The Happy Years (1950)

Based on a collection of stories with the focus on young John Humperdink "Dink" Stover, a student at the Lawrenceville Prepatory School, in 1896, whose family, in Eastcester, New York, have... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Owen Johnson (stories), Harry Ruskin (screenplay)

Stars:

Dean Stockwell, Darryl Hickman, Scotty Beckett

Cast

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

Storyline

Based on a collection of stories with the focus on young John Humperdink "Dink" Stover, a student at the Lawrenceville Prepatory School, in 1896, whose family, in Eastcester, New York, have just about given up on his education because he is an incorrigible student. He gets into one situation after another and incurs the dislike of his classmates, who think he is cowardly but he changes their opinion when he challenges several of them to a fight. When he returns home for the summer, he meets Miss Dolly Travers and increases his 'hatred of women' because she does not accept his schoolboy pranks. Back at school, in the fall, he is more difficult than ever until his philosophy is changed by a teacher.

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Plot Keywords:

pince nez | joke | ice cream | chocolate cake | hitting one's head on the bottom of a table | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Wagner's first film.

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Goofs

When Dink fights White Mountain Canary, he ostensibly takes the dog's water bowl, uses it, and tosses it away. But in subsequent shots of the dog by its house, the water bowl is still there.

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Quotes

The Old Roman: I have in the course of my experience as a teacher had to deal with imbeciles, had to deal with near idiots, but for sheer monumental asininity I have never met the equal of this aggregation.

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Connections

Referenced in The Lawrenceville Stories (1986)

User Reviews

Great Child Ensemble

I attended the Lawrenceville School in the 1970's and 80's. The school had changed in many ways, but there were many things that were still true about the school. The film itself was well done. The Cinematography, acting, and screenplay were especially memorable. In fact, the child actors created one of the best ensembles I have ever seen in a movie about children. I wasn't impressed with the adults except Leo G. Carroll who as always did an exceptional job in the role of 'The Old Roman'. The 40's Technicolor made every frame look like a postcard. Unfortunately, the film was lost for many years, thought to be destroyed in the MGM fire, but it was rediscovered while I attended Lawrenceville. The film is rarely seen on television and has never appeared on video as far as I know. By the way, Gerunds and Gerundives in Latin are not as difficult to distinguish as the screenplay makes out, but it made for some great scenes.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 July 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

You're Only Young Twice

Filming Locations:

Lawrenceville School, Route 206, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,393,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1