Childhood Days

Its hokey, its schmaltzy, its over-the-top patriotic propaganda, and its all done with children.  And, along the way, there's some excellent music. This short film features the California Junior Symphony and also some other children who sing and dance.  The patriotic finale, "Its the Good Old American Way," will never take the place of George M. Cohan's "Yankee Doodle Dandy," or Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," but it is saved by the enthusiasm, sincerity and obvious talents of the children, and the excellent production values of the Warner Bros. studio.

My only complaint about the film is Diana Hale who acts as the "hostess." She doesn't sing well at all, and she seems quite pleased with herself in a most obnoxious way. I doubt that she is the same Dinah Hale who has appeared as an adult in various television programs in later decades, although that is how she is credited here at the IMDb. But if she is the same person she became a much better performer in later years.