Happy Land (1943)
Happy Land (1943)
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 4:3 | 01:15:09 | 3,70 Gb
Audio: English AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subtitles: None
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 4:3 | 01:15:09 | 3,70 Gb
Audio: English AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subtitles: None
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
Director: Irving Pichel
Writers: Kathryn Scola (screenplay), Julien Josephson (screenplay)
Stars: Don Ameche, Frances Dee, Harry Carey
An Iowa drugstore owner (Don Ameche) becomes embittered when his son is killed in World War II. The druggist believes that the boy's life was cut short before he had an opportunity to truly appreciate his existence. The grieving father is shown the error of his assumption by the ghost of his grandfather (Harry Carey), who through flashbacks details the good things about the son's short term on Earth, and the wonderful life that the druggist himself has enjoyed. Frances Dee plays Don Ameche's wife, while Ann Rutherford portrays his son's girl (who in turn is played in a flashback sequence by former Little Rascal Darla Hood).
Happy Land (1943)
Based on a novel by MacKinlay Kantor (whose later work Glory for Me would be filmed as The Best Years of Our Lives), and released during the height of World War II, Happy Land is a consideration of "why we fight," and a beautifully gentle, heartfelt film. Living and breathing in its scenes are home, family and freedom.
Happy Land (1943)
![Happy Land (1943)]()
From the wall of Marsh's Drugstore smiles the photograph of a young sailor, Rusty Marsh (Richard Crane). Few customers come into the store without asking, "Anything from Rusty?" His last letter arrived from the Pacific front three weeks ago. Today there will come a telegram from the War Department: "…killed in action…"
Happy Land (1943)
![Happy Land (1943)]()
Bitterly grieving the loss of his son, Lew Marsh (Don Ameche) can't endure the consolement of his wife Agnes (Frances), his minister or his friends. Lew can only retrace his thoughts of the brevity of Rusty's life. Having witnessed his despair, the spirit of Gramp (Harry Carey) appears to Lew, to take him on a tour through their Iowa hometown and the years Rusty spent growing up there, to see the richness of the boy's small-town American life.
Frances Dee and Don Ameche in HAPPY LAND (1943)
Happy Land (1943)
![Happy Land (1943)]()
Happy Land's tour through the past encompasses not only Rusty's life, but also the first meeting and the marriage of his parents. Lew and Agnes' courtship included a picnic sequence, which required Frances to execute the difficult business of creeping through a barbed wire fence "without disturbing the equanimity of the censors."1 An item carried in Florida's St. Petersburg Times noted that Director Irving Pichel, after viewing three sets of rushes, again called for retakes, saying, "I may have to use a double." But a double was, apparently, unnecessary, for in the finished film it's clearly Frances, making her own way modestly through the barbed wire.
Happy Land (1943)
![Happy Land (1943)]()
The tour moves on, finding the young Rusty playing Indian in the cornfields (and Frances comes out, joining in the make-believe for a moment by placing a cornstalk in her hair to be a "squaw" calling the "Big Chief" in for his nap). Growing up, Rusty assists his father at the drugstore; gives his own hard-earned money to help a man in need. Lew and Gramp see Rusty competing in high-school sports, going on picnics in Brigg's woods, falling in love. At last, Lew comes to realize his son's happiness: "Rusty did lead a rich life." When the freedom to live a life like his was threatened, Rusty enlisted; because that kind of life, so worth the living, is worth fighting for, and dying for. "As long as American kids can join the boy scouts," says Gramp, "do a good deed every day; eat ice cream, go to high-school, play football….it will be worthwhile."Remembering Frances Dee
Happy Land (1943)
I thought this was a wonderfully nostalgic movie. The acting is well done, and the end is just a real tear-jerker. It brings back the feelings that I believe really did exist in WWII, right down to the fateful trip the girl from Western Union had to make to deliver the telegram that said his son died. Excitement, no. A few laughs, yes. Great nostelgic drama with a good story line.IMDB Reviewer
Happy Land (1943)
I went into this film with a little trepidation. I was born in the Sixties and I've never known war or the kind of war my parents' generation knew. A lot of these films designed to firm the resolve of the home front were good pieces for their time but would seem dated or clichéd today. "Happy Land" quelled my reservations. It begins with a father(Don Ameche) mourning the loss of his son in combat. Through the course of the film the father goes through the various stages of the grieving. He doesn't get over the loss but begins accepting the reality and goes forth knowing that his son didn't die in vain. The film earns its tears honestly. The sentiments and the emotions portrayed are real. There has never been a more just conflict like the Second World War but the message of "Happy Land" can be applied to present or future engagements.Customer Review, Amazon
Happy Land (1943)
Special Features: None
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