These Wilder Years (1956)

(On Cable TV, August 2021) It’s curious that, considering their lengthy careers spanning roughly the same decades, there is only one screen pairing of James Cagney and Barbara Stanwyck—These Wilder Years, a straightforward drama that barely makes use of their most distinctive skills. Oh, it’s not bad and it does start with a strong scene, as a steel magnate advises his board of directors that he’s taking an indefinite leave of absence and will go as far as the moon if he needs to. The mystery is soon cleared up — having given up his son for adoption twenty years earlier, he’s out to find him and reunite. This being the 1950s, there are considerable obstacles in his way, most of them incarnated by a steely orphanage administrator (Stanwyck) who will simply not allow him to bribe, bully or force his way in their files. A romance develops, although that’s really not the end of the story. As a drama, it’s surprisingly compelling — the plotting is straightforward, and there are a few intriguing last-film twists. Cagney sells the remorseful business tycoon characters, and Stanwyck is in fine determined form in a late-career role. Still, there isn’t much here to make their roles suited to their screen persona — it’s a script that could have been handed to any pair of actors without too much trouble. Still, it is fun to see those screen veterans in antagonistic/romantic roles, prodding at each other in ways that add depth to the words on the page. Make no mistake: These Wilder Years would be almost instantly forgettable if it wasn’t for those two leads. But given that it does offer the sight of Cagney and Stanwyck sharing the screen, I’m glad it exists.