Figure 1.--This rather confusing Hungarian film, "Az Elso Csoda," of 1969 provides nany glimpses of period boys' clothing. Included are school scenes where the boys wear blue smocks. |
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You can also slect the movies available on HBC by using this alphabetical movie listing. At this time only a few movies have been analized by HBC for clothing information, but more pages are being added all the time. If you have any details or insights into the costuming in these films, pleae forward them to HBC.
HBC is unsure about the title of this film, "A Varazslo" means in English. Hopefully a Hungarian reader will help us with the title. The film itself is a confusing tale, involving an ecletic mixture of robots, horses in high rise appartments, and android doubles
of the main character. In between all of this are scences at school. The boys wear blue smocks. I am unsure how common this was in Hungarian scgools. The many boys involved in the film provide glimpses of Hungarian boys clothes in 1969.
Beautifully made movie. The beginning parts with Mozart as a boy are reportedly useful as a show case of 18th century fashions, but this was before specialized boys' clothing appeared.
Robert Sapolsky
A European coming of age film set in the late 1940s or early 1950s. It has all the required scenes, but really rather disappointing. The boy is about 14 or 15 and wears knickers. He is lovesick and his mother complains, "... and you still in short pants." He replies, "Then why don't you buy me long pants like the other fellows." A few boys in shorts and knee socks appear in the background. One little chap wears shorts and fawn knee socks. Inexplicably he has Dutch-boy style bangs unlike any of the other boys.
This is a film thsat weas made largely because of the interest of Gregory Peck, A young boy finds many friends and comrades when he decides to give up baseball until the world agrees to complete nuclear disarmament. This is technically a very well made movie. The boys involve act their parts cery well. And the questin of nuclear weapoms is certainly one that needs to be considered. The problem with this fil is that the as id often the case wth Hollywood films is that the issue is not really considered. The central point the movie seeks to msake is thst nuclear weapons are terrible. But since the first bomb was exploded in New Mexico, has anyone had any doubts that nuclear weapons were terrible? Just who thinks thst they are not terrible? What this film is, is a typical Hollowood hatchet job on America for having nuclear weapons. Totally avoided are the real questions sabout muclear weapoons. Such as what would the world be like if America did not have nuclear weapons. Would other countries do away with nuclear weapons if America gave them up? Or how many people would have died if Ameica had NOT used nucklear weapons on Japan? Or what would have happeed in Europe after World war II if America had not developed nuclear weapons? These questions are much mnore difficult and do not leave to such anti-American conclusions which is why Hollywood does not pursue them. It is a shame that suh good performances are wasted on such a meaningless film. Jamie Lee Curtis, Joshua Zuehike.
Christmas promises to be very grim for two children in their dingy London flat until a kindly, magical old gentleman comes to call. The time travelogue adventures of Mr. Blunden and two children. Marc Granger, Garry Miller
Lovely little movie about a eccentric bigamist played I think by Clifton Webb, quite a departure from Life with Father. He has two large families. Set at the turn of the century. The younger boys wear rather fancy suits.
A silly comedy with dramatic overtones about an American school teacher and a group of refugee children.
Episodes from Steven Spielberg's 1985 TV series. "?": Students take revenge against a tyrannical teacher. "Ghost Train": A sensitive boy about 10ish lovingly says goodbye to his grandfather who finally is taken by a train.
'Ambssaor Bill' was a Will Rogers vehicle. Will Rogers was a popular humorist. He wrote a newspaper column and appeared on both the radio and in the movies. He was the most popular personality of the late-1920s and early-30s. This is not a particularly good film, but Will Rogers fan will want to see it. The plot involves American ambassador, Bill Harper, who is assigned to represent the United states in a small kingdom of Sylvania. that is threatened by political strife and civil unrest. He of course adopts his characteriic unconventiuinal persona. He befriends the very young Prince Paul whose has become king. His father and mother are separated and he is about to be crowned king. Ambassador Harper advises the young King about his responsibilities and tries to protect him from the primeminister and court officials trying to steal the crown. King Paul is played by Tad Alexander (1922- ). This is a child actor we do not know much about. We do not know of an other film roles played by Tad.
'Amen' is a German film, about a not very well know NAZI killing program that pre-dated the Holocaust, the infamous T-4 euthenasian program. The first large scale NAZI program targetred German children, handicapped children, both mentally and phhsically. Adults were also killed, but the primary target was handicapped children. Many of the personel involved in T-4 and the killing procedures palyed a major role in the Holocaust. The film is based on a 1963 play by Rolf Hochhuth, 'The Deputy, a Christian Tragedy'. There are scenes with the Hitler Youth and German children. The plot focuses on a SS officer, Kurt Gerstein, who was an engineer and designed a mobile water purificaion system. He had a retarded daughter who he cares for deeply. His daughter is reported by the family dictor and taken from him and euthenised in the T-4 program. The film is about Gerstein who opposed the program and his SS career. He attempted to alert the world to the extermination camps. His role in life is depicted in the film.
Elia Kazan classic focusing on a young Greek boy who works his way to America to pursue his version of the "American dream." The boy's plight is to symbolize the immigrant experience.
This is the Henry Winkler version. I believe there is a boy in bangs and knickers at the beginning. A somewhat older boy appears as an apprentice. I didn't see the whole show.
An American middle class family moves from the suburbs to a racially integrated Chicago neighborhood.
Classic movie about teenagers and cars in California during the early 1960s. Ron Howard appears as an older teenager. An excellent film showcasing teenage fashions.
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There are a few Parisian boys wearing shorts in some of the street scenes. One boy at the very beginning wears short shorts. There is a marvelous sene with
Kelly and Parisian street children. Jean playing Joe is vey popular with rhe local children and the scene is set around an improtu English lesson. Kelly began his show business career working with child dancers. He had a wonderful way with children and it shows in this scene. I assume those are French boys, but I'm not positive where that scene was filmed. They look and sound like French children. The scene has a candid look about it, but I assume was csarefully staged. The back and forth between Kelly and the children is quite enchanting, although Kelly does all the dancing. The boys all wear short pants, but only one with kneesocks. One boy wears jean shorts. I am not sure to what extent the scenre was costimed or the chldren were wearing their own clothes. All of the There is also a charming dance scene with a little Mexican girl.
Rambunctious Butch Jenkins is the son of a steel tycoon.
Rather absurd spoof of horror films. In one scene a fully uniformed British school boy, complete with cap, short pants suit, knee socks, and black leather shoes. He is about 7 or so. He reports to his mother, "A naked American man stole my balloons."--figure that out.
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< i>Les Amités Particulières is a classic French film. It is a very romanasque novel. The title could be translated as "The Particular Friendships". Roger Peyrefitte's original book was translated into English as Special Friendships. That English translation is a bit misleading. The novel is about a platonic relationship between boys at a boarding school. I saw the film several years ago and unfortunately do not remenber the details now. The boys, as is the case at most French schools do not wear uniforms. They do commonly wear suits and many boys wear short pants suits with kneesocks. The boy here is pictured in a sweater eith short pants and kneesocks. Except for the dark colored kneesocks, the outfit looks British.
I have little information on this film, I bellieve it is a horror film. A reader reports that father threatens his teenage son (about 16) with a strapping, but does not indicate anything about the costuming..
A French reader reports, "Yesterday my wife viewed an American film " L'amour sans préavis " with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. We don't know the American title of film. The plot is about a lawyer who want to restore an old house. In the credits at the beginning of the film they show actual family photographs of the the actors as children. One photograph shows Hugh Grant dressed in rompers like the French model. He was 2 years old." The American title is Two Weeks Notive. The primary HBC film entry is archived under that title.
" Amy " is also known as " Amy on the Lips ". Another vehicle from the Disney stable in which Jenny Agutter leaves her husband to take up a teaching profession at a school for deaf children. Directed by Vincent McEveety. Cast includes Barry Newman, Kathleen Nolan and Chris Robinson. I haven't seen the film yet so have little information.
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"Anchors Away" is one of those great MGM color musicals. This one is a vehiche for Frank Sinatra's singing and Gene Kelley's dancing. The two appear both together as well as individually. Kelly has a charming dance number with a little Mexican girl. The film begins on an aircraft carrier. It is about two sailors who get a 3-day leave. Kelly playing Joe heads off for a date with Lola. A very young Sinatra playing Clarance is unsure about girls--leading to some well done comic tension. Sinatra was quite a lady's man, even at this young age. The shy, innocent role, hoewever, proved so popular at the box ffice that this was how MGM insisted on casting him. Quite a difference from his subsequent film roles. It was Sinatra's first big film role. Dean Stockwell plays an adorable curly headed mopet nammed Donald. I'm not sure how old he was when the film was shot. The dates suggest about 7-8 years old, but he looks more like 6-7 years old. It was Dean's first film and he charmed movie viewers. I the film, he is being raised by his orphan aunt. He wants to join the Navy and runs away. He won't tell the police where he lives, so the police pull Kelly off the street to convince Donald to tell wher he lives. This of course is how Kelly and Sinatr meet Aunt Susan. It also messes up Kelly's date with Lola. Dean gives a wonderful performance in this light-hearted film. His expressions and lines seem so natural and spotaneous--there is no sence that he is acting, rare in a child star. He appears mostly in pajamas, but also a blue sailor suit with long pants. At school he is the only boy waring a sailor suit. Most of the boys wear suspender long pants. One boy wears suspender shorts. At the end he also wears a white sailor suit. The film was notable for being the fist major motion picture which combined live action and animation--it is a Tom and Jerry dance scene imagined by Donald when Kelley visits his school.
A father and son searches for their young friends in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in northern Iran.
Young son of a sheepherder tries to prove that he is old enough to go along on the grazing treks. Guy Stockwell.
Corny story about the romance of a deaf girl and her doctor. Darryl Hickman
'And so they were married' begins in a ski resort. The acting is a bit sappy, but is a kind of fun film. The two main characters have 9-10-year old kids. The plot is a disappointed widow and a irritated widower find themselves stuck in a ski resort that has only two guests because of a snowstorm. Both have had it with marriage, but despite an inauspicious start fall for each other. Their children get off to an even rockier start. Edith Fellows is plyed by Brenda Farnham. She is the best performer. , but I don't recall seeing her in alot of films. Actually while never a star, she did have usually small roles in quite a number of films. This is here most important role. Jackie Moran plays Tommy Blake, a much better known child actor. They start out determined to break up the budding romance of their parents. Then they decided to get them back together. Edith wears skirts anf long stockings as well a ski outfits. She winds up getting Jackie's spankings because it is dark and she is wearing pants. Jackie tells her, "Serves you right for wearing pants." Jackie wears ski clothes as well as a long pant suit with a sports collars. A third boy, Horace played by Douglas Scott appears. Jackie makes fun of him for wearing short pants. He is more formally dressed with a short pants suit, tie, and knee socks.
Sensitive, but depressing depiction of a Mexican American migrant laborers seen through a boy's eyes. The boy is about 12 or 13 years old and always wears jeans.
A successful businessman stumbles upon a deadly mystery when he becomes a reluctant participant in the search for a missing child.
Two juvenile inventors discover the spirit of their departed father now inhabits their robot creation. Two boys are involved, but I haven't seem the film. I doubt if there is any interesting costuming.
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Jonah Corelli is a lonely deaf boy. He has been misdiagnosed as mentally retarded. The specialists assure them that the boy is retarded and discourage the parents efforts to work with him. His parents allow him to be instituionalized. He is thus placed with retarded children even though he has normal intelligence. And he spends 3 years there. This was a particular problem with deaf children who can appear to be retarded if there defness is not recognized. Jonah's mother (Sally Struthers) and father (James Woods) are shocked to learn that the diagnosis was wrong. They then struggle in trying to establish communication from their seemingly unresponsive boy. Jonah's parents, however, after lengthy efforts manage to teach Jonah to sign. It was a very emotional moment when the lauguage breakthrough happened. Jeffrey Bravin, a9-year old boy, who is really deaf gives a moving performance as the undisciplined, untrained Jonah. The film then depicts Jonah's efforts to begin a whole new life as he learns sign language. The film does a good job of addressing a serious problem and Jeffrey gives a beautiful performance. The original version made no effort to dd subtitles or signing.
Mentally retarded son of Greek immigrants struggles to communicate with people.
Mickey Rooney
An Andy Griffith movie. He plays a small town preacher. There are two boys in the family which wear typical U.S. long pants outfits. For the various church functions they appear quite regularly in suits. Strangely near the end of the film, while the church is burning down, a rather old Scout can be seen briefly in the crowd.
A convicted killer works his way into the life of a woman with whom he has become infatuated while in prison. The woman has a young son.
A choir master has trouble with his boys during a 1963 visit to Blackpool (English seaside resort) in 1963. Some of the boys are in shorts, but the main characters wear longs.
The panoramic story of a Viennese family from the last century to Hitler's time. I haven't seen it, but sounds like it might be worthwhile.
This film is based on Frank McCord's poverty ridden boyhood in America and Ireland. The family imigrated to America and then after his sister Angela died they returned to even more wreched poverty in Ireland.
Manuel Lopez Ochoa
The Angelo in the story is Angelo Evans, who at twelve-years-old knows all there is to know about the streets of New York. The film centres around the sub-culture world of New York gypsies and to add authenticity to the story actual gypsies were used in the making of the film. Robert Duvall directed the film, which includes Angelo Evans, Michael
Evans, Steve Tsigonoff and Millie Tsigonoff.
Two bossom friends from the poor side of town perchance stumble onto a crooks loot and decide to redistribute it to the poor community in an enterprising manner. Once scene calls for one of the boys to come out of the rooms cieling suspended by a robe held by his friend wearing a fully kitted girls pink ballet uniform.
Warm hearted comedy about a baseball team and an orphan who sees angels, actually a bit of a tear jearker. This is a seet movie about a grumpy baseball manager who is turned around by an angel, a little orphan, an a newspaper reporter. Ther are some familiar faces. Beaver Cleaver's mother was apparently a hat check girl before she met Ward. The reporter later became Lois Lane. The orphan is played by a charming little girl with pigtails, I wasn't sure about her name. She rather reminded me of Kevin Corcoran. She looked and sounded just like him. I have since learned this was for good reason--she wa his sister Donna Corcoran. One interesting aspect of this film is that the orphans are at a Catholic orphanage with a uniform rather like the Brownies. At first I thought it was the Brownie uniform, but it is the orphanage uniform, at least they wore it in classes. On the playground they were in dresses--no pant in 1951. She also wears a wide brimmed hat ith long black streamer.
Remake of the 1951 film about a baseball team and two orphans who sees angels. Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is 11 is effective, but the movie is inane and full of baseball cliches.
Dead End Kids and an aging Jackie Searl. This was a sequel to "Angels With Dirty Faces". In this film, the Dead End Kids turn respectable and are taught to dress and behave in a more civilized manner. Again Billy Halop plays one of the lead boys, and we see him here in middle-class boys' clothes. He wears suits, neckties, and sleeveless sweaters. The film also featured Ronald Reagan and Ann
Sheridan, Warner Brothers rising stars in the late 1930s. Billy Halop plays a boy named "Billy" in this film. The first shot shows him dressed up in a suit and tie. In the second shot, we see him (on the right, in semi-profile) still wearing his street-gang clothes before the transformation--a rumpled open-necked sports shirt.
A widow's three children play matchmaker.
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This is one of famous Warner Brothers Dead End Kids films, made in 1938-39. The date of "Angels" is 1938. Again, the boy actor, Billy Halop, is featured as a boy called "Soapy." The plot concerns two
boyhood friends, Rocky Sullivan (played by James Cagney) and Jerry Connally (played by Pat O'Brien). The two friends had a criminal childhood, but Rocky has grown up to be a notorious gangster while his friend Jerry has gone straight and become a priest. The paths of two boyhood friends diverge. A parish priest tries to discourage the Dead End Kids from idolizing a who returns to the old neighborhood. If the film is the one I think, it starts out with kids beating up a rich boy dressed in a dapper long pants suit.
An overweight teenager, who is mocked at school, finds the courage to fight back. Directed by Patrick Johnson from a story by Chris Crutcher, it stars Kathy Bates, George C. Scott and Charlie Talbert.
Lance Kirwin, Keith Mitchell
Non-musical version of the famous confrontation between the English governess and the Thai king. I've only seen bits, but the English boy (Louis) has an interesting costue, although I'm not sure that the long pants are quite correct. In one scene, Louis complains "Oh Mama, do I have to wear this suit?" I'm not quite sure what he was complaining about as they it is a long pants suit. Perhaps it is the collar as it is a large lace collar. Also he wears a cap with a long streamer. His mother is helping him to dress in front of a long mirror. He makes a face at the suit. Although he wears longs, he wears strap patent shoes with his outfit, and the camera plays on them in one scene as he swings his feet sitting on a table.
Anna Karenina is a classic novel by the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy. He published it in serial installments in the the Russian Messenger (1873-77). Many 19th century novelists like Dickens and Burnett used this approch in oublish theur work. Tolstoy himself saw Anna Karenina his first real novel. It was based on a similar actual episode. Anna Karenina, a sensitive but unhappy Russian lady. She is locked in a loveless marriage with the older and very proper Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin. Hevis a stiff official in the Russian Government who has little time for frivolitry and dalianxces with his beautiful young wife and he has has influence at court. Her husband has little emotional interest in her. While not abusive he is largely devoid of emotion. Anna is bored and lonely at home. Enter the dashing and hotly emotionl Count Bronsky a dashing cavalry officer. Anna falls deeply in love. She has an affairs abnd seeks a divorce. Her outraged husband refuses to grant her a divorce. They both face social repercussions. For her husband it is embaeassment. For Anna in an Inperial Russia where women have few legal right it is scandal and ruin. Most importantly she is denined access to her son, Sergri. She divorces and in the scandal loses her son Sergei. Eventually she dramatic trows herself under an on coming train. Critical evaluarions vary. Some see it a trifling tear jearker. Other see it as a work of art of the first order, one of the world's great novels. Wharever the artistic assessment, it is a perfect novel for an emotional chick flick. We know of at least three film versions. All follow Tolstoy's basic story line.
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This film is about a wacky movie starlet who needs publicity. Her publicity agent comes up with various stunts to get her noticed. She falls in love with a romantic author, only we find at the end of the film it is no publicuty stunt. "Annabel Takes a Tour" is a typical poor quality B movie featuring Lucille Ball, of course plays the wacky Annabell. You kind of wonder what she could have done had she been given any decent scripts. At the end of the movie, her boy friend's wife shows up with three kids in toe. The two boys wear peaked caps and matching black short pants suits with knee socks. One of the boys is played by Tommy Bupp. We are not sure about the other two children. The boys' outfit would have been seen at the time as conservative suits wirn by boiys from well-to-do families.
Classic children's book set in Nova Scotia. It is about an orphaned girl, but boys are also portrayed.
The adventures of a spunky red headed orphan. Of course it deals with girls. The film is set around an orphanage.
This is another British film about a public school. Set at Eton and deals primarily with teenage boys, but some junior boys are pictured fleetingly. Dramatization of Soviet master spies Burgess and McLean during their school days. "Another Country" (1985) starring Rupert Everett (Guy Bennett), Colin Firth (Tommy Judd), and Cary Elwes (Harcourt). Guy Bennett is a fictionalization of the Soviet spy Guy Burgess who defected to Moscow and Tommy Judd of the idealistic Communist John Carnford, who died fighting for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. The screenplay was by Julian Mitchell who adapted his very successful play with the same title for filming. Both boys are rebels against the authoritarian conservatism of the school.
Rather soapy melodrama set during and after World War II. A little English boy has a small part. He wears shorts and knee socks. In typically English fashion he is sent out to play wearing a tie.
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Anthony Adverse was a huge production spannuing continents. It was an emensely costly production based on Hervey Allen interminable, but best-selling novel. (It was one of the longest novels ever to become a film.) The plot pursues the saga of Anthony
Adverse accros the globe. Anyjony was the illegitimate heir to the fortune of his cruel stepfather--Don Luis. It is of interest becaise it was one of the most expensive costume drama made up to that rime. In the early part of the movie has Anthony as a boy (Billy Mauch) is turned over to the church. He is raised in a convent where he wears only a cassock, rather a contarst to the elaborate period costumes used throughout the film. I would guess he was about 12 years old. He has a few brief scenes at the beginning of a rather dreadful movie. When he gets older he is taken from the convent to be apprenticed. Some of the village boys set upon him and tear off his cassock and he runs into his new home without any clothes on. Allen throws everying thing but the kitchen sink (perhaps thankfully because it was not yet invebnted) in his film. Even Napoleon is involved. The original book was so long that ot becaomes hard to follow. The basic problem of the film was to condense it, but still have a coherent story. It was not only a popular film, but wom some awards, inmcluding some Oscars. The competent cinematography and wonderful score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold have prevented the film from beig totally forgotten.
A bright little Mexican boy infuriates the town mayor because he can handle a bicycle better than the mayor. Set in the 1920s. The little Mexican boy wears rather plain costumes.
Complications arise when a teenage boy (Corey Haim) masquerades as a girl to avoid a confrontation with the school bully.I don't have the details, but apparently a boy is dressed up as a girl. It appeared on TV as "Just One of the Girls".
A shipwrecked carpenter and his children wage a war of survival against starvation and the bitter Alaskan environment.
Second installment of the Apu trilogy about a Bengali family and the boy Apu. He is now living with his parents and the pace picks up. His father dies and the mother has to become a cook. Apu wins a scholarship.
TV made movie.
An 1870s card shark agrees to take possession of a gold mine for a friend, unaware that three orphans are included in the deal. The kids find a huge gold nugget in the tapped out mine. Two boys are involved, the youngest wears kneepants. Fun little Disney film.
Sequel where a pair of western outlaws try to walk the straight and narrow. Disney Clay O'Brian
A boy and girl try to rescue a prized cow from a German-occupied island in the English channel.
Comedy based on Mordecai Richler's novel about a Jewish teenager on the make in Montreal during the 1940s who comes of age while hustling to get rich. Richard Dreyfuss
Jean-Loup Hubertd made Après la guerre made in 1988. It describes vision of war through kids eyes, narrating adventures of two brothers aged about 7 and 9 years. It is set in the midst of World War II. The boys are waiting in a small village south of France for the arrival of Allied forces. They are confused an mistakingly assuje that retreating German tanks are the Ameruicans arriving. It was summer 1944. The older boy was dressed in the uniform of a village fanfare (band) that was to welcome the U.S. soldiers. The younger boy was wearing his grey school smock. The two boys run back to village shouting "They
arrive". The whole village gathers for a big welcome with French and U.S. flags. When the German soldiers enter the village, they are not amused about such a demonstration and proceed to shoot the mayor. Afraid of their foolish mistake, the two boys slip away to rejoin some family in Lyon.
Revolutionary War drama set around a boy's coming of age when he faces the British with the militia at Lexington. The boy is played by Chad Lowe.
Unexciting musical providing a back stage view of vaudeville. The story line deals with a family. The boy is at military school, but comes home to join the act. He is 12 years in the film, but looks older. He has a very engaging smile, but his lines are a bit hokey. After changing out of his military uniform he wears really uninteresting adult suits. The quick eye will catch a street scene when two boys in straw hats walk by in knee-length shorts.
See "Pather Panchali" (Song of the Road) and "Aparajito" (The Unvanquished). These films are based on the Satyajit novels about a Bengali family and the boy Apu. The third film in the trilogy is "The World of Apu," but it deals with Apu's manhood.
Cecil B. DeMille's "The Arab" was based on the stage play by Edgar Selwyn and very well known silent films. . It was an attempt to capitalize on heart throb Ramon Novarro's nlokbuster appearance in "The Sheil" (1921). Noroccon teenager Kada-Abd-el-Kader plaued an Arab boy. We note him sitting on director's Rex Ingram's chair on the set of the film. Kada after the shooting in I thik Morocco was actually adopted by Ingram and his wife Alice Terry who brought him to America. It seems that Kada was much older than represented to the couple and quickly started living the fast life in America. The couple as a result sent Kada back to Morocco where the fast life was a little more restricted.
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This appears to hve been some kind of international production. The American release name was "The Christmas Tree" and "When Wolves Cry", the video release title. It starred William Holden, but is career was clearly on the decline. The film is rather sappy, but then again it is a Christmas film so a little sentimentality can perhaps be excused. The story line is about Pascal Segur, a 10-year olkd boy. His mother has died. His father is a rich lawyer--Laurent Segur. Pascal spends his vactions with his busy father. An airplane crashes into the sea while Pascal is diving. Laurent, Catherine (his girl friend), and Pascal enjoy their vacation, but blue marks appear on Pascal. He has been contaminated by nuclear weapons from the crashed air plane. The doctors tell Laurent that Pascal has only 6 months to live. Laurent decided to give him the most wonderful 6 months imaginable. Pascal was played by Brook Fuller.
A daring young boy takes a prize winning racehorse across the Outback to participate in an important Melbourne race.
Youth in the 1930s face growing pains.
A local paper owned by a small-town widow is kept alive by a stranger passing through. He also helps a romance between the daughter of the publisher and the Mayor’s son. Directed by Alfred Santell and staring Bob Burbs, Fay Bainter, Jean Parker and Dickie Moore
An 11-year old has deal with the aftermath of shooting intruders. Several friends appear in the story, showing early 1990s clothing styles.
MGM used its newest child star Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins with his characteristic lisp for this family drama. The tile was changed for distribution to to 'Little Mister Jim'. Army Brat was the name of the Hal Erickson novel on which the film was named.
Artists lands a big job, turning his goofy partner's dreams into a popular comic strip. Martin and Lewis romp in which George "Foghorn" Winslow" appears.
"The Aryan Couple" is a British film, directed by John Daly and set in Nazi occupied Hungary in 1944. It tells the story or a married Jewish couple (they masquerade as Aryans) who are the servants
of a wealthy Jewish industrialist (played by Martin Landau). The attractive couple (Hans and Ingrid Vassman, played by Kenny Doughty and Caroline Carver) are about to have their first child, a little girl
whom we glimpse only at the very end of the film. The somewhat unconvincing story has the dignified industrialist, Joseph Krautzenberg, who lives in a palce stocked with the finest old masters,
bargaining with the Nazis for safe passage to Israel in exchange for all his wealth (including the paintings). In the course of the story Hans and Ingrid reveal to their employers that they are Jews in
disguise, and there is great tension about the escape, not only of the patriarch and his wife, but also of Hans and Ingrid who are finally discovered to be Jewish by the Nazi high command among whom Heinrich
Himmler (Danny Webb) and Adolf Eichman (Steven Macintosh) are particularly brutish and cruel. The film ends somewhat sentimentally by both the wealthy couple and his entire family as well as Hans and
Ingrid escaping across the Swiss border and being happily reunited.
Joselito
A 12-year old boy witnesses the execution of his parents in NAZI occupied Holland. He only appears in the first part of the movie. He plays his part well. A little friend and later his son appear only fleetingly. He wears knickers. Well made movie, but a little on the slow side. It's attempt to go deep and indite all war and no just the NAZIs, however, falls a bit flat. MarcVan Uchelen, Derek De Lint.
Darryl Hickman
A Western where a peaceful man who does his duty as a citizen becomes stalked by outlaws. Tommy Rettig
Cold war spy thriller about the son of a nuclear physicist whose son is kidnapped to force him to reveal secrets. The boy is about 10 and gives an impressive performance. He wears jeans as most American boys did in the 1950s. I was rather intrigued because I was just about the same age in 1952 and dressed just like him.
"Attack of the Monsters" was the U.S. release title. The film is better known as "Gamera vs. Gaos".
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The movie “Attention, the Turtle!” (“Vnimanie, Cherepaha!”) was made in 1971. In this marvelous movie there is no ideolgy at all. Children and adults are real, alive people. There is not a single word about USSR, party, communism and so on. The movie is basically a school film. It begins with a scene, where a young school teacher goes on Moscow street dressed in a fashionable mini-skirt and bright short raincoat. On some distance she is followed by two small girls (1st or 2nd grade), who’s dresses are also very short. But when the teacher comes to school, she hides and rolls down her skirt, takes off a bright raincoat, then puts on glasses to become a “true” teacher. This would have been and inconceivable sceen in a Stalinist era film. Children following her also hide and rolls down their skirts, after that run to their teacher and greet her. This film is very touching. It teaches a love of animals. Even more, it openly rejects some traditional Communist principles.
When a teacher says a ritual phrase “There are no indispencable people!” (one of communist ideas, that “one person is nobody, a zero”) a small boy askes her “But who are dispenable people?” and stuns her with this question. More in this movie authors smile about the Soviet obsession with war. Another small boy, the main character's antagonist, is obsessed with war and always paints war pictures. In the plot he steals from a “Corner of live nature” a turtle (who’s name is “Rocket”) and tries to put it under a tank “to check if its shell (armor) is "solid” or not. Another boy, the main character, knowing that Rocket is in danger, runs away from a children hospital where he is being treated. A girl from his class also concerned about rocket helps him by changing clothes with him and replacing him in the hospital. In the climatic scene, he manages to draw the tank commander's attention to Rocket and the tanks turn to avoid Rocket.
This French film is one of the classic films dealing with World War II boyhoods. It begins much like an ordinary school film with the normal friendships and conflicts among the boys. The film centers on the conflict and then growing frienship between the star pupil and a new boy who provides a little competition. Increasingly the War infringes upn the school. Along with being a fine film, many of the classic French school styles are seen, including berets, capes, short pants, and kneesocks. As younger children are not at the school, smocks are not pictured.
Based on the true story of a handicapped woman who organizes and coaches an intercity Little League baseball team. Much of the story revolves around the team which has the first black boy to play in a previously all white league. Quite a well done little story. There are several boys on the team, but none of them wear shorts. Anthony Cafiso
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The popular novel, Broadway play, and movie depicted the experience of Patrick, a rich orphan who comes to live with his eccentric aunt.
I think patrick is about 11 or 12 when he arrive's at Mame's apartment. In the first part of the story he wears smart short pants suits, always with perfectly pulled up knee socks. His school uniform is a black short pants suit, with an English-style peaked school cap. I'm not sure how accurate this was. By the 1940s the standard American short pants suit was black or navy blue, but I'm not sure this was the case in 1929. Patrick is delighted with Aunty Mame buys him his first long pants. He wants to put them on right away. There is a follow up scene several years later when Patrick is in college. Mame buys him a pair of Bermuda shorts which were becoming popular among older boys at the time and he is again delighted. Another real favorite of mine based on the novel of the same name by Patrick Dennis. At the end there is a brief scene with Patrick's son also smartly dressed in a short pants suit. The director was Moton Da Costa.
Rather soppy movie about a woman who treks across Italy to con wealthy ex-lovers to obtain money for an operation to restore her son's sight. The son is played by Sophia Laureen's son. I don't think, however, that there is any notable costuming.
An alien in a Texas town at the turn of the century befriends some school children who prove to the towns people that he is harmless.
With his husband's new play about to open, a New York playwright's wife decides to move out and complicates his life when she leaves their combined brood of five children behind.
See "First Graders."
Saga of a Jewish immigrant family's desire to preserve its heritage while living the American dream. The film is set in the 1930s and 40s and the costuming was quite realistic. The boys wore slacks and short pants, mostly with dark socks. This is a terrific period film about an immigrant man and his family.
"Avatar" was the block buster 3-D scifi movie that broke box office records in 2010. I listened to an appearance of director James Cammeron on the ABC TV program "The View". Her explained to the fawning ladies that he grew up in the 1960s enviromental movement and that "Avatar" was an "anti-coroprate movie". Of course while the movie was showing and the evil marines in the film were attacking the heroic Navi, real life Marines from coropoate-dominated America were recusing the people of Haiti and liberating the people of Afghanistan from the Taliban whoi specialize in runnng the opium trade and and throwing acid in the faces of littlke girls who want to go to school. He preseted himself as a courageous movie maker by taking on the corporations. Of course the ladies of the view absolutely gushed over this and were unable to ask any thoughtful questions. Such as aren't there numerous movies taking on corprations. What doesen't exist are pro-corporate movies. When have you ever seen a Holywood movie about the drug companies which developed vaccines and medications that have saved milliobs, by now billions of people? And how does Mr. Cammeron explain that the greatest environmental problems today are not in corporate-dominated America, but Russia and former Communist countries that didn't have corporations. Mor does Mr. Cameron address the fact thast it was corporate America that helped bring workers into the middle class and provided the industrial mussle to deat both NAZI Germany and the Soviet Union. And today people like Cameron in the media and government pursue anti-coprprate policies and then w\onder why the economy is not profucing jobs. There are many countries in the world that do not have important corporations. They are of course the many desperately poor countries. It is interesting thast the corporate-hating Mr. Camneron chooses to live and work in America and Canada that has many major countries.
L'Avventura has to be one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. For those Europeans who sneer at American action films--this is a must see. It is considered a classic of the Italian cinema. There is one scene of interest. In the midst of a scene where the main character for nobreason spoils the drawing of a young artist, the doors of a large church open. Along crocodile of school boys emerges. They are ecorted by priests with wide brimmed hats. The boys do not have caps. They wear a uniform of dark collar button jackets and long pants. I am sure what kind of school this was. It was a distant view and it was hard to judge the age of the boys. They looked like older pimay or younger secondary students. It was clearly a Catholic school, whether it was a special school preparing seminariands, I am not sure. Perhaps out Italian readers can provide ome insights.
A nun becomes attached to a little boy who has run away from his mother.
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