The Green Years (1946)

An orphaned young boy is guided by his great-grandfather and strives to go to university to become a doctor. However, the boy's harsh grandfather stands in his way.

Director:

Victor Saville

Writers:

A.J. Cronin (novel), Robert Ardrey (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Coburn, Tom Drake, Beverly Tyler

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Coburn	...	Alexander Gow
Tom Drake	...	Robert Shannon as a Young Man
Beverly Tyler	...	Alison Keith as a Young Woman
Hume Cronyn	...	Papa Leckie
Gladys Cooper	...	Grandma Leckie
Dean Stockwell	...	Robert Shannon as a Child
Selena Royle	...	Mama Leckie
Jessica Tandy	...	Kate Leckie
Richard Haydn	...	Jason Reid
Andy Clyde	...	Saddler Boag
Norman Lloyd	...	Adam Leckie
Robert North	...	Murdoch Leckie
Wallace Ford	...	Jamie Nigg
Eilene Janssen	...	Alison Keith as a Child
Henry H. Daniels Jr.	...	Gavin Blair as Young Man (as Hank Daniels)

Storyline

When young Robert Shannon is orphaned he leaves his home in Ireland and travels to Langford, Scotland, home of his maternal grandparents. Growing up in the home of his penny-pinching grandfather is made bearable by his doting but irresponsible great-grandfather, loving grandmother and kind aunt and uncle. After a rocky start in his new school Robbie adjusts and is befriended by Gavin and Allison, whom he grows to love as the years pass. As he matures into a young man Robbie's dreams turn to medicine and becoming a doctor. Supported by everyone in the family except his grandfather, he studies for a scholarship as a way to escape life toiling in the local boiler-works.

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Plot Keywords:

scotland | scholarship | boiler works | color in title | orphan | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

A.J. Cronin's The Green Years

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,280,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final feature film of Forrester Harvey.

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Quotes

Robert Shannon as a Young Man: [praying in church] A mans got to understand something. You have your faith and then things happen and they happen out of nowhere and they make no sense. A mans got to understand something. Why? Why? Why did this happen? Help me to understand. Help me.

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Connections

Referenced in Forecast (1945)

User Reviews

Sort of like Scotland's answer to HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY

HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY was one of the best films of the 1940s and really did a lot to bring to life the Welsh experience at the end of the 19th century. The film featured brilliant writing, acting and John Ford's deft direction. Now five years later, MGM returns with a film that reminded me, in many ways, of this earlier film--though it is set in Scotland just a decade or so after HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY.

One major difference was that the main character (initially played by Dean Stockwell) was actually Scotch-Irish and when orphaned he was sent from Ireland to live with family in Scotland. Unfortunately, not everyone in the family was happy to see the kid--as the stingy (both financially and emotionally) grandfather (played exceptionally well by Hume Cronyn) saw the kid as a burden and obligation instead of kin. Also, the fact that the boy was Catholic didn't help matters. However, the great-grandfather (Charles Coburn) was quite different. Despite at first seeming a bit gruff, he became the boy's greatest friend and ally. Through the course of the film, we see the boy grow from childhood to young manhood (where he is played by Tom Drake).

The film has a nice touch to it--with really nice acting and direction. About the only negative is that perhaps they tried too hard to stick with the original book, as there were so many story elements that seemed unnecessary and distracting, while several characters were never fully developed. A good example was the friend being hit by a train--it came from no where and did NOTHING to further the story. Also several family members' motivations and behaviors seemed oddly difficult to predict. A good re-write and streamlining of the novel would have improved things. Now I am NOT suggesting they should have shortened the film--just devoted more time to character development. Still, this is a lovely and entertaining film.