcett
    • Jonathan Pepperas Jonathan Pepper
    Macey Harlam
    • Fosteras Foster
    Dorothy West
    Dorothy West
    • Elsie Pepperas Elsie Pepper
    George Backus
    George Backus
    • Mr. Wigginsas Mr. Wiggins
    Grace Rankin
    • Clarice Wigginsas Clarice Wiggins
    William Jefferson
    William Jefferson
    • Jonesas Jones
    Adolphe Menjou
    Adolphe Menjou
    • Society Manas Society Man
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Allan Dwan
    • Writers
      • Allan Dwan
      • Shannon Fife
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Sunny Wiggins is regarded as worthless by the other members of his family, who have risen to the social station where they are snubbed by the best people. The morning of the day the play begins his sister is preparing to entertain a party of butterflies, among whom is the mentally lacking beanpole she intends to marry. Sunny is in bed with as queer a lot of associates as could be collected. He has recruited his following from the bread line; two of them are in bed with him while the others are sleeping on the carpet, and one has even gone to rest in the bathtub. Not too willingly do all hands go to the shower, but it is a wash or no breakfast. Downstairs goes the motley array and into the dining room. Sunny thinks it fine that such a spread has been prepared for his guests and there is little left when sister enters with her guests. Of course, Sis at once tells father and Sunny is called to book. Dismissing his own guests, he finds that he has only one friend in the place, one of his sister's guests, and he doesn't know her name. She thinks Sunny is splendid and when his father has sent him out to try his sociological theories along the Bowery, she wishes him luck. There in a cheap lodging house Sunny teaches the derelicts to laugh, and with such success that an eminent specialist drafts him to cure a millionaire grouch of dyspepsia. In the rich home of the dyspeptic he finds that the girl is the millionaire's daughter. She enters heartily into his plans but an aged 'cellist, whose favorite music is Chopin's "Funeral March," exerts more influence in the household than he. But when father has discovered his daughter and the supposed physician in fond embrace there is a fight, which ends with father a prisoner in his room, to be cured by starvation. Meanwhile a broker, whose offer of marriage has been refused by the daughter, is plotting to ruin her father in Wall Street. How Sunny thwarts the attempt, cures the grouch, becomes his son-in-law and partner and thereby is reinstated in the good graces of his own family, is the story this comedy tells. —Moving Picture World synopsis
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    • Genres
      • Short
      • Comedy
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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      In the "Skid Row" scene, director Allan Dwan used real indigents who did not respond correctly to Douglas Fairbanks' attempts to make them laugh. Fairbanks thus told extremely off-color stories, which finally got the desired response. When the film was initially released, complaints from lip-readers caused new shots of Fairbanks to be made to replace the profane close-ups.

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Don't worry, be happy!
    Sunny Wiggins is (as his name suggests) a really SUNNY character: all his family are deadly earnest high society snobs - while he dedicates his life, and his money, to making poor people happy: he collects them from the streets and the breadlines and at his home, he gives them 'lessons in laughing'! But, while the tramps really appreciate his efforts, his father considers them a sheer waste of money and time, and, in order to 'wake up' his son to reality, he sends him to live with those 'bums' for a while... Which he does - until he's assigned the job to cheer up old businessman Pepper, who's even more gloomy and grumpy than his own dad; but who's got a lovely young daughter...!

    Here we can witness Doug Fairbanks FULLY in his element: optimism, laughter, romance, hope, and humanity! And the movie isn't just a 'plain' movie with actors acting their part: Doug ACTUALLY took those poor, desperate, sad men from shelters for the homeless and from breadlines, and it took him QUITE some effort to REALLY cheer them up - but he finally managed, in reality as well as in the film! He'd show his concern for his fellow men's psychology many times, not only in the equally wonderful "Down to Earth" a year later, but also with a whole series of self-help books, beginning with "Laugh and Live" in 1917, where he always tried to convince the readers in the most wonderful and sincere way that OPTIMISM is the road to happiness - just like he did in this movie, which even (or maybe especially) today can teach us a GOOD lesson on how to learn to LAUGH AND LIVE!
    helpful•1
    0
    • binapiraeus
    • Aug 26, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 12, 1916 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Elä elämäsi hymysuin!
    • Filming locations
      • New Jersey, USA
    • Production company
      • Fine Arts Film Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $37,800 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      37 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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