It was interesting to see Bobby Driscoll again. The only time I'd seen him, young Bobby was about 12 and starring in either "The Window" (1949) or "Treasure Island" (1950). Now, he's about 16 and I wouldn't have recognized him if I hadn't seen the credits, although you do see the resemblance once you know it's him. His appearance might have changed a lot but his acting talent was better than ever.
Driscoll was an excellent actor....and another sad Hollywood tale. He wound up with a drug problem (before it was fashionable) and then Hollywood shunned him the rest of his life. He wound up dying a pauper in a pauper's grave in New York City. In this episode he plays "Jim Skinner."
Meanwhile, our host, Loretta Young, plays Jim's mother "Cora," a woman who had abandoned her kid but comes back to Chicago and sees her boy again, now a responsible high school senior, a mature kid with a bright future. The mom is a pickpocket, going from city-to-city until the police run her out of town. She only means to stay one day to see "Jim," but her son won't have it. Unlike today's films where the kid would tell him mom to go to hell, Jim does everything he can to help his mom go straight. The episode title "Big Jim" refers to Jim's dad and the name his mom gave him.
That's the storyline here: a child helping his mom reform and grow up and teenage Jim quickly becoming "Big Jim."
This was my first look in over 50 years at this program. I've read about Loretta Young and her crusade to bring wholesome stories to TV with good and inspiring messages. Good for her. This is one of them.
Driscoll was an excellent actor....and another sad Hollywood tale. He wound up with a drug problem (before it was fashionable) and then Hollywood shunned him the rest of his life. He wound up dying a pauper in a pauper's grave in New York City. In this episode he plays "Jim Skinner."
Meanwhile, our host, Loretta Young, plays Jim's mother "Cora," a woman who had abandoned her kid but comes back to Chicago and sees her boy again, now a responsible high school senior, a mature kid with a bright future. The mom is a pickpocket, going from city-to-city until the police run her out of town. She only means to stay one day to see "Jim," but her son won't have it. Unlike today's films where the kid would tell him mom to go to hell, Jim does everything he can to help his mom go straight. The episode title "Big Jim" refers to Jim's dad and the name his mom gave him.
That's the storyline here: a child helping his mom reform and grow up and teenage Jim quickly becoming "Big Jim."
This was my first look in over 50 years at this program. I've read about Loretta Young and her crusade to bring wholesome stories to TV with good and inspiring messages. Good for her. This is one of them.