The Happy Time

1952

1h 34m

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

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Comedy

Romance

A violinist and his brother guide one's son through his crush on the family maid in 1920s Ottawa.

Directors

Richard Fleischer

Writers

Samuel A. Taylor(theatre play by)

Earl Felton(screenplay by)

Robert Fontaine(story by)

Stars

Charles Boyer

Louis Jourdan

Marsha Hunt

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Top cast

Charles Boyer

Jacques Bonnard

Louis Jourdan

Uncle Desmond Bonnard

Marsha Hunt

Susan Bonnard

Bobby Driscoll

Robert 'Bibi' Bonnard

Mignonette Chappuis

Uncle Louis Bonnard

Grandpere Bonnard

Felice Bonnard

Mr. Frye - School Principal

Alfred Grattin

Peggy O'Hare

Jimmy Bishop

Yvonne Bonnard

Miss Tate - Schoolteacher

Dr. Marchaud

The Great Gaspari

Family Doctor

Monsieur Lafayette - Grocer

Directors

Richard Fleischer

Writers

Samuel A. Taylor(theatre play by)

Earl Felton(screenplay by)

Robert Fontaine(story by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Aside from "Treasure Island" (1950) this might be my favourite film featuring the charming Bobby Driscoll. He's the teenage "Robert/Bibi" who is completely oblivious to the affections of his next door neighbour because he only has eyes for the new maid "Mignonette" (Linda Christian). His obsessiveness starts to affect his schoolwork, and when the lovelorn "Peggy" (Marlene Cameron) doctors a rather risqué copy of "Paris Match" and gets him into hot water, things get so serious as to require the intervention of his dad (Charles Boyer) and two uncles (Louis Jourdan and Kurt Kasznar). They question him about the naughty photos and respect his denial whilst also clocking really quite quickly just what is troubling their young charge. Boyer is also on good form here, and I thought Richard Fleischer's amiable direction allowed the deftly adapted script to tell us a story of pubescent love mixed with familial concern and affection and peppered with some lovely, quite witty, observational humour. Driscoll was seventeen or so when he made this, so he probably had some genuine hormones to add to this genuinely quite enjoyable comedic drama. Don't be put off by the rather ropey title track, it's really quite good fun, this.

Geronimo196708 Dec, 2024