On the Sunny Side

Roddy McDowall stars in this B film from 20th Century Fox that's a real sleeper. Roddy plays a British kid that's been sent to America and taken in for the war's duration by Don Douglas and Katharine Alexander. He's bunking in with their son Freddie Mercer. The two boys hit it off at first, but then Mercer gets jealous of all the celebrity like attention McDowall gets.

Best scene in the film is when Roddy talks to his mother Jill Esmond on a BBC hookup. Dad's an RAF pilot, no doubt this family is giving its all.

Villain of the piece of Stanley Clements playing the school bully. The parallel between his activities and those of the Axis enemies cannot be missed.

It's a nice kid's drama and holds up very well for today.

ON THE SUNNY SIDE (20th Century-Fox, 1942), directed by Harold Schuster, suggested on Mary McCarthy's "Fraternity," is a simple-minded story about boys, two ordinary boys in fact, of different backgrounds coming together during World War II: one British, the other American. For being programmer of only 70 minutes, this comedy-drama, lacking marque names of major interest then and now, very much belongs to the boys in question, the mild mannered British born Roddy McDowall, and the highly spirited, all-American Freddie Mercer, best known as LeRoy Forrester in the short-lived "Great Gildersleeve" film series (RKO Radio, 1942-44).

The simple plot, reminiscent of similar screenplays that preceded it (Jackie Cooper movies from the early thirties comes to mind), unfolds in typical fashion in a small American town of Englewood, Ohio, the home of a typical American family of 4218 Elm Drive: George Andrews (Don Douglas), his wife, Mary (Katherine Alexander); their 12-year-old son, Donnie (Freddie Mercer), his companion dog, Angus; and their housekeeper, Annie (Jane Darwell). One bright morning while gathered together for breakfast, the family receives a telegram revolving around the father's returning favor for a British family he earlier met in England by agreeing to have their son come live with them for the duration of World War II. Upon coming to the United States by boat, sharing passage with other refugee children escaping the London blitz, Hugh Aylesworth (Roddy McDowall) becomes a delightful addition to the family through his refined English mannerisms. With Donnie and Hugh sharing everything together, including Donnie's friends and having him part of his many activities. he soon becomes jealous over Hugh's popularity in school and at the clubhouse where the members would rather have Hugh appointed president over Donnie. Things become worse as Donnie's girlfriend, Betty (Ann Todd), starts fussing over Hugh, and apparently noticing the same treatment coming from his own parents.

Having made a wonderful impact under John Ford's Academy Award winning direction/ Best Picture winner of HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (20th, 1941), where Roddy was billed simply as "Master Roddy McDowall," ON THE SUNNY SIDE, his fourth movie, is an agreeable little film seemingly geared mostly for the juvenile crowd. Consisting of enough kids to go around in the similar fashion of Hal Roach's "Our Gang" comedy shorts of the thirties, minus the antics of Alfalfa, Spanky and Darla Hood for amusement purposes, there are other kids to do the same, but not as effective, including Stanley Clements (Tom Sanders, the trouble making bully); Freddie Walburn (Dick); Leon Tyler (Flip); Claude Binyon (Billy); and Tommy Tucker (Boots). As for the adults, the cast consists of Jill Esmond (Mrs Aylesworth); Doris Lloyd (Mrs. Whitaker); and Billy Benedict (The Messenger).

Unseen in the television markets since the 1960s or so, with limited broadcasts in recent years, namely from cable television's Fox Movie Channel, ON THE SUNNY SIDE remains virtually forgotten by today's standards. With limited highlights, worthy mention includes how the boys adjust to each other's customs and way of speaking; Hugh getting accustomed to American slang from Donnie's now outdated phrases of "That's keen," "Jeepers," and "Swell," and Donnie's adjusting to McDowall's tea time and midnight outbursts in his sleep as he mistakes an outside police siren for a London air raid. The scene involving Hugh talking with his parents via short-wave radio is well-handled, showing the reflection of the times. In traditional kid movies, there's some fighting involved, and vengeful practical joke or two, resulting to saying to oneself, "Boys will be boys." Though ON THE SUNNY SIDE leaves the impression for an upcoming sequel that never comes, this minor little film does manage to leave one with good feeling on the sunny side. (**1/2)

In his first starring role, Roddy McDowall portrays an English boy named Hugh, who is sent to stay with an American family on the "sunny side" of the pond in order to escape the Nazi blitz.

The initial excitement of the host family's young son (Freddie Mercer, nephew Leroy in the "Great Gildersleeve" film series) at having a "brother" to pal around with gradually gives way to resentment when the visitor's impeccable manners and efforts to adopt American slang charms his parents to the extent that they begin neglecting him. To make matters worse, the members of his kids' club vote to replace him with Hugh as their president after the latter routs a bully who has commandeered their clubhouse (Stanley Clements, GOING MY WAY) from the premises with a homemade, chemical stink bomb.

When Hugh is decked by a flying rock from the hands of the bully, the two boys team up to settle the hash of both the bully and his goon, sending them packing. Then, once Hugh points out to his surrogate parents that they've been favoring him at the expense of their own son, all is happily resolved.

Produced for the lower half of 1940s double bills, this movie was most definitely designed to please the kiddie trade. Since it wasn't filmed in color, however, getting today's youth to give it a look will likely constitute a problem. I rate it two out of a possible five stars.

Much of the dialogue is trite and too much of the acting is predictable over-reaction, probably needing tighter direction, and sharper writing.

Still, remembering the context, 1942 and early days of United States participation in World War II, and bearing in mind young people tend to be much the same from generation to generation -- hormones, peer pressure, unpleasant chores, etc. -- "On the Sunny Side" can be entertaining and interesting.

And, besides, Roddy McDowall is the star, and he is always fun to watch and hear.

Probably the strongest character, though, is played by Stanley Clements, whose characterization was somewhat of a stereotyped bully, but Mr. Clements continued to play similar roles almost to his death.

In fact, he was chosen as replacement for Leo Gorcey in the Bowery Boys movies.

Freddie Mercer plays Don, the young United Statesian who starts out eagerly hosting the young English refugee, but who starts to get jealous as everyone -- except the bully, but including Don's dog -- welcomes the Brit, who becomes quite the big man among Don's family and school mates.

Perhaps it's all predictable, but still, again considering the context, it can be quite a bit of fun, and also quite a bit of sadness as we get reminded of what misery and horror innocent young people suffered because of war.

There is a very talented cast, who are mostly able to overcome the script and directing flaws with their own talent and the basic sense of life of the movie

There is one fight scene that smacks of Yakima Canutt choreography, but not, perhaps, enough, though there are moments of stunt-work genius amidst the bad camera-work and clumsiness.

"On the Sunny Side" was offered On Demand, and I saw it 11 August 2015. It's good enough I can recommend it to anyone who remembers the context.