COME NEXT SPRING (1956)

In a backwoods Arkansas town in 1927, Bess (Ann Sheridan) is doing her best to raise her two kids (Annie, a mute, and the younger Abraham, a bedwetter) on her small farm, with some help from a sharecropper (Walter Brennan) and his adult son. Nine years ago, her husband Matt (Steve Cochran) left his family in disgrace after a drunk driving accident--he had a reputation as the town drunk--but one fine morning, he shows up strolling down the road. He's been sober for three years and has returned, though it's not clear why. Bess has a more or less friendly chat with him, but she is not inclined to welcome him back in her life. But her son, who was born after Matt left, takes a shine to him and when Matt offers to do some odd jobs around the place, she lets him stay, making it clear that they will not be living as man and wife. The townsfolk are not happy to see him, but slowly he starts winning people over, especially when a twister hits and Matt helps get people to safety. Bess and Matt kiss, but she worries that he will return to his old ways and refuses to get more involved. A roughneck named Leroy (Sonny Tufts) has been trying to court Bess, and he shows up at the town Halloween party. Matt breaks his pledge and has a drink, just to show the other men that he can have one and stop, but soon he and Matt tangle, leading to a lengthy brawl that starts outside the barn and winds up in a creek, and in the end, Matt has to save Leroy because he can't swim. Finally, Annie, whose muteness seems to have been caused by Matt's past drunken accident, goes missing in some dangerous mountains, and the town comes together to help Matt and Bess find her.

This was aired on Turner Classic Movies as one of Leonard Maltin's "neglected classics." I'm not sure I'd so far as calling it a classic, but it does deserve to be more widely seen. The predictability of the plot and the potential for some sticky sentiment are offset by Cochran and Sheridan who work well together. Sheridan in particular is fine playing convincingly against her 'Oomph girl' type as a plain, careworn mother, and Cochran (pictured with Sheridan) goes a bit against type in a somewhat gruff but sympathetic role. Walter Brennan hasn't much to do but he adds his relatively authentic mountain folk persona to the proceedings. In their advertising for the film Republic Pictures tried comparing it to their earlier hit The Quiet Man, but the only real point of comparison is the long nighttime brawl scene, accompanied by a rollicking score, which for my money plays out better here than in the John Wayne film. (It's heresy to say but I'm not really a fan of The Quiet Man.) Sherry Jackson, also the daughter on the 1950s Danny Thomas Show, is very good as Annie. The trajectory of the story will come as no surprise, but it's a generally pleasant viewing experience, and as a fan of Steve Cochran, it was nice to see him as a good guy for a change. [TCM]