''A Yank at Eton'' is an American comedy-drama film directed by

Norman Taurog Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Skippy'' (1931). He i ...

for

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

and starring Mickey Rooney, Ian Hunter, and

Peter Lawford Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford ( Aylen; 7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984) was an English-American actor.Obituary '' Variety'', 26 December 1984. He was a member of the " Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of US president John F. Kennedy and se ...

. Released in 1942, it is a kind of junior thematic sequel to MGM's British-made film '' A Yank at Oxford'' (1938).

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won t ...

, who played a school official in the earlier film, has a similar role in this one. ''A Yank at Eton'' was filmed entirely in the United States.

Plot summary

Timothy Dennis is a cocky American youth who has to move to Britain, where he is sent to attend the elite

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

. Ronnie Kenvil is an arrogant upperclassman who makes Timothy's life particularly difficult. Timothy suffers through the problems of the misunderstandings arising from differences between the two countries' cultures, customs and language. At first these differences cause him confusion and anger, particularly against the traditional practices of

fagging Fagging was a traditional practice in British public schools and also at many other boarding schools, whereby younger pupils were required to act as personal servants to the eldest boys. Although probably originating earlier, the first account ...

and physical hazing inflicted at Eton on the lower boys by the uppers. He finds the Etonian manners and behavior as snobbish and stuffy. Eventually young Timothy settles in, stops being rebellious, and comes to realize that, beneath the different habits and views, "Yanks" and "Limeys" have basic values in common and can get along when they have to. At one point he is unjustly accused of sneaking out of his dormitory, stealing a car, and wrecking it on his way home from a night at a tavern, but in the end he proves that Ronnie instead was the culprit.

Cast

* Mickey Rooney as Timothy Dennis *

as Headmaster Justin * Ian Hunter as Roger Carlton *

Freddie Bartholomew Frederick Cecil Bartholomew (March 28, 1924 – January 23, 1992), known for his acting work as Freddie Bartholomew, was an English-American child actor. One of the most famous child actors of all time, he became very popular in 1930s Hollywoo ...

as Peter Carlton *

Marta Linden Marta Linden (born Marta Leffler; October 24, 1903 - December 13, 1990) was an American actress. She was best known for appearing in Mickey Rooney's film ''A Yank at Eton'' (1942). Early life Linden was born Marta Leffler on October 24, 1903, ...

as Winifred Dennis Carlton *

Juanita Quigley Juanita Quigley (24 June 1931 – 29 October 2017) was an American child actress in motion pictures of the 1930s and 1940s. She had a sister, Rita Quigley, who was also a child actress. Career Juanita Quigley was billed as "Baby Jane" in severa ...

as Jane "The Runt" Dennis *

Alan Mowbray Alan Mowbray (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood. Early life Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army in Wo ...

as Mr. Duncan *

as Ronnie Kenvil * Raymond Severn as Isaac "Inky" Weeld *

Lyndon Brook Lyndon Brook (10 April 1926 – 9 January 2004) was a British actor, on film and television. Family and early life Lyndon Brook was born on 10 April 1926 in Los Angeles, California, to British parents. He came from an established acting fami ...

as Student (uncredited) *

Harry Cording Hector William "Harry" Cording (26 April 1891 – 1 September 1954) was an English-American actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in the films '' The Black Cat'' (1934) and ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938). Life and career ...

as Bartender (uncredited) *

Terry Kilburn Terence E. Kilburn (born 25 November 1926), known for his acting work prior to 1953 as Terry Kilburn, is an English-American actor. Born in London, he moved to Hollywood in the U.S. at the age of 10, and is best known for his roles as a child ac ...

as Hilspeth (uncredited)

Production notes

The propaganda intent, as U.S. troops poured into the U.K. to join

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in 1942, was evidently to show that Americans and Britons could set aside their superficial differences and pull together in the war effort. This film contained Lawford's first significant Hollywood role. The film has the Eton boating song as its theme tune (played at a faster tempo than usual), though no boating is shown in the film.

Reception

According to MGM records, it earned $1,542,000 in the US and Canada and $1,135,000 elsewhere, giving the studio a profit of $1,101,000.."101 Pix Gross in Millions"
''Variety''. 6 January 1943. p. 58

References

External links

* * * * 1942 films 1942 comedy-drama films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1940s English-language films Eton College Films directed by Norman Taurog Films scored by Bronisław Kaper British comedy-drama films British black-and-white films Films set in boarding schools 1940s British films {{comedy-drama-film-stub