These Wilder Years (1956) User Reviews (37)

Stanwyck, Cagney at half-throttle in thoughtful not-quite-weeper

[bmacv · 7/10 · 1 May 2002]

Not quite a weeper, These Wilder Years is one of those small-scale, thoughtful dramas that rarely if ever are made nowadays. It's about a steel tycoon (James Cagney) who, in mid-life crisis, tries to find the son he abandoned, along with the mother, twenty years earlier. Used to getting his own way by means of money and mouthpieces, he runs into the head of a home for what once were called "wayward girls" (Barbara Stanwyck). She refuses to bend to his charm, his money, or, finally, his legal talent (Walter Pidgeon).

The story -- possibly more resonant today than when it was released -- takes some unexpected (not to say far-fetched) turns; it's sentimental, all right, but stays on the dry side of mawkish. Its main problem is one of audience expectations. Starring two of the most powerful actors in the history of movies -- Stanwyck and Cagney -- it keeps them at half-throttle throughout. Of course they acquit themselves admirably: they're both seasoned troupers with a wide range. But the confrontational fireworks we hope for and expect never quite come. Nonetheless, These Wilder Years remains a solid and fairly credible film.

This one improved over time

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 26 January 2008]

I first saw this film about 20 years ago on Turner Classic Movies and I was far from impressed--so much so that I long resisted seeing it again. However, on a lark, I decided to see it again--especially because I barely remembered the film--just that I didn't particularly like it. In hindsight, I am thrilled that I saw it again since it was far better than I'd remembered plus there were some truly wonderful moments.

The film begins with a very rich and successful James Cagney announcing to his board of directors that he was taking an extended leave of absence and wouldn't tell them why. It turns out that 20 years earlier, Cagney had fathered a child out of wedlock and he was trying to reconnect with this lost child. Naturally the adoption agency was not about to just give him this information and eventually Cagney unleashes lawyers and exerts his influences to try to force the issue.

At the same time, there is a plot involving a nice young girl who Cagney meets who is also pregnant and without resources, so it looks like she'll need to give up her baby. Considering the very obvious parallel, it's not at all surprising where this all leads, but it is still very emotionally satisfying to watch. In addition, there is a great scene at a bowling alley that is full of depth and emotion you often don't find in a Cagney film.

A highly unusual and soap opera-like film that still manages to satisfy despite a bit of predictability. It was well worth a look--I'm glad I did again.

A new role for an old hood -- a softer, gentler Cagney

[Kimbeez · 7/10 · 17 July 2003]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Cagney in this movie. I must admit, after viewing a lot of his films I've grown accustomed to his famous tough-guy image. But, after seeing "These Wilder Years" I was a little surprised to see a softer, gentler Cagney. It's a pleasant contrast in light of his previous roles. Cagney is a splendid and versatile actor and I've always relished seeing him play comedic and dramatic parts as well as gangster/hoodlum roles. He's simply irresistable to watch on screen and I'm always interested to see how he's going to react. You never know when he's going to "sprinkle the goodies" in a scene. He is always good to his audience. In "These Wilder Years", Cagney plays a successful businessman in search of a son that was put up for adoption twenty years ago. Even though Cagney's character pretty much has everything he wants, there's just something missing and he has to fulfull this part of his life. I don't want to give away what happens in the movie but the interactions between Barbara Stanwyck and Betty Lou Keim are compelling and at times, very touching.

Although, I wouldn't say this is Oscar material and there are plenty of good movies out there, this is one definitely worth seeing -- Cagney fan or not :)

Revisiting His Past

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 17 July 2006]

These Wilder Years marks the only teaming of James Cagney and Barbara Stanwyck. It would have been nice if they had been teamed for a better film. Can't you just see Stanwyck in Virginia Mayo's part in White Heat?

Still These Wilder Years is not a bad film, high class soap opera the kind of stuff that became popular on television in the Eighties.

James Cagney is a millionaire industrialist looking for the son whose paternity he denied when he was sowing his wild oats. Barbara Stanwyck runs the home for unwed mothers where the girl who Cagney was involved with came and gave up her kid for adoption.

Cagney has the resources to get his way, but Stanwyck with the confidentiality of adoption records has the law on her side. Or has she?

Walter Pigeon plays Cagney's attorney and Don Dubbins, a young actor whose career Cagney was pushing plays the son and both do well. Look for bit parts from Tom {BillyJack} Laughlin, Michael Landon, and Dean Jones all at the start of their careers.

Cagney and Stanwyck are both players with an edge to their parts. It's like they've been taken down into second gear for this film. Still it's a pleasant enough movie. Look for young Betty Lou Keim who is a current unwed mother in Stanwyck's charge. Her scenes with Cagney are quite poignant.

Less Wilder...

[jbacks3-1 · 7/10 · 1 September 2006]

A major motion picture touching on the topic of unwed pregnancies (although the word 'pregnant' is never mentioned) in 1956 must've been been pretty mature stuff. But I have a couple of problems: although Cagney's great as the steel tycoon searching for his abandoned son but he's practically 20 years too old to be completely believable (by the math involved his character should've been in his late 30's, not 57). If you can suspend that disbelief, Jimmy shows a lot of depth (this being in the last real active period of his career) and the script may have hit home, given that his children were adopted. Being an MGM picture means hauling out Walter Pigeon and he's also good in the role of the top flight attorney. This isn't a physical film, there's no fist fights or smoking guns, just a handful of old pros acting convincingly given a script that appears to be missing a few pages. It's also odd that for Steve Bradford to be such a notable former resident of the town, he doesn't get noticed or seems to feel the urge to look anyone up or harbor one nostalgic thought about the place; his life there is a complete mystery. Even the climactic confrontation feels empty. The ending seems a little strange today (dodging a spoiler) and feels added to tack on an upbeat ending.

Better than expected

[jann-6 · 6/10 · 15 December 2000]

Maltin calls this a soap opera. That's what I expected it to be, but I feel that it's better than that, largely due to Cagney's performance. He's quite believable as a middle aged man who regrets the mistakes of his youth. Barbara Stanwyck is a woman struggling with an emotional and legal conflict. Throw in a good courtroom scene, and you've got a movie that holds your interest to the end. The final resolution is a bit sappy, but overall, the film is pretty good.

James Cagney star vehicle

[Star5 · 8/10 · 21 December 2002]

This film turned out to be a real tear-jerker, but in a good way!! James Cagney takes centre stage as the man looking for the son he has never seen. Barbara Stanwyck is good in a supporting role, although I felt she could have been given an even better part. There are some lovely scenes between Cagney and the young girl he ends up bonding with and overall I did enjoy this movie very much.

"Some people never forget the one they dropped."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 17 October 2017]

James Cagney stars in this story about a middle-aged tycoon who is looking for the son he gave up for adoption decades before. Barbara Stanwyck plays the woman who runs the orphanage he left the baby at. She won't help him because of legal and ethical issues regarding the child's privacy. Decent picture with solid acting from the leads. I appreciate the story, which seems ahead of its time with its frank depiction of adoption issues and out-of-wedlock pregnancies. I also appreciate that they didn't go the romance route with Cagney and Stanwyck. The stars don't turn in the best performances of their careers but they're both good. Fine support from Betty Lou Klein, Don Dubbins, and Walter Pidgeon. It's one of those sober low-key dramas that there were so many of in the 1950s. They were often good but lacking a little punch, you know. That's the case here. It's a fine movie but needs to pick up the pace a little and maybe add more spark to the plot.

Jimmy in an unusual role

[theowinthrop · 8/10 · 16 July 2007]

In his last real decade of movie making (1951 - 1961) Jimmy Cagney was luckier than some of his fellow "golden age" movie star rivals. Edward G. Robinson was blacklisted, but managed to get some interesting character parts. Paul Muni's health began to decline, he made less and less films, and found more rewarding work on stage as Henry Drummond in INHERIT THE WIND. George Raft's days of stardom faded out in the late 1940s, and he became more and more a caricature of himself in films including SOME LIKE IT HOT. Humphrey Bogart was a superstar but finding more and more work as a supporting character actor in films like THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA, and then died of cancer. Fredric March tended to find good work, but like Bogart in character roles. Errol Flynn, with one or two exceptions, got into more and more third rate films as the decade continued (until he died). Robert Montgomery shrewdly entered producing, and also television work. William Powell (after MR. ROBERTS - co-starring with Cagney, by the way - in 1956) retired. Only Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Tyrone Power, Robert Taylor, Henry Fonda, and Jimmy Stewart managed to maintain their leading man positions as stars (and Power died towards the end of the decade too).

But Cagney managed to break more from his traditional roles in the 1950s than the others. While occasionally playing gangsters (most notably as Marty Snyder in LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME - but a gangster in a distinctly different light as he is in a crazy love triangle) he was willing to branch out to comic villainy (MR. ROBERTS), southern demagoguery (A LION IS IN THE STREETS), Irish revolutionary stories (SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL), and even returns to biography (MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES, and his reprise as George M. Cohan in SEVEN LITTLE FOYS). In 1956, the year of MR. ROBERTS, Cagney made a relatively small style film called THESE WILDER YEARS. His performance is quite good, as is his co-stars Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Pidgeon (his sole movie with both those performers), but the film really lacks the explosiveness of YANKEE DOODLE DANDY or PUBLIC ENEMY or WHITE HEAT or 13 RUE MADELEINE. It's sedate style resembles THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE more - Cagney pushing his subtlety rather than his feisty personality. Yet now and then that personality comes through.

Here he plays a wealthy industrialist named Steve Bradford, who has returned to the town he left twenty years before. He left under a personal cloud that he has never quite gotten rid of - while determined to build his fortune, he left a young woman with a baby son. Bradford is aware that the baby was given up for adoption, and now he wants to find his son and presumably make amends.

The adoption agency is run by Barbara Stanwyck (here named Ann Dempster). She follows what is (or was) the usual policy of adoption agencies at that time and for some time after: they did not reveal the fate of the children because they had been brought up by other "parents". It would be needlessly cruel in most cases. But Cagney is determined. After all, he now is rich and respectable and can do much for the boy.

The determination of both Cagney and Stanwyck is equally balanced here. Cagney brings in his firm's attorney Pidgeon (here James Rayburn), but Pidgeon is not in this state's bar. So a local lawyer (Edward Andrews) is hired - and Cagney gives the go-ahead to find any dirt necessary to win or pressure Stanwyck into giving up.

But at the same time Cagney becomes aware of the problems of giving up children watching the plight of a young girl named Suzie (Betty Lou Keim) who has no family and is expecting. She hates giving up her baby but she has the same economic problems that Cagney's girlfriend of twenty years before had. Cagney humanizes quite a bit watching Keim's problem develop. And he also humanizes in seeing what Stanwyck's agency tries to do.

He does eventually meet his son Mark (Don Dubbins), but on Mark's terms. And the meeting is bittersweet and enlightening for both men as they face each other.

I don't think Cagney ever played such a domestic drama in any other film. It has been called (elsewhere on this thread) a soap opera. Not quite - it is a short film and moves quickly, and not like an interminable plot as your typical soap opera has. This film is a good one, and (with it's Christmas atmosphere) has a holiday spirit that for once works well. It may not be as big a film as WHITE HEAT or YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, but it is not a film to dismiss either.

"Some things you can never pay for".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 8 November 2008]

I'm not sure that "These Wilder Years" is the best title that this film could have come up with; Cagney's reputation as a movie gangster might have hinted at something a bit more daring. However the picture features a well thought out story line and engages the viewer right from the start with Steve Bradford's (Cagney) resolve to find the son he gave up twenty years earlier when all he had on his mind was building a business empire. He hits a brick wall in the person of Ann Dempster (Barbara Stanwyck), proprietor of 'The Haven', and someone who will not surrender her principles or the rule of adoption law against Bradford's millions. A sub plot involving Cagney's character and a teenage unwed mother (Betty Lou Keim) adds an element of human tenderness to what could have been just another courtroom drama showdown.

Oddly, that potential showdown was hinted at when Bradford's corporate attorney Rayburn (Walter Pidgeon) advised his client against the national publicity that would arise from the case because of Bradford's prominence as a steel tycoon. All the while I was expecting the kind of fanfare from "Miracle on 34th Street", but guess what? - there wasn't a reporter or even a spectator in sight. That seemed a bit of a disconnect following Rayburn's buildup, but not entirely unwelcome. I actually liked the lawyer's perspective in his handling of the case, as if he were in tune to the humanity of the opposition along with his own. Can you imagine that?

Of course the teary eyed moment comes when the viewer realizes a few moments before Bradford himself that he's about to meet his own son. Somehow you knew Miss Dempster would see to it that Bradford's persistence would have a resolution, the payoff was in the manner in which it was presented. Neither played for melodrama or hysterics, one could feel Bradford's loss when the two parted ways with a handshake.

The movie is a nice counter point to Cagney's more traditional roles, particularly since the star, who's almost always on screen, doesn't dominate his scenes with his celebrity or performance. It's a somewhat offbeat role for one of cinema's greatest actors, and one that deserves a viewing for both his performance and the story it tells.

Excellent performances, somewhat creaky plot

[dancopp · 8/10 · 18 July 2006]

Cagney and Stanwyck are superb - real pros, and it is true that "Wilder" neatly avoids descending into an unabashed tearjerker. Also the broad storyline is sociologically compelling. Nevertheless, I couldn't overlook two plot contrivances that rankled throughout the ninety minutes. First, Cagney looks and acts much older that the purported forty. He's fifty-five if he's a day (he was fifty-seven when the movie was made), but the plot requires that he be a relative spring chicken. Second, certainly Miss Demster would have told him early on that she would inform his son that his biological father would like to meet him and leave it up to the son and his adoptive parents to decide how to proceed. Instead the storyline requires that turn of events for the denouement. Nevertheless, I was absorbed into the atmosphere, and the relationship between the tycoon and the teenager is very affecting.

Rarely Seen, Well Acted, Just Misses Greatness

[joeparkson · 10 September 2013]

The two old pros, Cagney and Stanwyck are the reason to watch this one. Neither chews the scenery; there's no romantic subplot between them, yet their scenes together are wonderful. Stanwyck shows no femme fatal sexiness or been there done that humor. She's just a nice, hard working person, and when confronted with Cagney's type A "I'm used to getting what I want", she sweetly deflects it instead of the fireworks you'd normally expect from a Stanwyck character. For his part, Cagney drops his tough guy image and when faced with the pain his past misdeeds have caused, makes no attempt to evade responsibility.

They're on opposite sides, yet show a respect for each other.

No motivation is shown for Bradford's sudden desire to drop everything to find the son he abandoned 20 years before. It might have been better if a chance meeting with Betty Lou Keim's abandoned, pregnant teen had served as the spark. Clearly, she reminds him of the girl he abandoned.

The other major flaw, is that being in his 50s, it would have been more realistic if Bradford's abandonment of his newborn son been 30 years before instead of 20. The guy that plays his son (Don Dubbins) looks and acts much older than a 20 year old. Also, 20 years before, Bradford would have been in his mid 30s, way too old to be a callow college boy. And is 20 years enough time to build such a large business? I also can't help wishing they'd cast someone who looked like Cagney to play Cagney's long lost son, like Richard Jaeckel.

Great performances by older Cagney and Stanwyck

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 28 October 2018]

With James Cagney's gangster phase at a close, ending beautifully with 1955's Love Me or Leave Me, he turned towards a different kind of role: a regular fellow. In These Wilder Years, he plays a successful businessman who decides he has everything he could ever want except the unfinished business of his past. Without a word of explanation to anyone but his faithful lawyer, Walter Pidgeon, James leaves work and travels to a small town and visits an orphanage. Turns out, he's looking for his son, who was adopted twenty years ago.

In case this sounds a little corny, give it a chance anyway. This one is completely worth watching. The plot moves steadily along, and with old pros like James Cagney and Barbara Stanwyck pitted against each other, they each bring a lot of emotion to the table. Barbara is stronger than she looks, and Jimmy holds more secrets than he first lets on. While trying to find his son, Jimmy also bonds with a teenager, Betty Lou Keim, who's pregnant and preparing for the difficult emotional decision of giving her baby to Barbara's orphanage.

There's so much to appreciate about this movie, and if you're a fan of the leads, this is a great transition movie to see them in the second half of their careers. Depending on how sentimental you're feeling, you might want to bring along a Kleenex.

They Sirk Him Here, They Sirk Him There ...

[writers_reign · 5/10 · 14 August 2008]

By 1956 the Studio System was locked in a dead heat with the Big Bands in a race for obsolescence. At the height of the SS Stanwyck was Paramount and Cagney Warners and never the twain ... In addition this soaper manque is not exactly typical Metro fodder and watching it one has the distinct feeling that MGM had somehow managed to woo Douglas Sirk away from Universal but he had sold only his 'name' and left his style behind. With no back-story/build-up of any kind Cagney walks into Scene #1 and announces to his Board - he's a steel tycoon - that he's taking a vacation of right now. He has taken it into his head to trace the boy he fathered twenty years previously so right away we have the makings of a conflict. Neither Cagney nor Stanwyck, who runs the orphanage that handled the transaction, seem able to work up much of a sweat about the issues involved but even cruising they are more effective than this generation of actors at full throttle. It's as good a time-waster as any and better than some.

These calmer performances

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 1 March 2014]

It is surprising that it took so long for someone to put Barbara Stanwyck and James Cagney together in a film. This is a much different project, though, than what they may have done together twenty years earlier. Nonetheless, it is fun to watch them pair up for These Wilder Years at MGM.

The performances of the leads are surprisingly tender and subdued. This is quite significant considering that Miss Stanwyck is often given to toughness and that Mr. Cagney has a propensity for ham. But the script (about adoption) calls for a different approach, and fortunately, the director worked with the stars to play the characters instead of themselves; instead of giving what audiences have come to expect from them.

Believable performance of an all-too-often over-the-top actor

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 27 December 2012]

Quite a few years ago a Thai friend of mine who very much liked American movies was watching a Jimmy Cagney movie with me...I don't recall which one...but one of those where the Cagney performance was over the top. At the conclusion of the film, my friend said, "I don't get it. I thought Cagney was a great actor. No real human acts like that." And, over the years I have come to agree with that assessment. Yes, Cagney was a lion of the early talkies, and over his career he had some stupendous film roles. But we went to see Cagney perform, not usually the story itself. But in recent film years I have come to appreciate the more subtle Cagney that shows up every once in a while.

And this is one of those films where Cagney plays a rather understated role of a man who -- after 20 years -- goes back to find the son he denied. There are no over-the-top moments here...perhaps a few times when he could have been just a tad more subtle. But he plays this as a man might actually behave...he played the story, not Cagney.

On the opposite side of the story is Barbara Stanwyck as the head of an orphanage. She has the key to what Cagney wants...a name. But she balks at providing it, leading to a courtroom scene that is just a little stiff. Ultimately, Cagney does find his son...or should I say the son finds him, but the result is not what Cagney's character had hoped for. Not fireworks...just life. But along the way, Cagney befriends an unwed mother and ends up adopting her...and her baby...and learns about responsibility.

Several reviewers said this was a soap opera or a tear-jerker or a melodrama. I'm not sure I agree. This film is just real life. Every single aspect of the plot happens hundreds of times every day. Yes, such moments are conveniently strung together here to develop a story. But this film seems more real than most.

Walter Pidgeon is here as a high-powered attorney...well past his prime as a leading man, he was developing into an excellent character/supporting actor, and was perfect as a lawyer. There are other faces here you'll recognize. Everyone does their job, but none of the supporting cast stands out...with the exception of Betty Lou Keim as the unwed mother, who does very nicely, but whose movie career never went very far, but she was fairly busy in television.

Well worth watching...at least once, and while Cagney's performance is very believable, it's not very memorable. Perhaps that why I liked it.

Highly Recommended

[aciolino · 7/10 · 31 May 2016]

For fans of Cagney, who would appreciate his pure acting skills when given a realistic character and dialogue. Actually, the film as a whole is well written, very well written, and very well acted by the entire cast.

Cagney shows us his maturity and his commitment to the part by playing it rather close to the vest. You will be moved by him at certain moments.

The story is not nearly the "soap" fest it seems to be thought of here, nor is it the kind of vapid, clichéd silliness of your basic Douglas Sirk fantasy. It's realism prevents that from happening.

Try it. You'll be very pleasantly surprised and will have seen Cagney in a part you rarely get to see. Actually it is a bit of a treasure.

" There is no such thing as a good death or a Bad Mother "

[thinker1691 · 6/10 · 3 June 2010]

Throughout one's life there are many decisions which are chosen without benefit of hindsight or experience. However, such experience is not bestowed on the young. Indeed, it only arrives and accumulates in one's heart, after years of living among and with all the bad mistakes made earlier. That is the premises of this early Black and White Movie called " These Wilder Years. " A wealth, successful well to do millionaire, named Steve Bradford, (James Cagney), arrives in a small town seeking the son he carelessly abandoned and given to an orphanage, twenty years prior. Expecting his wealth and social status to instantly open records, he is surprised and stymied by Ann Dempster (Barbara Stanwyck), the director of the orphanage. She informs Bradford, there are policies, rules and laws which will prevent him from securing what he seeks. Thus begins a war of wills, between the stubborn, directive prone caretaker and the determined man who will not stop until he get's what he wants. The story is important because of early adoption policies in America, but made more poignant in today's privacy driven directives and sealed juvenile records. In the movie itself, Cagney is seen as a bit ham & Egg, style to Stanwyck's Librarian attitude. Still, they are convincing, albeit, over-the-top with the supporting cast which includes, Walter Pidgeon, Edward Andrews and Basil Ruysdael as the Judge. Dean Jones and Michael Landon make brief appearances as well. A good movie and easily recommended. ****

pretty good

[kyle_furr · 8/10 · 9 February 2004]

A nice change of pace for Cagney. It's basically a soap opera with Cagney looking for his 20 year old adopted son, the mother is dead and he goes to an orphanage run by Barbara Stanwyck to find out where he is. James Cagney is great and so is Barbara Stanwyck. Walter Pidgeon doesn't have much to do as Cagney's lawyer. Watch it.

Sometimes things are not the way you remember them...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 26 June 2021]

... or maybe the way you want to remember them.

Executive Steve Bradford (James Cagney) tells his company he is taking a leave of absence with no explanation. Nice work if you can get it. And in the 1950s you generally could. Bradford's reason for his absence is his plan to reunite with the son that was put up for adoption twenty years before.

Bradford finds the orphanage that his son was adopted through, and immediately tries to get information out of the woman who runs the unwed mothers' home, Ann Dempster (Barbara Stanwyck). He takes her at first to be an easy mark. To get the information he tries charm. He tries money. But this is Babs we are talking about. She does not back down from her position of protecting the identity of the children and the adopted parents. So Bradford tries hard ball and takes her to court based on charges of fraud. Ann shows up in court with transcripts of what happened when the mother of his child was in court twenty years before prior to the child's birth. Bradford's own words were it was not his problem if some girl was in trouble, that he barely knew the girl. That he was in Peoria at the time, honest. He had washed his hands of all responsibility. The judge throws out the charge, and Bradford has a dose of what he was really like all those years before and eats the entire humble pie.

He gives up. Does Bradford go home empty handed then? Nope. Does he meet his son? Yep. Are either of these things related? Watch and find out.

These are great mature roles for both Stanwyck and Cagney. Cagney is good as the tough businessman. Babs is great as the overseer of the unwed mothers' home who, just because she asks you to sit down and offers you a cup of tea is not a pushover. This is one of those - "They teamed once and should have teamed again" efforts. It has everything that the waning production code would want in a family friendly film, but you have three dimensional characters with three dimensional problems, and everything comes together in a warm and human way.

Movie about a man who tries to find the child he fathered years ago.

[susan-317 · 9/10 · 16 July 2018]

Cagney is a steel tycoon who fathered a child when he was young. He returns to his home town to discover what happened to the child. He meets Stanwyck (who I ADORE) who spends her life caring for unwed mothers and arranging adoptions. She says that every child should be everybody's business. I agree with her on that. Cagney is wonderful as the man who realizes how he screwed up and Stanwyck is wonderful as the woman who could help him, but is legally not required to. Okay, so I found this to be sweet and emotionally satisfying and cried several times. I also found it to be a wonderful statement on society and how we can all be each other's angels if we try.

Bumping it up 2 stars after repeated viewings

[mollytinkers · 7/10 · 7 September 2021]

This is by far from being a masterpiece; yet I don't consider it a yawn-fest as other reviewers describe. Yes, it's a melodrama. Yes, it certainly reeks of Hollywood's lobotomized treatment of illegitimate pregnancy and the adoption experience. But it is at least thoughtful and empathetic in its approach.

I would technically rate this film 5 out of 10; but because I've seen it several times and will certainly watch it again when on rotation on TCM, I'm bumping it up 2 stars to a 7. When what is in actuality an average movie seems to pop up on some network at regular intervals, it signals there's enough substance and likeability factor intrinsic to warrant repeated airings.

It's fun watching Stanwyck and Cagney together, and it's especially pleasant to see Cagney in a role wherein he doesn't chew up the scenery. I wouldn't rush to a theater to see it, but I respect it enough to watch it again.

Mainly for diehard Cagney fans, and for those who will watch anything in which Stanwyck is part of the cast.

Exceptional Performances all Around

[Natswanson · 8/10 · 30 May 2021]

This movie could actually be considered a Christmas Holiday movie, since the timeline occurs during the "Season to be Giving" and it does promotes some solid holiday values. I saw this film 20 years ago and admired it. I like it even better now. The performances are what make the film--especially the teaming of Stanwyck and Cagney, their only time together. Both play their normal strong willed characters. It's like a boxing match, and unfortunately, one doesn't take their gloves off to Stanwyck. In this case, if you want to see a subtle, authentic actress at her best, watch her expression in the court scene when the Judge makes his ruling. Wow, she just says it all in a matter of a split second. Nothing showy, just so real. There are many touching moments in this film. It's very well written, and there's certain patterns that happen along the way to give it some degree of enjoyment and premomination of what is to come. For example, the conversation between the policeman and Cagney when he jay walks. My favorite line is the optimism: Stanwyck's character says "There's always a kind of hope in everything. And isn't it refreshing when her character says "I don't know." (Because sometimes you don't). Walter Pidgeon accepted below the title billing perhaps to conclude his contract with the studio. He started to do theatre after this film was completed. That's Tom Laughlin (Later Billy Jack) as the football player that dropped the ball, and Michael Landon can be seen in the pool hall as an extra, and Dean Jones has an important early role.

The prodigal father

[dbdumonteil · 6/10 · 5 August 2008]

Melodrama was trendy again in the fifties ,in the wake of Douglas Sirk,with whom Stanwyck made "All I desire".

Like "All I desire" ,"These wild years " concerns older people whereas melodrama is par excellence the field of the wild youth .

Cagney is a self- made man who epitomizes the American dream;now that he is wealthy ,he would like to find the son he had when he was young .He meets a woman who takes care of orphans and wants her to help him in his search.But she is not prepared to accept it: this boy is 20,he loves his parents ,he would be an intruder ,and most of all,money can't buy him love.

Among Stanwyck's protégées ,there is a charming sixteen-year-old girl ,who looks like Audrey Hepburn's kid sister,complete with ponytail;she is pregnant and of course the father walked out on her (she pretends they were like Romeo and Juliet ,but this romantic flavor is not really convincing) The film is a classic melodrama but it's not too syrupy:for instance ,the dad/son meeting features no music ,no violins or choirs but only the noise of a bowling;we can only hear the sound of the son's feet on the sidewalk when he walks away from his father.And most of all,we are spared a Cagney/Stanwyck romance ,although there is one ,even if it invisible.... Well acted.

Brought to you by Chock Full O'Nuts...

[MissP2U · 2/10 · 7 September 2020]

Boy, they drink A LOT of coffee in this movie. Yawn.