''Those Were the Days!'' is a 1940

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

Theodore Reed Theodore Reed (June 18, 1887 – February 22, 1959) was an American film director, producer and former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Selected filmography * '' Say! Young Fellow'' (1918) * ''Arizona'' (1918) * '' ...

and starring

William Holden William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...

and

Bonita Granville Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather (February 2, 1923 – October 11, 1988) was an American actress and producer. The daughter of vaudevillians, Granville began her career on the stage at age three. She initially began as a child actress, making h ...

.''Those Were the Days''
at New York Times

Plot

On their 35th wedding anniversary, Petey and Martha Simmons remember how they met in college. Petey Simmons is a wealthy newcomer at college, so rival fraternities fight over him. His ego swells as fraternity boys and pretty girls bid for his time. At a school dance, Petey's shy roommate invited campus beauty Mirabel Allstairs to be his date. Petey ignores his own date, Martha Scroggs, dancing with other girls instead. Petey, who had previously been arrested, pulls pranks on campus, such as changing a professor's clocks to delay an exam. A later act of vandalism leads to another arrest. The judge threatens to throw the book at him, sentencing him to six months in jail. Petey asks for a week's continuance before sentencing, then uses the time to court Martha when he discovers that she is the judge's daughter. When his scheme is revealed, Petey is locked in the town jail by the angry judge. However, Martha is smitten with him and is intentionally arrested so that she can occupy the cell next to Petey's, holding hands with him between the bars. With the flashback completed and in the present day, the old judge still cannot believe how his daughter and son-in-law came together. They also hear that Petey Jr. has just been arrested, but the judge is not surprised.

Cast

''Those Were the Days!'' is Barrett's final film; she retired from after completing work on the film.

References

External links

''Those Were the Days!''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

* 1940 films 1940 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films 1940s American films {{romantic-comedy-film-stub