Ah, Wilderness!

Plot

Playwright Eugene O'Neill's only comedy, Ah, Wilderness! was filmed by MGM in 1935. Impressionable turn-of-the-century lad Eric Linden, whose knowledge of the ways of the world has come from French novels, is anxious to taste life to the fullest. Linden's father Lionel Barrymore sternly advises the boy to be good and be careful, while Barrymore's shiftless, bibulous brother-in-law Wallace Beery (replacing MGM's first choice, W.C. Fields) encourages Linden to get out, get drunk and get...you know what. After a frightening encounter with lady of the evening Helen Flint (a surprisingly frank characterization for a Production Code film), Linden runs home, nursing a monster hangover the next day. The boy eventually accepts the sedate affections of his childhood sweetheart Jean Parker, while a chastened Beery promises to mend his ways--and Barrymore decides to be more of a father and less of an autocrat to his son. Ah, Wilderness would be musicalized (and bowdlerized) by MGM as the 1947 film Summer Holiday. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

There's an aching melancholy beneath the surface of Ah, Wilderness!, the wistful and charming, if not completely successful adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill comedy. Director Clarence Brown has unfortunately coddled the material a bit much, with the result that some of the acerbic edges have been softened in favor of a nostalgic glow, and -- despite a pretty terrific sequence involving Richard's run-in with a looser member of the fair sex -- has applied a patina of good taste that dampens some of the fun. The material itself has also dated somewhat, most damagingly in terms of Uncle Sid's "amusing" alcoholism; many will also find the Miller family a tad too enthusiastically wholesome. These caveats aside, there's still a good deal to enjoy here, especially in the performances of a nicely understated Lionel Barrymore, a sensitive Spring Byington, and a moving Aline MacMahon. Eric Linden is not quite up to carrying as much of the film as he is called upon to do, but overall he's fine and acquits himself respectfully. As the younger brother, Mickey Rooney goes a bit overboard, but he's more than bearable. As befits an MGM film of the era, production values are top-notch. If Wilderness could stand a little more wildness, it's still an entertaining and touching little film. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Lionel Barrymore - Nat Miller
• Wallace Beery - Sid Davis
• Eric Linden - Richard Miller
• Aline MacMahon - Lily Davis
• Cecilia Parker - Muriel McComber
• Mickey Rooney - Tommy Miller

Spring Byington - Essie Miller; Charles Grapewin - Mr. McComber; Frank Albertson - Arthur Miller; Eddie Nugent - Wint Selby; Bonita Granville - Mildred Miller; Helen Flint - Belle; Helen Freeman - Miss Hawley

Credit

Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, William Horning - Art Director, Clarence Brown - Director, Frank E. Hull - Editor, Herbert Stothart - Composer (Music Score), Clyde de Vinna - Cinematographer, Hunt Stromberg - Producer, Frances Goodrich - Screenwriter, Albert Hackett - Screenwriter, Eugene O'Neill - Play Author

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