The first in a series of films about Henry Aldrich, Paramount's answer to Andy Hardy. Here he's played by Jackie Cooper though Cooper bailed after the second film. It was written by the team of Brackett and Wilder though it's not among their finer works.
There's a variety of subplots with a lot of focus on Henry's teachers. Betty Field is a "homey" girl hot for Henry; some smooth kid is Henry's rival; John Howard is a handsome teacher; there's a pompous headmaster; Hedda Hopper is Henry's mother.
The actor who plays the headmaster, Bradley, is terrible - lines dragged out and all heavy. The direction is slow movie and sluggish. There's no high spirits. Henry is a whiner. Betty Field is very good. John Howard's teacher is remarkably accepting of the fact that Henry did cheat. Reliable Lionel Stander steals some scenes as a director.
This was painful to watch at times. Not content just so slow and un-fun. Too many adults. I wish it had just focused on the kids.
2 comments:
It's Henry Aldrich, not Harry. "What a Life" was a hit Broadway play, but it really took off when it was adapted for radio, first as variety show sketches, then as a weekly half-hour sitcom, "The Aldrich Family," that ran from 1939 into the early fifties. The radio versions focused more on the kids.
Thank you!
Post a Comment