A Yank at Eton (1942)

SYNOPSIS: Timothy Dennis (Mickey Rooney) and his sister (Juanita Quigley) travel the Atlantic to Eton to live with their newly married mother (Marta Linden) and stepfather (Ian Hunter). (Hmm. That doesn't sound so good. Better make it "their recently remarried mother." No, that won't quite do either. Better leave it). At first, our Mick is a bit resentful at being enrolled at Eton, but by film's end he comes to love the Brits.NOTES: As a generalization, Freund photographed the first two-thirds of the film up to and including the car crash sequence, at which point Lawton took over. The difference between the gray-toned lighting favored by Freund and the glossy blacks created by Lawton is really striking. On the other hand, the camera-work is more inventive under Freund's control, using a combination of effective tracking shots and attractive compositions.This was Freddie Bartholomew's last important film role. He starred in a PRC movie, "The Town Went Wild", released in 1945, and finished up with a co-starring part in Edgar Ulmer's "Saint Benny the Dip" (1951). COMMENT: The screenplay itself comes across as rather dated, thanks to blatant wartime propaganda sermonizing, but the players give it their all. In fact, many of the actors seem a bit too anxious to make an impression somewhat larger than life. Edmund Gwenn appears a trifle overly patronizing, whilst Miss Quigley lays on her over- precocious mannerisms with a trowel. On the other hand, Ian Hunter is his usual stuffy self. Alan Mowbray, however, has to be content with only a small part as a helpful driver.As for Master Rooney/Maguire/Yule, he does his best with a rather odd script that doesn't always present the character in a favorable light. The assault on Alan Napier, for example, whilst it makes for plenty of scuffling action, becomes rather violent. It's also rather dubiously motivated and even morally irresponsible. Even if we apply the old adage that boys will be boys, it still loses a deal of sympathy for the title character. Nonetheless, "A Yank at Eton" has been realized on a grand scale, with top location and studio photography, nice second unit work and a wonderfully appropriate Etonian score (deftly recorded too). Although the main unit worked entirely in Hollywood, both exterior locations on the MGM back lot and interiors within the sound stages, all look solidly authentic.

Fun Mickey Rooney picture with Mickey as an American teenager who's a big shot and football star at his high school before his mom marries a stuffy Brit and forces Mickey and his little sister to move to England. Cue the expected clichés that come with fish out of water stories like this. Despite its formulaic plot, it's pretty solid entertainment thanks to that great old MGM gloss and a wonderful cast. Mickey is enjoyable as always, of course. The rest of the cast includes Ian Hunter, Edmund Gwenn, Alan Mowbry, Freddie Bartholomew, and a young Peter Lawford. Not too shabby. The scene stealers are the younger actors, Juanita Quigley and Raymond Severn. Quigley reminds me a little of Virginia Weidler. It's a good movie, though not a great one, that will likely entertain most classic film fans on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It's got heart and humor and feel-good patriotism like they excelled at in the old days. Give it a look if you're a Mickey Rooney fan. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Although A Yank At Eton is supposed to put you in mind of MGM's classic A Yank At Oxford, in fact this film is a reworking of the plot of Boys Town. Please note that Norman Taurog directed star Mickey Rooney in Boys Town and Men Of Boys Town.After the death of her husband, Marta Linden takes a trip to Europe and returns with a new husband in Ian Hunter to the distress of her children, Rooney and Juanita Quigley. She says they're moving to England and Rooney doesn't like the idea because he wants to play football for Notre Dame.Hunter gets the Mick into his old alma mater Eton and Rooney takes to it much like his character of Whitey Marsh took to Boystown. But the Mick's got a heart of gold which soon comes out. If you have seen Boys Town and remember the plot situations that's roughly what happens here.There were some criticisms of A Yank At Eton one of which was the mistake of showing folks using left hand drive in cars instead of right hand which is what they have in the UK. Most of the time the negative was just reversed like they did for Gary Cooper to show a left handed batting Lou Gehrig in Pride Of The Yankees. In crowd scenes that couldn't be helped and unlike A Yank At Oxford, this film was done on the MGM back lot. However having Rooney as a track star was a bit much. Face it folks, Mickey's size and short legs would never have made him any kind of star in running. And here they have Mickey doing hurdles and doing it in street shoes. Track coaches around the world probably laughed their heads off.Although this was a wartime film with the obligatory reminder to buy bonds at the end of the film, there's not a mention of war or impending war in the film. Just a reminder of how Eton trains some of the future leaders in Great Britain who have never let the country down in peril. They might well have quoted the Duke of Wellington's aphorism of how the Battle Of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.It's not Boystown, but A Yank At Eton is an entertaining film if one can overlook some flaws. They should have had Mickey stick to football, he would have been interesting playing rugby in the climax.

By some strange coincidence I caught this movie on the same day that I saw "Lord Jeff"(1938), from M-G-M. I note this because it had some of the same cast (Mickey Rooney, Freddie Bartholomew, Peter Lawford). However, in 1938 Bartholomew was the lead and received top billing. Only four years later, Rooney was the top rated star in Hollywood, and Bartholemew had only a couple of movies left, before M-G-M cut him loose.The stories come from basically the same formula, as well. Both involve boys who are put into a new location, both feel they are better than the others around them, both are shunned by their peers, only to win them over in the final reel. Both are also extremely predictable.This film (the better of the two), will appeal to Rooney fans, and is a decent way to spend an hour and a half. Not a classic.6 out of 10