The Green Years | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Victor Saville |
Produced by | Leon Gordon |
Screenplay by |
Robert Ardrey and Sonya Levien |
Based on |
A. J. Cronin's The Green Years |
Starring |
Charles Coburn Tom Drake Beverly Tyler Hume Cronyn |
Music by | Herbert Stothart |
Cinematography | George Folsey, A.S.C. |
Edited by | Robert J. Kern |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date
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Running time
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127 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2,280,000 |
Box office | $6,654,000 |
The Green Years is a 1946 American drama film featuring Charles Coburn, Tom Drake, Beverly Tyler and Hume Cronyn. It was adapted by Robert Ardrey from A. J. Cronin's novel of the same name. It tells the story of the coming-of-age of an Irish orphan in Scotland and was directed by Victor Saville.
"Scotland 1900". Robert Shannon, a young orphan, is sent to live with his Scottish grandparents. His great-grandfather becomes the lad's mentor/father figure, helping him overcome the challenges of youth, and mollifying the cold stinginess of Robert's grandfather. The young Robert suffers life's trials, and the kind, old great-grandfather, despite given to drink and tall tales, is always there to help him rebound. In time, the intelligent Robert grows into a teenager, and comes to love his childhood friend Alison. He proceeds to attend medical college, and attains a career before marrying his sweetheart.
The film was very popular at the box office. According to MGM records it made $4,222,000 in the US and Canada and $2,432,000 elsewhere, leading to a profit of $1,941,000. It was one of the most popular films of the year.
The Green Years was shown on Turner Classic Movies July 13, 2008 as part of that day's daytime programming salute to Hume Cronyn. It was preceded by 1943's Shadow of a Doubt and followed by 1945's A Letter for Evie.
"Hi, I'm Robert Osborne. One of Broadway's and Hollywood's finest, Hume Cronyn, is our man of the night. Next, we have Hume Cronyn in a movie called The Green Years from MGM in 1946. It's one of those movies that you probably never heard of and maybe don't recognize the names from the cast, but the movie itself is really good and certainly worth watching. It's a story about an orphan Irish lad taken in by Scottish relatives where the boy begins a long and loving relationship with his rather crusty but fascinating great-grandfather. The film was based on a novel by the famed writer A. J. Cronin and it's one of the few films made by MGM in the forties which didn't have a Gable or a Tracy, a Rooney, Garson or Hedy Lamarr or some other big star among the players, but the cast we do get really couldn't be better. The leading role is split between two actors — Dean Stockwell, at the age of ten, playing the young lad, Robert, and Tom Drake plays the grown-up Robert — and both are wonderful. Tom Drake you'll recognize from the movie Meet Me in St. Louis. He was the boy next door that Judy Garland falls in love with and sings about.