The Happiest Days of Your Life

Infobox Film
name = The Happiest Days of Your Life


caption = The DVD Cover
director = Frank Launder
producer = Frank Launder
Sidney Gilliat
writer = John Dighton
Frank Launder
starring = Alastair Sim
Margaret Rutherford
music = Mischa Spoliansky
cinematography = Stanley Pavey
editing = Oswald Hafenrichter
distributor = British Lion Films
released = 1950
runtime = 81 min.
country = UK
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
imdb_id = 0042541

"The Happiest Days of Your Life" is a 1950 British comedy film based on the play by John Dighton and directed by Frank Launder. The two also wrote the screenplay.

Plot

Set shortly after the end of World War II, confusion reigns when St. Swithin's Girls' School is accidentally billeted with Nutborne College - a boys' school. The two heads, Wetherby Pond (Alastair Sim) and Muriel Whitchurch (Margaret Rutherford), try to cope with the chaos as the students try to live with the cramped conditions and make the most of the opportunities.

Things come to a head as a group of governors from the prestigious school to which Pond has applied to be headmaster pay a visit at the same time as the parents of some of the St. Swithin's students unexpectedly come for a tour. Frantic classroom changes are made, and hockey, lacrosse and rugby posts and nets are swapped about, as students and faculty try to hide the unusual arrangement. Ultimately, the facade collapses when one of the girls' parents is obsessed with seeing the lacrosse, one of the governors is impatient to see the rugby team. The punchline is delivered - a clever swipe at bureaucracy - as, weeks too late, a Ministry man appears to declare everything sorted - "You are a co-educational school, I believe. Well I've arranged for ANOTHER co-educational school to replace St. Swithin's next week ... it appears they're ahead of schedule." At this point, several coachloads of children and staff appear noisily and utter chaos ensues.

Cast

* Alastair Sim...Wetherby Pond
* Margaret Rutherford...Miss Whitchurch
* Joyce Grenfell...Miss Gossage
* Richard Wattis...Arnold Billings
* John Bentley...Richard Tassell
* Bernadette O'Farrell...Miss Harper
* Guy Middleton...Hyde-Brown
* Edward Rigby...Rainbow

Reception

The film was very successful, leading to the unofficial sequel, "The Belles of St Trinian's". The acting was praised, in particular Joyce Grenfell; while Alastair Sim's portrayal of the kindly headmaster Wetherby Pond was seen as one of his strongest roles. [ [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/487612/index.html screenonline: Happiest Days of Your Life, The (1950) ] ]

Quotes:

Miss Whitchurch: "Many of our gels come from the colonies - St. Swithin's has always specialised in outposts."Pond: "Madam, I am not in the least interested in where they come from, or whther the Sun never sets upon them. The point is they can't stay here!"

Pond has been trying to teach an English grammar lesson in the front hall of the school and has been interrupted almost continuously by Miss Whitchurch, passing girls, two men carrying and dropping an iron bedstead and a woman canvasser talking loudly and insistently to the housekeeper at the front door..."

Pond: "What's the use - I might as well try to teach at Waterloo Station."Housekeeper: "Mr. Pond, there's a lady at the door who wants to know if you'll vote for Miss Weston in the election."Pond's gaze rolls around to face her.Pond: "Mrs. Hampstead, you may inform your lady that if there is a MALE candidate, whether he is Conservative, Socialist, Communist or Anarchist - or for that matter Liberal - he will have my vote."

References

Notes

Bibliography

*The Great British Films, pp 142-143, Jerry Vermilye, 1978, Citadel Press, ISBN 080650661X

External links

*imdb title|id=0042541|title=The Happiest Days of Your Life
*amg title|id=1:94275|title=The Happiest Days of Your Life
* [http://www.uq.net.au/~zzdmcana/StTrinians/happiestdays.html "The Happiest Days of Your life"] at the [http://www.uq.net.au/~zzdmcana/StTrinians St. Trinian's] website