I was thinking today, as perfect as Joan Blondell is as Sissy, Alice Faye would have been very interesting in the role. Kind of like her Belle Fawcett character. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing about this picture, but Alice Faye in the role of Sissy is an interesting idea. What do you think?
shareI thought Joan Blondell was great as Sissy, though some of the outfits that were selected for her could have used improvement. If James Cagney could have played the Johhny Nolan character, the movie would have won the Oscar for Best Picture, because Cagney was such a great star and was also a song and dance man as well.
I guess Cagney was a couple of years too old for the part, as he was around 47 years old in 1945.
Would still like to see a remake of the entire movie, as a miniseries. Was the one done in the 70s with Cliff Robertson any good?
The t.v. remake was very well done and well cast, though not a classic like Kazan's version.
James Dunn won an oscar for his portrayal of Johnny Nolan and Peggy Ann Garner was given a special award as well. The picture was not unrecognized in its day.
The talented Alice Faye would be an interesting choice for Sissy. Blondell is marvelous and memorable.
"The sun is not kind. God should use a rose-amber spot."
"The talented Alice Faye would be an interesting choice for Sissy. Blondell is marvelous and memorable."
Agree, I'm a big fan of both....maybe she could have had two sisters????
Read My Lips!!!!
Interestingly enough in the novel Katie did have 2 sisters - Evy and Sissy. The book is an excellent read.
Camels always have the hump
James Dunn was 44 when when the movie was done so he was a bit too old to be playing Francie's dad who is only 34 in the book.He is outstanding in the movie though and did win an Oscar for it.I like Joan Blondell as Sissy but I'm sure Alice Faye would have been good as well maybe not strong enough opposite Dorothy McGuire though.
shareI read the book when I was about 13, and I remember being disappointed seeing James Dunn in the film. Johnny is described as being handsome with blonde curly hair. As a young person, I couldn't get past that and disagreed with the casting. Now that I've seen the movie at least a dozen times, I understand that James Dunn did a wonderful job at portraying Johnny, because in the part of the book that was adapted for the film, Johnny was an end-stage alcoholic who was only a shell of his former self. There was great chemistry between Dunn and Peggy Ann Garner, and that was what made the film so touching.
On a side note, the only actor I could see as Johnny from a physical standpoint at the time was Van Johnson, but in 1945 he may not have had the range to pull off such a nuanced performance.
NO PERFORMANCE OF A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN IS GOOD WITHOUT MY ANGEL PEGGY ANN GARNER PART OF IT!!!!!! PERIOD!!!!!! PEGGY ANN WAS, IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!
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