Sentiment is the name of the game in this often slow, frequently ponderous drama of growing up in the new generation, and growing old (actually ancient) three generations before. Young Dean Stockwell comes to his Scottish relatives from Ireland, a scandal in itself that his late mother of Scottish descent married, saints preserve us, an Irishman! With great grandma Gladys Cooper teaching Stockwell about salvation and great grandpa Charles Coburn teaching him sin, the lad is going to have a very liberal education! It should be noted that Cooper and Coburn are from opposite sides of the family. Even though they live under the same roof, they can't stand each other.
With Selena Royle and Hume Cronyn as his maternal grandparents and Jessica Tandy as a devoted aunt, Stockwell gets a lot of love in this large clan, and grows up to be the boy next door, Tom Drake. He longs for a career in science and medicine, but circumstances keep that from being achieved.
Outstanding photography and a gloriously feisty performance by the always bombastic Charles Coburn. Its rather odd to see the married Tandy and Cronyn as daughter and father, especially with personal circumstances if the time being what they are. I must admit I got bored here and there, but that was put on the back burner every time Coburn showed up.
With Selena Royle and Hume Cronyn as his maternal grandparents and Jessica Tandy as a devoted aunt, Stockwell gets a lot of love in this large clan, and grows up to be the boy next door, Tom Drake. He longs for a career in science and medicine, but circumstances keep that from being achieved.
Outstanding photography and a gloriously feisty performance by the always bombastic Charles Coburn. Its rather odd to see the married Tandy and Cronyn as daughter and father, especially with personal circumstances if the time being what they are. I must admit I got bored here and there, but that was put on the back burner every time Coburn showed up.