"The Happy Years" is a very good film from start to finish. Despite this, it apparently lost a lot of money...which is pretty sad since it was so good.
The story is about a very obnoxious child who grew up during the late 1800s. Dink Stover (Dean Stockwell) is thoroughly unlikable when the story begins. He's gotten himself thrown out of several very good prep schools and was sent away to them due to his god-awful behaviors at home. When he's ultimately sent to Lawrenceville (a real school), he's told that if he fails there, his next step is reform school.
As soon as Dink arrives at Lawrenceville, it's obvious what the problems are with the boy....he has a chip on his shoulder the size of Iowa and is also very angry. Not surprisingly, his first year at the school is a tough one...and he's thoroughly unlikable.
At this point in the film, you might be inclined to turn off the movie. After all, the boy is impossible to like. However, things do eventually improve and the overall product is very nice. Well worth seeing and with some lovely child acting as well as a nice performance by Leo G. Carroll.
The story is about a very obnoxious child who grew up during the late 1800s. Dink Stover (Dean Stockwell) is thoroughly unlikable when the story begins. He's gotten himself thrown out of several very good prep schools and was sent away to them due to his god-awful behaviors at home. When he's ultimately sent to Lawrenceville (a real school), he's told that if he fails there, his next step is reform school.
As soon as Dink arrives at Lawrenceville, it's obvious what the problems are with the boy....he has a chip on his shoulder the size of Iowa and is also very angry. Not surprisingly, his first year at the school is a tough one...and he's thoroughly unlikable.
At this point in the film, you might be inclined to turn off the movie. After all, the boy is impossible to like. However, things do eventually improve and the overall product is very nice. Well worth seeing and with some lovely child acting as well as a nice performance by Leo G. Carroll.