These Wilder Years (1956)

Middleaged man tries to find a son that was given to an orphanage many years ago.

Director:

Roy Rowland

Writers:

Frank Fenton, Ralph Wheelwright (story)

Stars:

James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Pidgeon

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Cagney	...	Steve Bradford
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Ann Dempster
Walter Pidgeon	...	James Rayburn
Betty Lou Keim	...	Suzie
Don Dubbins	...	Mark
Edward Andrews	...	Leland G. Spottsford
Basil Ruysdael	...	Judge
Grandon Rhodes	...	Roy Oliphant
Will Wright	...	Old Cab Driver
Lewis Martin	...	Dr. Miller
Dorothy Adams	...	Aunt Martha
Dean Jones	...	Hardware Clerk
Herb Vigran	...	Traffic Cop

Storyline

Successful middle-aged businessman Steve Bradford returns to the town where he attended college many years previously. His conscience has been bothering him since whilst a student, he fathered an illegitimate son who was given away to the local orphanage. He returns to the orphanage and meets its current head, Ann Dempster, hoping to persuade her to help him find his son. She refuses but Steve finds himself getting more involved at the orphanage and learns many lessons life had failed to teach him.

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Plot Keywords:

childhood | orphan

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Taglines:

TOGETHER and TERRIFIC! ...in a story of unforgettable warmth and impact!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Somewhere I'll Find Him

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) Perspecta Stereo

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film role of Michael Landon.

User Reviews

Cagney and Stanwyck

These Wilder Years (1956)

** (out of 4)

Melodrama tearjerker about a tycoon (James Cagney) who decides to look for his son who he gave up for adoption twenty-years earlier. Along his journey he meets a woman (Barbara Stanwyck) who works at an orphanage and another young woman who is pregnant without the man in her life. This sounded like an extremely weird role for Cagney to take but after watching the film I can understand why he took it since it's such a stretch from the roles we're use to seeing him do but in the end I think his heart was in the right place but the performance wasn't. Cagney comes off simply okay as he manages to make it a low key performance but the emotional scenes just couldn't come off with him. I'm guessing Stanwyck just wanted a paycheck because she's pretty weak in the film. Both actors really fall short from what we'd expect from them but this might be do to the rather bland screenplay that doesn't offer anything fresh or original. When Cagney finally finds his son it comes off very force and unbelievable.