These Wilder Years

Plot Summary

James Cagney and Barbara Stanwyck shine in their only screen pairing, a powerful story of loss and regret co-starring Walter Pidgeon. After 20 years, middle-aged steel magnate Steve Bradford (Cagney) has decided to return to his hometown to take care of some unfinished business. Determined to find the son he fathered while still in high school, he tangles with orphanage director Ann Dempster (Stanwyck), who refuses to give him the young man's name. Turning to the courts in a brazen attempt to force Dempster to reveal the information, Bradford gets more than he bargained for when she introduces him to Suzie (Betty Lou Keim), an expectant 16-year-old who helps him realize that the wishes and feelings of others may be more important than his own.