Those Were the Days! (1940): Cast & Plot
Those Were the Days! is a 1940 romantic comedy directed by Theodore Reed, starring William Holden as P. J. "Petey" Simmons, Bonita Granville and Vaughan Glaser. It runs 1 hour 14 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 14m (74 min)
- Director
- Theodore Reed
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Paramount Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Those Were the Days! About?
The premise of Those Were the Days! without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
William Holden, famed for “Golden Boy,” shines in a tender turn opposite Bonita Granville. At a family reunion, an elderly man looks back on the misadventures and naive ambitions of his freshman year in college, offering a nostalgic and heartfelt reflection on youthful folly. The story blends humor and sentiment as he confronts the lessons learned.
Those Were the Days! Themes & Keywords
· 25 tags- couple
- college
- tied to a chair
- bound and gagged
- wedding anniversary
- telegram
- shyness
- school dance
- roommate
- rock thrown through a window
- professor
- party
+13 more Show fewer
- judge
- jail
- hazing
- father daughter relationship
- examination
- college life
- calculus
- advice
- 1940s
- 1900s
- fraternity
- campus
- based on novel
Those Were the Days! Cast & Characters
William Holden leads the cast as P. J. "Petey" Simmons, with Bonita Granville as Martha Scroggs and Vaughan Glaser as Malachi Scroggs. Directed by Theodore Reed; 28 actors are credited in all.
- Director Theodore Reed
-
William Holden as P. J. "Petey" Simmons - Bonita Granville as Martha Scroggs
- Vaughan Glaser as Malachi Scroggs
- Judith Barrett as Mirabel Allstairs
Also Starring in Those Were the Days!
· 24 more- Aldrich Bowker Judge Squire Jennings
- Stanley Blystone Policeman
- Lucien Littlefield Professor Sillicocks
- Alan Ladd Keg Rearick
- Harry C. Bradley Conductor
- Nora Cecil Mrs. Moffett
- Douglas Kennedy Allen
- Sam Ash Clerk
- William Frawley Prisoner
- Richard Carle Old Man
- Steve Pendleton Connie Mathews
- James Seay Andrews
- Richard Denning Briggs
- Phillip Terry Ransom
- Jimmie Dodd Evans
- Dora Clement Mrs. Holland
Show all 28 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Mark Roberts Allison
- Wanda McKay
- John Laing Saunders
- Tom Rutherford Sam Byers
- John Hartley Whipple
- Wilda Bennett Miss Chickering
- Ezra Stone Alexander "Allie" Bangs
- Lane Allan
Those Were the Days! Plot Summary
What happens in Those Were the Days! from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 11 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 1-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
On their 35th wedding anniversary, Petey Simmons, William Holden, and Martha Scroggs reminisce about how they first met in college. Petey, a wealthy newcomer, quickly becomes the center of attention as rival fraternities vie for his time, and his ego swells as both fraternities and campus girls jockey for a piece of his attention.
At a school dance, his shy roommate arranges for campus beauty Mirabel Allstairs, Judith Barrett, to be his date, while Petey ignores his own partner, Martha Scroggs, Bonita Granville, and dances with other girls.
Full summary
The whole story of Those Were the Days!, scene by scene
Seen Those Were the Days!?
Movies Like Those Were the Days!
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Those Happy Days, Those We Love and Days Of Love.
Those Were the Days! FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Those Were the Days!, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Those Were the Days!?
Those Were the Days! runs 1 hour 14 minutes (74 minutes).
When was Those Were the Days! released?
Those Were the Days! was released on July 14, 1940.
Who directed Those Were the Days!?
Those Were the Days! was directed by Theodore Reed.
More films by Theodore Reed Who is in the cast of Those Were the Days!?
Those Were the Days! stars William Holden as P. J. "Petey" Simmons, Bonita Granville as Martha Scroggs and Vaughan Glaser as Malachi Scroggs, among 28 credited actors.
Does Those Were the Days! have a post-credit scene?
No. Those Were the Days! has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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