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robmohar
Reviews
The Happy Years (1950)
My favorite childhood movie
I remember, as a little guy, stumbling across this movie one summer afternoon on the local TV channel. I then waited for it to show up again, which it did a couple more times. It never came out on VHS or DVD, but I was lucky enough to buy the 16mm MGM reels at an estate sale. I hadn't seen the movie for 35 years, and had a great time showing it to my children. The movie has many small, seemingly insignificant moments that together create characters we can't help but care about: the wash basin, the toothpick, "Follow the Esplanade", gerund vs. gerundive, the ear, "Maude Adams", the goal posts (before and after), the pancakes. When Dink has his last talk with The Old Roman, the story's true meaning hits us like a McCarty tackle. This is a wonderful movie.