Happiness Ahead

1934
Approved
1h 26m

IMDb RATING

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Josephine Hutchinson and Dick Powell in Happiness Ahead (1934)

Society heiress Joan Bradford rebels against her mother's choice of a future husband by masquerading as a working class girl and dating a window washer.Society heiress Joan Bradford rebels against her mother's choice of a future husband by masquerading as a working class girl and dating a window washer.Society heiress Joan Bradford rebels against her mother's choice of a future husband by masquerading as a working class girl and dating a window washer.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

317

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos31

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
According to the Hollywood Reporter's April 22, 1935 issue the Acme Window Cleaning Co. sued Warner Brothers for the use of the names Acme Window Cleaning Co. and Peerless Window Cleaning Co. Because the Acme company in the film was portrayed as unscrupulous, the real Acme Co. asked $100,000 in damages. The outcome of the suit has not been determined.

Quotes
Bob Lane: [angrily to Joan as he leaves] You know, I'm pretty good about that cheating business myself! And all that junk I fed you about being in love with ya was just a lot of conversation! Give me a buzz if you want some windows washed! I'm goin' into business! You know, you may not look so bad from the outside!

Crazy credits
Quite unusually for this era, there's a short pre-credit sequence: a complete refrain of the title song is sung before the main title card is shown. The First National logo zooms toward us out of clouds (just as the WB logo more familiarly does) then Dick Powell is superimposed over the same clouds singing "Happiness Ahead" directly to us.

Connections
Remade as Here Comes Happiness (1941)

Soundtracks
Beauty Must Be Loved
(1934) (uncredited)
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Irving Kahal
Played on piano and sung by Dick Powell

User reviews12

Review

Featured review

6/10

Well, that's taken care of

Dick Powell and Josephine Hutchinson star in "Happiness Ahead," a 1934 film featuring John Halliday, Allan Jenkins, Frank McHugh, and directed by Mervyn LeRoy.

This is a typical class system comedy, common in the 1930s, in which a rich girl, Joan Bradford (Hutchinson) poses as a poor one and meets a window washer, Bob Lane (Powell). The usual complications arise.

This film is a cut above, thanks to the beautiful singing of Dick Powell, as well as his boyish charm. Powell became success as a serious actor and producer, so my generation was not familiar with his early persona. He's marvelous, and overall, he was so multi-talented, he's probably underrated today.

Frank McHugh gives a lively performance as Bob's best friend.

What I loved about this movie were some of the prices given -- a New Year's Eve Chinese dinner for four, plus floor show, was $12.00 and was considered "the damage." It took three years for Bob to raise $700; and to start his own business would be $2000. There was also a shot of a suitcase -- everyone had this particular suitcase, beige with brown and white stripes down the middle.

Very enjoyable.