Review by theowinthrop

I saw this film only once forty years ago, but I really enjoyed it. Charles Boyer is the head of a Quebecois family who has to face normal problems of his son's growing up, his brothers (Kurt Kazner and Louis Jourdan) and their problems. It was very heart warming. An example of this is towards the end when Boyer's son (Bobby Driscoll) has been somewhat framed by a rival at his school, and has been humiliated and punished by an unreasonable, martinet teacher (corporal punishment is allowed in Quebec in the 1920s, when the story occurs, and the teacher used a switch on Driscoll). Boyer goes to see the teacher, and discovers that the latter has made a mistake that can be misconstrued as illegal behavior. When Driscoll was whipped the teacher had insisted on him telling the truth. Grabbing the switch, Boyer starts demanding the truth from the teacher now. It was quite an enjoyable moment.

The film was later turned into a Broadway musical also called THE HAPPY TIME, starring Robert Goelet. Occasionally the theme song of that show is revived (usually Goelet's recording of it) on radio.