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The Happy Time

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6.3/10 • 13

1952-10-301h 34m

ComedyRomance

"Eet ees magnifique". And it's all about the birds and the bees...and a lot of delightful people.

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

Directors
Richard Fleischer
Editors
William A. Lyon

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Charles Boyer

    Charles Boyer

    Jacques Bonnard

  2. Louis Jourdan

    Louis Jourdan

    Uncle Desmond Bonnard

  3. Marsha Hunt

    Marsha Hunt

    Susan Bonnard

  4. Bobby Driscoll

    Bobby Driscoll

    Robert 'Bibi' Bonnard

  5. Linda Christian

    Linda Christian

    Mignonette Chappuis

  6. Kurt Kasznar

    Kurt Kasznar

    Uncle Louis Bonnard

  7. Marcel Dalio

    Marcel Dalio

    Grandpere Bonnard

  8. Jeanette Nolan

    Jeanette Nolan

    Felice Bonnard

  9. Jack Raine

    Jack Raine

    Mr. Frye - School Principal

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Dec 8, 2024

7/10

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.

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  • The Happy Time backdrop

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
violinist1920sottawa, canada