Story of small-town life in turn-of-the-century America, and a young boy's problems facing adolescence.Story of small-town life in turn-of-the-century America, and a young boy's problems facing adolescence.Story of small-town life in turn-of-the-century America, and a young boy's problems facing adolescence.
Charley Grapewin
- Dave McComber
- (as Charles Grapewin)
Edward J. Nugent
- Wint Selby
- (as Edward Nugent)
Baby Peggy
- Schoolgirl at Graduation
- (uncredited)
Tommy Bupp
- Boy with Fireworks
- (uncredited)
A.S. 'Pop' Byron
- Nickolas
- (uncredited)
Bruce Cook
- Boy
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe gazebo in this film, a symbol of the typical American town, was built specially for the movie. That gazebo was gifted to the city by MGM and is still in use in Grafton Commons.
- GoofsBelle's mole on her cheek/upper lip disappears halfway through her scene, then reappears later.
- Quotes
Richard 'Dick' Miller: I'm afraid I was born a hundred years before my time.
Muriel McComber: I was born ten days ahead of mine.
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits appear as though embroidered.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
- SoundtracksLong, Long Ago
(1883) (uncredited)
Music by Thomas Haynes Bayley
Played during the opening credits and often in the score
Featured review
Enjoyable Americana piece
In this sweet piece of Americana, Eric Linden stars as a rebellious teenager at the turn of the century. His idea of being rebellious is a little different than nowadays, which makes it refreshing to watch. He reads radical socialist literature and drinks beer after curfew, which makes his mother Spring Byington worry and his father Lionel Barrymore in constant need of helpful lectures to straighten him out. Weren't the good old days nice, when the biggest problem a man faced was how to stop his son from making an embarrassing valedictorian speech? If you think so, you'll love every version of this movie.
What is perhaps the cutest thing about this movie couldn't have been enjoyed if one had seen it at its release in 1935. Little Mickey Rooney, who plays the younger, prank-playing brother grew up and played the lead brother thirteen years later in the musical adaptation Summer Holiday. The casting of the remake is very respectful to the original, unlike many remakes. Lionel Barrymore, the perfect father figure, was replaced by Walter Huston, another perfect father figure, and the drunken yet jolly Wallace Beery was replaced by Frank Morgan. The spinster Aline McMahon was replaced by Agnes Moorehead, and the motherly Spring Byington with Selena Royle.
As much as I love Lionel Barrymore, and you know how much I do, I like the 1948 version better. Frank Morgan is more sincere in his vows to reform than Wallace Beery, probably because of his own personal experiences he put into the role. The musical remake is softer and sweeter, as even though most of the troubles in this story are faced with tongue-in-cheek humor, there are some moments in the original that are a little sad. For example, there's a father-son talk about falling in love and facing real life, and after Lionel gives the talk, he's left alone to question himself and sigh in anguish and disappointment in the result. Walter gives the same talk and is able to fix his son's problems. Pick which cast you want to see, and rent one of the versions for a step back in time. The original is very enjoyable, so if you decide to try it first, you probably won't be disappointed.
What is perhaps the cutest thing about this movie couldn't have been enjoyed if one had seen it at its release in 1935. Little Mickey Rooney, who plays the younger, prank-playing brother grew up and played the lead brother thirteen years later in the musical adaptation Summer Holiday. The casting of the remake is very respectful to the original, unlike many remakes. Lionel Barrymore, the perfect father figure, was replaced by Walter Huston, another perfect father figure, and the drunken yet jolly Wallace Beery was replaced by Frank Morgan. The spinster Aline McMahon was replaced by Agnes Moorehead, and the motherly Spring Byington with Selena Royle.
As much as I love Lionel Barrymore, and you know how much I do, I like the 1948 version better. Frank Morgan is more sincere in his vows to reform than Wallace Beery, probably because of his own personal experiences he put into the role. The musical remake is softer and sweeter, as even though most of the troubles in this story are faced with tongue-in-cheek humor, there are some moments in the original that are a little sad. For example, there's a father-son talk about falling in love and facing real life, and after Lionel gives the talk, he's left alone to question himself and sigh in anguish and disappointment in the result. Walter gives the same talk and is able to fix his son's problems. Pick which cast you want to see, and rent one of the versions for a step back in time. The original is very enjoyable, so if you decide to try it first, you probably won't be disappointed.
helpful•40
- HotToastyRag
- Oct 29, 2019
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ah, Wilderness!
- Filming locations
- Grafton, Massachusetts, USA(exterior scenes)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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![Wallace Beery, Eric Linden, and Cecilia Parker in Ah Wilderness! (1935)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODRjZmRhN2QtZWYzNi00YzVlLWIwYmYtOTQyODIxNGZjN2UyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUxODE0MDY@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)