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It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The Dink Stover stories like the Frank Merriwell ones were most popular back at the turn of the last century. This particular one concerns the young man even before he's at Yale as a rebellious youth going to Lawrenceville Prep back in 1896.Dean Stockwell who was at the height of his juvenile popularity in 1950 plays young Stover and in the fashion of those days was given the nickname 'Dink' as it was thought his full moniker was a bit high falutin'. He's a rebellious one and makes an enemy in upper classman Darryl Hickman who he fights once and swears to fight and win. As they said back in those days, the kid has Moxie.I'm surprised that these stories and the Dink Stover character was never given to Mickey Rooney a decade earlier when he was at MGM. It seemed a natural for the Mick in his salad days. Stockwell good actor that he was and the rest of the cast were not box office. The film lost money for MGM.Leo G. Carroll was the Latin teacher and head of Stockwell's house at the prep school recognizes leadership potential. But it takes a lot to get it out of him, especially with his feud with Hickman dominating all his thoughts.Sad this film didn't do better for MGM. It's a nice nostalgia filled film of those halcyon days before World War I.

When I first started watching this film, I found it slow going. I couldn't get into it and couldn't understand how it could have gotten such rave reviews from others. And then something happened. It "grew on me." The excellent acting, the classic story (think of a pre-teen Paper Chase with Leo G. Carroll being the dreaded professor), the quaintness of the 1800s setting...I don't know, it just got to me.And then I realized that life imitated art. Because that's the whole theme of the film, that this boy who goes off to school and hates it eventually grows to not just fit in but flourish (but as I say, that's a classic story). And much of the success of the movie is due to that boy (Dean Stockwell) and his winning ways, as an actor and in character.Leo G. Carroll deserves a special tip of the hat, too. He will always be Topper to me from the old TV show. But he brings just the right amount of bassett hound looks and solid good nature yet strictness to the role.The Happy Years may not be the best movie ever, but it is a happy few hours of entertainment.

I attended the Lawrenceville School in the 1970's and 80's. The school had changed in many ways, but there were many things that were still true about the school. The film itself was well done. The Cinematography, acting, and screenplay were especially memorable. In fact, the child actors created one of the best ensembles I have ever seen in a movie about children. I wasn't impressed with the adults except Leo G. Carroll who as always did an exceptional job in the role of 'The Old Roman'. The 40's Technicolor made every frame look like a postcard. Unfortunately, the film was lost for many years, thought to be destroyed in the MGM fire, but it was rediscovered while I attended Lawrenceville. The film is rarely seen on television and has never appeared on video as far as I know. By the way, Gerunds and Gerundives in Latin are not as difficult to distinguish as the screenplay makes out, but it made for some great scenes.

The entire cast is marvelous in nostalgic homage to a boys' school around the turn of the century. Dean Stockwell stars in the lead role of "Dink" Stover, an adolescent terror who is sent to the school as a last resort in trying to rein in his turbulent behavior. The laughs are fast and furious. The memories are many. I watch this comedy any time I get the chance.