''Happy Days'' (Italian: ''Giorni felici'') is a 1942 Italian " white-telephones"

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Gianni Franciolini Gianni Franciolini (1 June 1910 – 1 January 1960) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 19 films between 1939 and 1959. Life and career Born in Florence, in 1929 he moved to Paris to study journalism; there he came in ...

and starring

Lilia Silvi Lilia Silvi (22 December 1922 – 27 July 2013) was an Italian film actress. Silvi was one of several young actresses presented as an Italian equivalent to the Canadian-born Cinema of the United States, Hollywood star Deanna Durbin. She appeared ...

Amedeo Nazzari Amedeo Nazzari (10 December 1907 in Cagliari – 5 November 1979 in Rome) was an Italian actor. Nazzari was one of the leading figures of Italian classic cinema, often considered a local variant of the Australian–American star Errol Flynn. Al ...

and

Leonardo Cortese Leonardo Cortese (24 May 1916 – 31 October 1984) was an Italian film actor and director. He appeared in more than 30 films between 1938 and 1962. He also directed eight films between 1952 and 1967. He was born and died in Rome, Italy. Sel ...

.Ben-Ghiat p.331 It was based on a play by

Claude-André Puget Claude-André Puget (22 June 1905, in Nice – 14 August 1975) was a 20th-century French playwright and screenwriter. Theatre Plays *1932: ''La Ligne de cœur'' *1933: ''Valentin le Désossé'' *1937: ''Tourterelle'' *1938: ''Les Jours heureux ...

, which had been made into a French film '' Les jours heureux'' the previous year. It was shot at the

Palatino Studios The Safa Palatino Studios are a complex of film and television studios in the Italian capital Rome. It is owned by Mediaset, who use it for the production of television programmes. Historically, the site was used as a film studio from the 1930s to ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Piero Filippone Piero Filippone (1911–1998) was an Italian art director who designed the sets for around two hundred films. He created the sets for Roberto Rossellini's 1954 film '' Journey to Italy''.Brunette p.416 Selected filmography * '' Three Cornered H ...

and

Mario Rappini is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...

Synopsis

Due to engine trouble, an

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

is forced to land and spend the day at a

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

while his plane is repaired by mechanics. His arrival provokes both love and jealousy amongst the villa's inhabitants.

Cast

as Franca *

as Michele *

as Oliviero *

Valentina Cortese Valentina Cortese (1 January 1923 – 10 July 2019) was an Italian actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in François Truffaut's ''Day for Night'' (1973). Personal life Cortese was bor ...

as Marianna *

Vera Carmi Vera Carmi (23 November 1914 – 6 September 1969) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in more than 50 films between 1940 and 1956. She was born in Turin, Italy and died in Rome, Italy. Life and career Carmi was born Virginia Doglioli ...

as Nietta *

Paolo Stoppa Paolo Stoppa Knight Grand Cross (6 June 1906 – 1 May 1988) was an Italian actor. Biography Born in Rome, he began as a stage actor in 1927 in the theater in Rome and began acting in films in 1932. As a stage actor, his most celebrated ...

as Bernardo *

Silvio Bagolini Silvio Bagolini (4 August 1914 – 26 September 1976) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1936 and 1973. Life and career Born in Bologna, Bagolini studied architecture at the Bologna University, without gr ...

as Il motorista * Alfredo Salvatori as Il meccanico

References

Bibliography

Ruth Ben-Ghiat Ruth Ben-Ghiat is an American historian and cultural critic. She is a scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders. Ben-Ghiat is professor of history and Italian studies at New York University. Biography Born in the United States to an Israeli ...

. ''Italian Fascism's Empire Cinema''. Indiana University Press, 2015.

External links

* 1942 films Italian comedy films Italian black-and-white films 1942 comedy films 1940s Italian-language films Films directed by Gianni Franciolini Italian films based on plays Minerva Film films Films shot at Palatino Studios 1940s Italian films {{1940s-Italy-film-stub