Monday Afternoon @ the Movies – AWPL Classic Monday: “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1945)

March celebrates Women’s History and Irish-American Heritage – AWPL Classic Monday: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) Elia Kazan’s adaptation of Betty Smith’s 1943 novel stars Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn and Peggy Ann Garner. Smith’s best-selling work, based on her own childhood experiences growing up in a Williamsburg slum is set in Brooklyn circa 1900; the Nolan family manages to enjoy life on pennies despite great poverty and Papa’s alcoholism – young Francie yearns for a life beyond her surroundings. Rated PG: 2 hours 9 minutes.