This Happy Breed (1944)
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- Not Rated
- 1h 55min
- Comedy, Drama
- 12 Apr 1947 (USA)
- Movie
Just after World War I, the Gibbons family moves to a nice house in the suburbs. They live an ordinary life throughout the years, but everything changes when World War II breaks out.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Award:
- 1 win.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Robert Newton | ... |
Frank Gibbons
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| Celia Johnson | ... |
Ethel Gibbons
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| John Mills | ... |
Billy Mitchell
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| Kay Walsh | ... |
Queenie
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| Stanley Holloway | ... |
Bob Mitchell
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| Amy Veness | ... |
Mrs. Flint
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| Alison Leggatt | ... |
Aunt Sylvia
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| Eileen Erskine | ... |
Vi
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| John Blythe | ... |
Reg
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| Guy Verney | ... |
Sam Leadbitter
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| Betty Fleetwood | ... |
Phyllis Blake
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| Merle Tottenham | ... |
Edie
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Robin Burns | ... |
Man in Crowd (uncredited)
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Mabel Etherington | ... |
Lady in Crowd (uncredited)
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Dan Lester | ... |
Man in Crowd (uncredited)
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| Jack May | ... |
Mourner (uncredited)
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Jim Morris | ... |
Man Operating Small Boats at Fairground (uncredited)
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Pat Ryan | ... |
Passerby (uncredited)
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Jack Sharp | ... |
Removal Man (uncredited)
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Directed by
| David Lean | ||
Written by
| David Lean | ... | (adapted for the screen by) & |
| Ronald Neame | ... | (adapted for the screen by) & |
| Anthony Havelock-Allan | ... | (adapted for the screen by) (as Anthony Havelock Allan) |
| Noël Coward | ... | (play) (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Noël Coward | ... | producer (as Noel Coward) |
| Ronald Neame | ... | associate producer (uncredited) |
Music by
| Muir Mathieson | ... | (uncredited) |
| Clifton Parker | ... | (uncredited) |
Cinematography by
| Ronald Neame | ... | (photographed in Technicolor by) |
Editing by
| Jack Harris | ||
Editorial Department
| Joan Bridge | ... | associate color director: Technicolor |
| Natalie Kalmus | ... | color director: Technicolor |
| Margery Saunders | ... | assembly cutter (uncredited) |
| Norah Walsh | ... | assistant editor (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
| C.P. Norman | ||
Makeup Department
| Tony Sforzini | ... | makeup artist |
| Vivienne Walker | ... | hair dressing |
| Marjorie Whittle | ... | assistant hair stylist (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Anthony Havelock-Allan | ... | in charge of production |
| Kenneth Horne | ... | production manager (as Ken Horne) |
| Jack Martin | ... | production manager |
| Robert C. Foord | ... | assistant production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| George Pollock | ... | assistant director |
| Anthony Hearne | ... | third assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| G.E. Calthrop | ... | art supervisor to Noel Coward |
| Harold Hurdell | ... | draughtsman (uncredited) |
| Arthur Lawson | ... | assistant art director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| John Cook | ... | sound recordist (as John Cooke) |
| Desmond Dew | ... | sound recordist |
| C.C. Stevens | ... | sound recordist |
| Cyril Crowhurst | ... | dubbing editor (uncredited) |
| Roy Day | ... | sound camera operator (uncredited) |
| Walter R. Day | ... | assistant sound (uncredited) |
| Percy Dayton | ... | boom operator (uncredited) |
| Anthony J. Kay | ... | dubbing crew (uncredited) |
| Gus Lloyd | ... | assistant boom operator (uncredited) |
| Gordon K. McCallum | ... | boom operator (uncredited) |
| George Paternoster | ... | assistant boom operator (uncredited) |
| Winston Ryder | ... | sound camera operator (uncredited) |
| Alan Whatley | ... | dubbing crew (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| W. Percy Day | ... | special effects (as Percy Day) |
| George Blackwell | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
| George Blackwell | ... | models (uncredited) |
| Charles Staffell | ... | back projection (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Guy Green | ... | camera operator |
| Dennis Bartlett | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
| Jim Body | ... | focus puller (uncredited) |
| B. Francke | ... | camera operator (uncredited) |
| David Lytton | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
| George Minassian | ... | focus puller (uncredited) |
| Eugene H.E. Pizey | ... | still photographer (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Hilda Collins | ... | dress supervisor |
Music Department
| London Symphony Orchestra | ... | musicians: score played by |
| Muir Mathieson | ... | under the direction of: The London Symphony Orchestra |
Script and Continuity Department
| Paddy Arnold | ... | assistant continuity (uncredited) |
| Maggie Unsworth | ... | continuity (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Harold Haysom | ... | technician for the Technicolor Company |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Eagle-Lion Distributors Limited (1944) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as Eagle-Lion Distributors Ltd.)
- Wivefilm (1944) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1944) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Gaumont-Eagle Lion (1945) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Universal Pictures (1947) (United States) (theatrical) (as Universal-International)
- Standard Television (1949) (United States) (tv) (as Standard Television Corporation)
- Carlton Visual Entertainment (2003) (United Kingdom) (video)
- Divisa Home Video (2012) (Spain) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2012) (United States) (DVD)
- Elephant Films (2016) (France) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- BFI National Archive (a restoration by)
- British Film Institute (BFI) (film restoration by)
- Granada International (a restoration by/film restoration by, in collaboration with)
- Granada International (high definition transfer and digital restoration by)
- Technicolor Creative Services (high definition transfer and digital restoration at)
- The David Lean Foundation (a restoration funded by/film restoration funded by)
- Western Electric (mirrophonic sound recording)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Episodic telling of 20 years of the working-class Gibbons family in their South London rental house from 1919 to 1939--from just after the conclusion of WWI to just before the start of WWII. Beyond the profound effect of such world events on their lives, and the ebbs and flows of general western society in all aspects, husband and wife Frank and Ethel Gibbons must hold their family together through other, more personal events. Besides their immediate family, their household consists of her mother, Mrs. Flint, who is always feigning that she is on her deathbed; and his spinster sister Sylvia Gibbons, who clings to odd notions of life as her only sense of independence; these two don't get along, each seeing the other as an intrusion on the household. The three Gibbons offspring are a disparate group but generally get along. Only son Reg is easily swayed, especially by his best friend Sam Leadbitter, who wants to see social justice at all cost. While she secretly loves Sam, level-headed older daughter Vi doesn't like Sam's influence on Reg and his life choices. Younger daughter Queenie hates their "common life" and will do almost anything to escape it, meaning that she will not marry Billy Mitchell, who has always loved her, and she has always loved him in her own way although he isn't her idea of husband material. Billy, a career sailor in the British Navy, is the son of their next-door neighbor, Frank's best friend and "Johnnie Walker and soda"-drinking buddy Bob Mitchell; they originally met on the battlefield in 1915, fighting for the British in different regiments. Written by Huggo |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | A Sweeping Panorama of Living See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Box Office
| Budget | GBP200,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | The comment early in the movie about the cat and buttering its paws comes from a technique used when a cat moves houses. According to this, if the cat has butter on its paws it will stop and lick it off. As cats are very clean creatures, the butter on its paws and the bits of dirt/dust/debris that will inevitably stick to it will annoy the cat. The cat will sit down to clean itself and, in doing so, will take in its new surroundings creating a mental map of where its new home is and helping it to make the adjustment to its new surroundings. See more » |
| Goofs | The General Strike ended on May 12, 1926, but when Reg returns home with a bandaged head after the end of the strike the cherry tree in the back garden is still in bloom, long past its flowering period. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Crime Films (2023). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Rule Britannia See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Opening credits prologue: This is the story of a London family from 1919 to 1939. See more » |
| Quotes |
Frank Gibbons:
She didn't pass on, pass over, or pass out! She died! See more » |