Angry Boy (1951)

This simple and affecting story tells how Tommy Randall comes to understand the anger that has led him to steal money from his teacher's purse. It shows how he is helped by Dr. Marshall, a psychiatrist at the Child Guidance Clinic, and how his mother's conversations with Miss Clark, a psychiatric social worker, help her to come to terms with her feelings toward Tommy and her own mother. Angry Boy portrays the mental health establishment as a benevolent force dedicated to unselfish service. Alexander Hammid's sensitive direction makes this all plausible as well as moving. All kinds of stereotypical and overdetermined behavior is shown in the film, but it never feels plodding or predictable. Much of the movie is structured around flashbacks showing family interactions and events, accompanied by the voices of the clinicians discussing what happened. The feeling of intervention and oversight, maybe even surveillance, is very real here. We digitized and uploaded this film from the Prelinger Archive. Email us at footage@avgeeks.com if you have questions about the footage and are interested in using it in your project.