| Photos (see all 3 | slideshow) |
| Dorothy McGuire | ... | Katie Nolan | |
| Joan Blondell | ... | Sissy Edwards | |
| James Dunn | ... | Johnny Nolan aka The Brooklyn Thrush | |
| Lloyd Nolan | ... | Officer McShane | |
| James Gleason | ... | McGarrity | |
| Ted Donaldson | ... | Neeley Nolan | |
| Peggy Ann Garner | ... | Francie Nolan | |
| Ruth Nelson | ... | Miss McDonough | |
| John Alexander | ... | Steve Edwards | |
| B.S. Pully | ... | Christmas Tree Vendor | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Robert J. Anderson | ... | Augie (uncredited) | |
| Jessie Arnold | ... | Nurse (uncredited) | |
| John Berkes | ... | Mr. Creckenbox (uncredited) | |
| Linda Bieber | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Ferike Boros | ... | Grandma Rommely (uncredited) | |
| Al Bridge | ... | Cheap Charlie (uncredited) | |
| Virginia Brissac | ... | Miss Tilford, First Teacher (uncredited) | |
| Lillian Bronson | ... | Librarian (uncredited) | |
| Boots Brown | ... | Boy (uncredited) | |
| Sally Ann Brown | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Sheila Brown | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Bobby Burns | ... | Library Patron (uncredited) | |
| George M. Carleton | ... | Doctor (uncredited) | |
| Jack Carr | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| James B. Carson | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Alec Craig | ... | Werner (uncredited) | |
| Peter Cusanelli | ... | The Barber (uncredited) | |
| Harry Denny | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Adeline De Walt Reynolds | ... | Mrs. Waters (uncredited) | |
| Joy Duguay | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Al Eben | ... | Union Man (uncredited) | |
| Fernanda Eliscu | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Edythe Elliott | ... | Nurse (uncredited) | |
| Robert Ferrero | ... | Raider (uncredited) | |
| Elvin Field | ... | Boy (uncredited) | |
| Norman Field | ... | Principal (uncredited) | |
| Jean Fowler | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Paul Graeff | ... | Raider (uncredited) | |
| Vincent Graeff | ... | Henny Gaddis (uncredited) | |
| Joseph J. Greene | ... | Hassler (uncredited) | |
| Irving Gump | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Edith Hallor | ... | Christmas Tree Customer (uncredited) | |
| Ethyl May Halls | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Charles Halton | ... | Mr. Barker (uncredited) | |
| Mary Lou Harrington | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Harry Harvey Jr. | ... | Herschel Knutson (uncredited) | |
| Paul Hilton | ... | Boy (uncredited) | |
| Janice Hood | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Teddy Infuhr | ... | Boy in Soda Fountain (uncredited) | |
| Edna Jackson | ... | Tynmore sister (uncredited) | |
| Mickey Kuhn | ... | Boy at Christmas Tree Throw (uncredited) | |
| Eva Lee Kuney | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Jacqueline Larkin | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Jack Lawrence | ... | Bakery clerk (uncredited) | |
| Susan Lester | ... | Flossie Gaddis (uncredited) | |
| J. Farrell MacDonald | ... | Carney The Junkman (uncredited) | |
| Gerald Mackey | ... | Raider (uncredited) | |
| Robert Malcolm | ... | Doctor (uncredited) | |
| Charles Marsh | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Mae Marsh | ... | Tynmore Sister (uncredited) | |
| Patricia McFadden | ... | Sheila (uncredited) | |
| Mickey McGuire | ... | Raider (uncredited) | |
| George Meader | ... | Principal (uncredited) | |
| George Melford | ... | Mr. Spencer (uncredited) | |
| Sue Moore | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Ronnie Pattison | ... | Boy (uncredited) | |
| Francis Pierlot | ... | Priest at Funeral (uncredited) | |
| Constance Purdy | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Gordon Rader | ... | Boy (uncredited) | |
| Nicholas Ray | ... | Bakery clerk (uncredited) | |
| Ruth Rickaby | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Walt Robbins | ... | Junkman (uncredited) | |
| Nancy June Robinson | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Erskine Sanford | ... | Undertaker (uncredited) | |
| Tony Santaro | ... | Waiter (uncredited) | |
| Harry Seymour | ... | Floorwalker at 5 & 10 cent store (uncredited) | |
| Danny Shaw | ... | Raider (uncredited) | |
| Art Smith | ... | Charley (uncredited) | |
| William Smith | ... | Boy (uncredited) | |
| Robert Strange | ... | Doctor (uncredited) | |
| Robert Tait | ... | Street singer (uncredited) | |
| Gloria Talbott | ... | Teen-Age Girl in Classroom (uncredited) | |
| Dink Trout | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
| Joyce Tucker | ... | Girl (uncredited) | |
| Paul Weigel | ... | Candy store proprietor (uncredited) | |
| Martha Wentworth | ... | Sheila's Mother (uncredited) | |
| Cecil Weston | ... | Undetermined (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Elia Kazan | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Frank Davis | writer | |
| Anita Loos | uncredited | |
| Tess Slesinger | writer | |
| Betty Smith | novel | |
Produced by | |||
| Louis D. Lighton | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Alfred Newman | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Leon Shamroy | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Dorothy Spencer | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Lyle R. Wheeler | (as Lyle Wheeler) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Thomas Little | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Bonnie Cashin | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Guy Pearce | .... | makeup artist | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Saul Wurtzel | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Frank E. Hughes | .... | associate set decorator | |
Sound Department | |||
| Bernard Freericks | .... | sound | |
| Roger Heman Sr. | .... | sound | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Fred Sersen | .... | special effects | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| E. Truman Joiner | .... | key grip (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Sam Benson | .... | wardrobe supervisor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Edward B. Powell | .... | orchestrator (as Edward Powell) | |
Other crew | |||
| Nicholas Ray | .... | dialogue director (uncredited) | |
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| Gone with the Wind | Big Fish | Giant | Edvard Munch | The Night of the Hunter |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
A youngster (Peggy Ann Garner) in circa 1900 Brooklyn dreams of a suitable education and ultimately a better life. She and her young brother (Ted Donaldson) experience highs and lows as their lives are followed in a documentary-style format that creates a realistic and compassionate view. Poverty is tough in the area though as mother Dorothy McGuire (in arguably her greatest role) and father James Dunn (in one of the finest performances ever captured on film, he deservedly won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1945) have a hard time making ends meet. McGuire has a difficult time seeing the bright things in their lives, while Dunn (a hopeless alcoholic) treats everyone, including strangers on the street, with love, respect and understanding. Dunn sees greatness in Garner, even when most do not, and does his best to see that her hopes do come true. The title is symbolistic as a large tree in front of the family's low-rent apartment is about to be cut down to their dismay. It also refers to the fact that Garner is growing up and showing maturity way beyond her years; she is literally branching out and letting her leaves flourish. First-time director Elia Kazan arguably does the best work of any film-maker who had never completed a feature previously as he just lets Betty Smith's wonderful novel unfold methodically with a deliberate pace, tone and style. The screenplay yielded Oscar nominations for adapters Frank Davis and Tess Sleringer. Dunn, an actor who had a very pedestrian career, showed just how much of a hidden talent he really was. He is the straw that mixes the entire movie into an American classic. Arguably one of the top 10 films of the 1940s and one of the best features of all time. 5 stars out of 5.