Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

mark.waltz A well meaning war drama is on the emotional scale of "Mrs. Miniver", "The Fighting Sullivans" and "Since You Went Away" tells the story of how a son's death in the service of his country takes an affect on his father. Heaven couldn't wait for the practically perfect son of pharmacist Don Ameche and Frances Dee, not giving much detail to the mother (basically she seems to just go on with her life) while having Ameche's long dead grandfather (Harry Carey) come back to aide Ameche in his hour of need. Through Carey, Ameche relives the upbringing of his son where great grandpa to be Carey literally died of pneumonia to get to the hospital to see him being born. Three actors play the son from adolescent to pre-teen to young man facing a war he believed strongly in fighting to end. Ameche goes from dour grieving dad to, through flashbacks, returning World War I vet, to young dad, reluctantly disciplining and later standing by every move his growing son makes.Larry Olsen, James West and Richard Crane bring the son to life with his short span on earth, and Ann Rutherford gives more of a home spun feel as one of Crane's girlfriends. Some audiences might find this too goody goody as the Marsh's are quite untroubled and completely supporting of each other, but for me, this represents what grieving families needed to see in 1943. Carey is excellent, and a cameo by the young Harry Morgan as the late son Rusty's navy pal is spectacular. I saw this as a young man facing my own young demons, a relationship with a father that was practically nonexistent, and my own ideals of patriotism I learned by watching movies like this as a kid. It's certainly more a fantasy, but for me, it's a perfect representation of what American life would be like if Hunan beings could just learn to be kind to each other and if families could learn more to relate.

vincentlynch-moonoi I agree with Rooster Davis (one of our contributors) -- this film was a good idea that missed the target.It begins with a great premise -- a young man who has been fighting in World War II is KIA, and his father (Don Ameche) receives the dreaded telegram and becomes very depressed and doesn't seem to be able to even begin to put it behind him. The ghost of Ameche's grandfather arrives to take Ameche for a walk where they review the son's short life. For a while you have the hope that maybe the telegram was a mistake, and the young man will actually come back alive; but that ending would have been unfaithful to what so many families were experiencing in 1943. So, all good premises.So what's the problem? The main problem for me was the length of the B film -- 75 minutes. And that shortness doesn't give us the opportunity to get to know the son very well. As an older teen and then young man we get to know him a bit, but as a boy we see only a couple of brief episodes. A nice kid. But why was he so special to his dad. That just never across. Perhaps another 15 or 20 minutes to expand on that would have made the difference.That's not to say there aren't some good things here. Don Ameche is never a disappointment, and is great here as the father. It's nice to see Harry Carey (as Gramp) in a more substantial supporting role; he's one of the great character actors. It's also nice seeing MGM's Ann Rutherford as a potential girl friend.Look, this isn't a bad film. It just coulda been more. I'll let it hold on to a "7", but that's stretching it.

Wayne119 Saw this movie with my family in 1943 at age 10. We all liked it, even though it made us sad. Seems like it starts with Rusty already dead, killed in the war. Then there are flashbacks to his childhood. What it said to me back then was: war makes no sense. I'm not sure that's what was intended.

westfalj Overall, this film falls within the much larger group of films from this period during screenings of which I like to call, "Buy war bonds!" Not as propagandistic as, say, THOUSANDS CHEER, HAPPY LAND can boast of a relatively amazing performance by a young Harry Morgan, as well as a generally high quality of acting on the part of the star, Don Ameche. Harry Carey, as Gramp, is a bit over the top, however. When HAPPY LAND doesn't remind you of an advertisement for the U.S. War Dept., it will remind you of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Unless you're a die-hard Harry Morgan fan, save yourself the trouble and see Jimmy Stewart relive HIS life in a small town. It's a bit more interesting.