MovieChat Forums > A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Discussion > James Dunn as Johnny

James Dunn as Johnny

posted 16 years ago by bastasch8647
12 replies | jump to latest

I thought he did a great job as Francie's Dad. He was not miscast in terms of the film per se. However, Dunn was hugely different from the character as Betty Smith wrote him. The novelistic Johnny was perpetually young, a dashing blonde Irishman overflowing with youthful vigor and, sometimes, boyish naivete. Dunn was an average looking, dark-haired middle aged man. Having read the book and seen the film, in retrospect I wish Kazan had enlisted an actor physically more resembling Smith's portrayal.

[–] tmaj48 16 years ago

I always thought actor Dan Duryea would have made an excellent Johnny--blond,
boyish, charming, yet with a somewhat dissipated appearance, and an emotional
weakling. Dunn always seemed simply too old for the part. However, according
to the recent Betty Smith biography, the author claimed that she found the
casting of James Dunn to be perfect. (Although maybe she was just saying so to
promote the film?)

I'm not crying, you fool, I'm laughing!

[–] bastasch8647 16 years ago

tmaj, thank you for your reply. Yeah, Duryea would have been a good choice. I hadn't known that Smith liked James Dunn so much... but like you say, maybe she was excited about the movie and wanted its success to be seen as completely justified.

[–] BoomerMovieFan 16 years ago

I see your point but I have to disagree. I think he was the ideal actor to tackle the role.

Dunn brought three things to the part, experiences shared with Johnny Nolan, that no one could bring: He was New York Irish, an alcoholic and only occasionally able to work because of the alcoholism.

As for the physical looks thing, remember. The 1940's novel was a look back to a period thirty years earlier. As with women, there were different standards for male attactiveness then, completely different from those of today.

Please also remember that Johnny Nolan is seen through the eyes of his idealistic daughter, willing to overlook the physical effects of 10-12 years of alcoholism. She sees her father as he once was, not as he is. Those of us who grew up with alcoholic fathers relate to that.

[–] bess654 16 years ago

As I re-watched this film again this morning,I also thought that physically,the only actor who fit the bill was Joan Blondell.She IS Aunt Sissy.However in terms of performances,they all knocked it out of the ballpark,esp Dorothy McGuire playing totally against type.It would have been lovely seeing her in more roles of this type although she was always a pleasure to watch.

[–] bastasch8647 16 years ago

Yeah, I saw McGuire in Gentleman's Agreement on You Tube a couple of weeks ago... I want to see more of her.

I am rediscovering films of the late 30s and the 40s. They're my parents' generation of movies, but I of course got some familiarity with them via local TV stations running "old movies." Naturally, these were usually poor prints and they were distorted by the exigencies of analog broadcasting. What a delight now to find good copies on You Tube and on crisp DVD editions. I have yet to run into a bad '40s movie - movie making must have been at its zenith from all sides in those days - acting, production values, musical scoring, directing - all came together to create a real movie magic that has not been approached in subsequent decades.

What a lovely discovery was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Like you say, all the actors nailed their parts, especially McGuire. As far as Peggy Ann Garner goes... I'm left with the impression that Kazan contracted with a real angel. Despite her rather tragic later life, in ATGIB, Garner seemed to be an ineffable, unique, and truly celestial being...

[–] tollsaver-2 16 years ago

Do you have TCM or FMC? You could see them all there.

[–] bastasch8647 16 years ago

Thanks for the pointers... right now I'm living as cheaply as possible so no cable... and no converter box. I just get, and watch, one local PBS channel via my Pinnacle digital program. But thanks for the source info if I want to expand.

[–] gosh717 16 years ago

Speaking of Dorothy McGuire, one of her first roles--perhaps the very first--was as the title character in "Claudia" (1943). There was also a sequel "Claudia and David". Both movies were based on novels by Rose Franken, a writer much in the mold of Betty Smith. These were beautiful books, and equally beautiful movies. Unfortunately, they are never shown on TV anymore. At least, I haven't seen them for 25-30 years. They are so good, and I hope TCM can come up with a way to find them and broadcast them.

[–] bastasch8647 16 years ago

Yes, they sound like good movies... Dorothy McGuire enhances any film...

[–] bookwormdreamer 15 years ago

In the book it has Johnny literally drinking himself to death in his mid 30's of course he also had pneumonia but just how much alcohol would someone have to consume to cause that much damage by that age? It's clear in the book most of the adults seem to realized he's killing himself and quickly.

I know alcohol can damage the organs over time but still that seems awfully young for the disease to have progressed that far-but I'm no expert so maybe I'm wrong.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Adler-99 15 years ago

Although it's a very good movie I thought Dunn was horribly miscast. In the book, Johnny was so young -- he and Katie got married when they were still teenagers and had the children very quickly, which was part of the tragedy, being trapped at age 20 to 22.