Driftwood

A little girl is not having a good day: her grand-pappy (her only relative) dies and then a plane crashes in her yard. The story is corny and the plot meanders somewhat, with the focus shifting from the plight of the little girl to small town politics to a spotted fever outbreak. In the same year she appeared in "Miracle on 34th Street," Wood here plays the youngster who quotes Bible verses. She is taken into the home of Brennan and Jagger (it's not clear why these two middle-aged men are living together). Warrick, who made her film debut in "Citizen Kane," and whose career went downhill from there, here plays the love interest of Jagger.

I must have sat through this film at least twenty times, and cannot say that I was bored on any of them. My girls insisted I record it from them (on VHS) when it was on about 25 years ago, and then proceeded to watch it every Saturday morning for the next 6 months. It may be rather twee nd cute, but even now "daisy's ... they're my favourite flower" still evokes a smile from them and from my wife Predictable, happy ending - but then what else do you want from a children's film? Natalie Wood performs very ably, and the other main characters are highly satisfactory, including the lady who played the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz. Highly recommended for those with small girls, and I wish they would issue it on DVD

I wish I knew more about Director Alan Dwan: I enjoyed watching the only two films I can distinctly connect to him: TENNESSEE'S PARTNER, with an in form Ronald Reagan, and SLIGHTLY SCARLETT, with John Payne - neither exceptional, both well made.

The same characteristics of fine visual composition, adroit close-ups, and generally pleasant/effective cinematography are brought to DRIFTWOOD under the experienced hand of the great John Alton. My sole qualms lie with the rather uneven script - still, Dwan wisely elected to keep it short, which leaves the quick-minded viewer to fill the blanks (the not so quick will understandably give DRIFTWOOD a low assessment!)

Still, the best part of DRIFTWOOD is the acting: in rampant form with MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET and TOMORROW IS FOREVER fresh entries on her CV, Natalie Wood steals the show with her innocent child's in your face truth-telling approach, having learned many biblical quotes from her grandfather, who dies in her presence at the beginning. A miracle collie dog joins her from a crashed aircraft and she miraculously lands up in the local doctor's house... none other than the kind, handsome Dean Jagger, with beautiful Ruth Warrick at his side, and spinster Charlotte Greenwood ready to impart her surface bitterness, which really conceals a heart of gold. Last, but by no means least, the wonderful Walter Brennan, the only actor to have won three Best Supporting Oscars (but sadly these days the target of a smear campaign labeling him "the most evil man in Hollywood," among other cowardly efforts condemning his opposition to the civil rights movement, as if all should think the same).

DRIFTWOOD deserves praise for its kindhearted, positive approach. I have only just discovered it but hope to rewatch it, and not just once. 8/10.

Remarkable how talented a child actor Natalie Wood was. Saw this on Amazon Prime- clicked it like playing 'movie roulette' - the initial fire & brimstone deserted decayed church scene is so strange but then , yeah,it's cheesy, And sweet but you wind up liking these people and rooting for them: it's got 'Lassie' 'the wicked witch Walter Brennan , etc many character actors of that time '. It has the happy ending you know is coming and, which in these days of superior cynicism, is oddly satisfying: they're happy. Good wins.

Viewing this from 2015 it's an amazing & sweet time capsule I got pulled in and wound up watching the entire thing.

Films don't get any cornier than this one; but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The two stars in this film are not Walter Brennan (who, of course, is always very good), and Dean Jagger before he lost his hair. The real stars of this film are Natalie Wood and Lassie.

Both stars went on to great heights in future films. Lassie was a staple of American television in the 1950s, and Natalie Wood went on to make several memorable films; especially West Side Story in 1961.

Driftwood has an unusual plot, which is what makes the film interesting. A young orphan leaves her dead grandfather in a ghost town and proceeds to travel to the nearest town several miles away. On the way, she runs into a plane that crashes in a fiery mess, but a lone survivor is a dog. We will not learn how special this dog is until much later in the film.

The orphan and the dog arrive in a small town, and the story begins to unfold. Suffice it to say it has several Capraesque elements that were so successful in previous films of this era. Amazing performance by Wood.