Good-bye Mr. Chips

Mr. Chips?

It rained all last night and most of today. In fact, as far as rain goes, we have had a lot of it this spring. It’s even chilly today. So instead of working outdoors, or making repairs to the pool, or even enjoying a good walk in the sunshine, what to do?

As I was finishing my lunch, my daughter informed me that Yaya was insisting we come watch a classic old movie on the TV. I didn’t need much convincing.

Good-bye Mr Chips is a sweet movie, with an endearing character, Mr. Chips. He was a schoolteacher in England and didn’t quite connect with his students. (Boys, being an all boy school). Mr. Chips goes on to meet this lively woman during a holiday, marries her, and she becomes the bridge between he and his students. The boys come to love Mr. Chips. His wife dies young, and he lives the rest of his life, giving of himself to the boys, now that they are so close and school he loves so much.

We watched the 1939 version starring Robert Donat and Greer Garson.

Laura wanted to know, who names their kid Greer? I had no answer to give her. I’ve never known anyone named Greer.

Quotes in the movie:

Katherine: It must be tremendously interesting to be a schoolmaster, to watch boys grow up and help them along; to see their characters develop and what they become when they leave school and the world gets hold of them. I don’t see how you could ever get old in a world that’s always young.

[dying words]
Mr. Chipping ‘Mr. Chips’: I thought I heard you saying it was a pity… pity I never had any children. But you’re wrong. I have. Thousands of them. Thousands of them… and all boys.

[on his first day at Brookfield School, Mr. Chipping is attempting to bring his unruly class under his control]
Mr. Chipping ‘Mr. Chips’: Silence! Silence! I’ll have no more of it!
John Colley: No more silence, sir?