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Driftwood

Released Sep 15, 1947 1h 28m Drama List
Tomatometer 4 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A druggist (Walter Brennan) and a doctor in love with a teacher (Ruth Warrick) adopt a Bible-quoting orphan girl (Natalie Wood) out West.
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Driftwood

Critics Reviews

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Pat Padua Spectrum Culture This all may sound like so much small-town sentiment, but it’s not! Dwan navigates a delicate tightrope between sentiment and cynicism, never entirely falling on one side of the spectrum. May 28, 2024 Full Review Jeremy Heilman MovieMartyr.com Despite any formulaic plot contrivances, Driftwood is an eminently likeable film. Rated: 53/100 Jul 26, 2012 Full Review Brian Costello Common Sense Media Quaint 1940s family film with a few potential scares. Rated: 3/5 Jul 13, 2012 Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television Family comedy-drama about little girl offers lively education lessons on science and society. Jun 26, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D Everyone is trying too hard. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/20/24 Full Review Audience Member Young Natalie Wood less cute Shirley Temple, sorry. Actors good. Script and parts story weak. Overall, passes time okay. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Driftwood is one of those films that I just wanted to hate from the start. I knew this would be another "classic uplifting film," and I was sure it was going to be disgracefully cheesy. Well, I was right; it's hammy to the core, and does little to change the basic "heartwarming" formula. But no matter how hard I tried, I was eventually pulled in by Driftwood's sweetness and pure innocence. Recently orphaned nine year old, Jenny Hollingsworth (and her dog, Hollingsworth whom she named after herself) makes her way to a small town in Nevada that has been plagued by the Rocky Mountain Fever. A doctor named Steve Webster temporarily adopts Jenny until someone else can be found to keep her. Steve hopes to leave Jenny with his girlfriend, Susan Moore, but things get off to a bad start when Jenny says more things than she should. So while Jenny stays with Steve, everyone gets to know about Jenny and her curious antics. If you expect Driftwood to be anything other than a corny, formulaic and helplessly sappy Hollywood picture, you would be absolutely foolish. The reason Driftwood works is because it mixes it's formula so well. The likeable characters are a large part of why Driftwood is so enjoyable. Jenny, being a strange cross between Orphan Annie and Linus Van Pelt, is immediately endearing and is easy to like. Steve is caring and loving, and plays something of an underdog as he tries to convince the town of the need to vaccinate everybody from the understated Rocky Mountain Fever. Susan is a bit more bland as a character, having little personality. Still, she goes beyond acting merely as the love interest. Still, the two standout characters (and actors) are Susan's aunt, Mathilda, and Murph, who helps take care of Jenny. Mathilda is cranky and hard to please, and Jenny's big mouth tends to get those around her in some sticky situations with Mathilda. Murph first seems like a grumpy old man, but we see his sweet side now and then under his crusty exterior. All the characters are made even more likeable by excellent acting from Walter Brennan, Dean Jagger, Natalie Wood, Charlotte Greenwood and Ruth Warrick. Dritfwood is just very steady and enjoyable cinema. The whole production is charming and pleasant, and hard to dislike. Still, anyone expecting anything other than the basic Hollywood "feel-good" formula will be sorely disappointed. Even when things get surprising grim and bleak looking, everything turns out hunky-dory in the end (and it's nicely wrapped up: no room for a sequel here, unlike modern film). Still, coming in with the right expectations, you should find Driftwood to be a sweet, brief and mild experience. It's no masterpiece, but boy is it adorable. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Sweet, sometimes overly sweet, homespun drama with a cast of veterans making it all palatable. Not really very deep but still a nice version of small town life at midcentury. Jerome Cowan plays an all too real life character very well, the officious politician who is really just a small minded jerk. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Driftwood

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Movie Info

Synopsis A druggist (Walter Brennan) and a doctor in love with a teacher (Ruth Warrick) adopt a Bible-quoting orphan girl (Natalie Wood) out West.
Director
Allan Dwan
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 15, 1947, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2019
Runtime
1h 28m
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