The story begins while Tommy Martin and his mother, Martha Martin say goodbye to Henry and Reuben Johnson. After having stopped by the Mennonite farm, where Tommy and Martha stay with the William and Annie Decker, the Johnsons are headed back to their hometown of Goshen. The balance of the film is concerned with both trying to get the necessary train fare and with Tommy clearing his name over a misunderstanding.
Breaking the Ice (1938) is a drama film directed by Edward F. Cline, released on September 22, 1938 with a runtime of 1h 21m. It stars Bobby Breen, Dolores Costello, Charles Ruggles and Irene Dare. Viewers rate it 6.1 out of 10 across 6 ratings.
Bobby Breen
as Tommy Martin
Dolores Costello
as Martha Martin
Charles Ruggles
as Sam Terwilliger
Irene Dare
as Irene Dare
Dorothy Peterson
as Annie Decker
Robert Barrat
as William Decker
John 'Dusty' King
as Henry Johnson
Margaret Hamilton
as Mrs. Small
Billy Gilbert
as Mr. Small
Jonathan Hale
as Mr. Kane
Delmar Watson
as Reuben Johnson
Spencer Charters
as Smith
Directed by Edward F. Cline, written by Bernard Schubert, Mary C. McCall, Jr. and Manuel Seff, produced by Sol Lesser.
Average viewer score of 6.1/10 from 6 ratings.
Now I tend to side with Herod and Rameses when it comes to children, though perhaps not quite as brutally, so I was fully prepared to hate this. Though it does contain more than it’s fair share of cheese, it’s not that sentimental and for my first encounter with Bobby Breen, it went fine. “Tommy” lives with his mother “Martha” (Dolores Costello). Neither they nor anyone else in their Mennonite community have much…
Reviewed on March 29, 2026
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The main cast of Breaking the Ice (1938) includes Bobby Breen, Dolores Costello, Charles Ruggles, Irene Dare and Dorothy Peterson. The film was directed by Edward F. Cline. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Breaking the Ice was released on September 22, 1938 and runs for 1h 21m.
Breaking the Ice (1938) holds an average rating of 6.1 out of 10 from 6 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
