Each heart-warming character comes alive on the screen!
In Brooklyn circa 1900, the Nolans manage to enjoy life on pennies despite great poverty and Papa's alcoholism. We come to know these people well through big and little troubles: Aunt Sissy's scandalous succession of "husbands"; the removal of the one tree visible from their tenement; and young Francie's desire to transfer to a better school...if irresponsible Papa can get his act together.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) is a drama film directed by Elia Kazan, released on February 28, 1945 with a runtime of 2h 8m. It stars Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn and Lloyd Nolan. Viewers rate it 7.5 out of 10 across 110 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Trailer
Clip
Dorothy McGuire
as Katie Nolan
Joan Blondell
as Aunt Sissy
James Dunn
as Johnny Nolan
Lloyd Nolan
as Officer McShane
James Gleason
as McGarrity
Ted Donaldson
as Neeley Nolan
Peggy Ann Garner
as Francie Nolan
Ruth Nelson
as Miss McDonough
John Alexander
as Steve Edwards
B.S. Pully
as Christmas Tree Vendor
Ferike Boros
as Grandmother (uncredited)
Virginia Brissac
as Miss Tilford (uncredited)
Directed by Elia Kazan, written by Betty Smith, Nicholas Ray and Tess Slesinger, produced by Louis D. Lighton.
Average viewer score of 7.5/10 from 110 ratings.
This is the charming adaption of Betty Smith's acclaimed novel. It's both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The acting is riveting all the way around, and this is one of those rare times when everyone is perfectly cast. But particularly Peggy Ann Garner and James Dunn, both of whose careers, interestingly and unfortunately enough, were failing within the next decade. They act marvelously well together, as the bright…
Reviewed on September 4, 2019
At the turn of the 20th century, the Nolan family eek out a living in New York. Mum “Katie” (Dorothy Maguire) is trying to raise impressionable daughter “Francie” (Peggy Ann Garner) and son “Neeley” (Ted Donaldson) whilst their well meaning but dipso entertainer of a father (James Dunn) struggles to make a living then hits the bottle when he does or doesn’t find work. The there’s the lively aunt “Sissy” (Joan…
Reviewed on March 2, 2025
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) includes Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Lloyd Nolan and James Gleason. The film was directed by Elia Kazan. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was released on February 28, 1945 and runs for 2h 8m.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) holds an average rating of 7.5 out of 10 from 110 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official A Tree Grows in Brooklyn trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
