No Place to Go

With all the blockbuster films released in Hollywood's Golden Year of 1939, this is one of the many motion pictures that was completely overshadowed that spectacular year.

An old man moves in with his now "grown-up" child, and hopes to be a help around the house. It soon becomes evident to the man, that he is indeed more of a bother than anything else.

When an orphan boy comes along, played remarkably by young Sonny Bupp, life again takes on new meaning for this kind-hearted elderly gent.

I rate this film 9 of 10, as a wonderful story, and because "No Place To Go" really brings the heart around to a more simple yet special way of life.

Dennis Morgan wants his father, Fred Stone, to leave the old soldier's home and come live with him. His wife, Gloria Dickson agrees. Stone, however, is an old coot. He interferes with the cook and the gardener, and brings young Sonny Bupp and Bupp's dog, to give them baths.

It's one of Warner's streamlined B movies from the period, sentimental and a bit trite compared to other movies about the problems of the elderly. Nonetheless, third-billed Stone (even though he is about 90% of the movie) makes it well worth watching. Stone was a legend in the show business, a veteran of circus, burlesque, vaudeville and the legitimate stage. His best-remembered role was as the Scarecrow in the hit Broadway version of THE WIZARD OF OZ. His entertainment family included daughters Dorothy and Paula, and nephew Milburn Stone.

Stone's movie career began in 1915. In the silent era, he appeared in half a dozen films through 1922, then returned to the talkies in ALICE ADAMS for a six-year stretch through 1940. He was plagued with blindness in his last years and died in 1959 at the age of 85.

Fred Stone, so good as Katharine Hepburn's father in 1935's "Alice Adams", is third-billed here playing an aged veteran (and former wrestling champ!) leaving the comfortable confines of a Soldiers' Home to live with his son and daughter-in-law. Adapted from the play "Minick" by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman (which originated from Ferber's short story, "Old Man Minick"), this second-feature from Warner Bros. wants to gently pull at our heartstrings while also being a jolly ode to the resourceful elderly. One can see right away the wily gentleman and the son's wife won't hit it off (Gloria Dickson has been directed to be insufferable), and that his rousing horseplay and her need to be a social-climber do not mesh. Thankfully, Fred Stone--with his customary warmth and sad clown's smile--dominates the proceedings; he's never down for long, and he's never out of the running (making the film's title irrelevant). There are some highly-contrived dramatics involving an overacting shoeshine boy and a couple of out-of-work guys plotting to steal the old man's savings (why are the unemployed from this era in cinema always portrayed as instant crooks?). However, the scenarists are more interested in resolving the issues with a smile rather than making a social statement. In some regard, this lighter approach is welcomed over a wearily realistic take on the situation. ** from ****