Era Sempre Primavera

This film is vintage Dean Stockwell as a child actor and is certainly representative of the outstanding performance he invariably produced. The supporting cast is equally as strong. Leon Ames, Leo G. Carroll and Dwayne Hickman are pure delight, and Wellman's direction is spot on as always. The plot is rather rambling, but that really seems only to add to its charm. These are the adventures (and mis-adventures) of some turn-of-the-century prep school boys as remembered by Owen Johnson in his novel THE LAWRENCEVILLE STORIES. The movie is as warm-hearted, funny, and thoroughly engaging as the original book. About 1988 this film was remade as a TV mini-series, using the same title as the book. The complete mini-series was made available about 1992 as a double-cassette VHS recording. But, alas, it seems no one wants to resurrect THE HAPPY YEARS, more's the pity. I, for one, would snap up a copy on either VHS or DVD instantly. Any takers out there, video producers?

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.

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.

I love this movie - but then I loved the book "The Lawrenceville Stories" that it was based on. The scene when Dink falls in love is graven on my memory forever. Lively school tales of boys plotting, fighting, and finally making friends of enemies. Leo G. Carroll very good as "The Old Roman".

Great Dean Stockwell coming of age, and this is one of his best roles.

Stockwell plays a rebellious, wisecracking schoolboy at odds with the world. The film captures a slice of early 20th century Americana through precocious teens at prep school discovering sports, academia, and of course, girls. Funny and touching, with a great cast and story that even connects today. Leo G. Carroll as a nemesis teacher is excellent, and the antics of the "Tennessee Shad" are still being copied in similar themed films.