Er kam als Fremder

Charming piece of Americana affords Steve Cochran a nice change of pace from the brooding thugs he normally played. While he certainly had the physique and dangerous air required for those roles there was also an underlying gentleness to his screen presence that is well utilized here. He is well matched with Ann Sheridan, an actress with her own tough persona. Her careworn appearance in the film matches well with her role as a no nonsense farm woman and as always she offers a high quality performance. Their tentative dance of reconciliation after a long period of estrangement and nice touches that help add to the flavor of small community life make this most worthy picture one to check out.

This rural drama set in 1920s Arkansas is a thoroughly winning film, full of charm and sentiment balanced by straightforward honesty and a trace of grit. Talented screenwriter Montgomery Pittman creates a believable situation involving a ne'er-do-well alcoholic husband (Steve Cochran) who returns to his wife (Ann Sheridan) and family years after abandoning them, hoping to make amends. The wife, however, has learned to manage well on her own, and the way she reacts to this unexpected reappearance is breathtakingly direct and no-nonsense. The leads are terrific; Cochran produced this movie for himself and it shows off his talent extremely well. In fact, the great Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni must have been impressed, because he starred Cochran in the drama Il Grido two years later. I seem to recall that Pittman was also involved with that film. Pittman later wrote some rural-themed episodes for The Twilight Zone, one of which stars James Best, who has a small role in Come Next Spring. Earl Hamner, also a Twilight Zone writer, seems to have taken several hints from Pittman when he came to create The Waltons; the character of the Walton mother, especially as played by Patricia Neal in The Homecoming, is quite reminiscent of Sheridan's performance. An article in New York magazine several years ago revealed that Martin Scorsese is a great admirer of Come Next Spring, which is an urgent candidate for video/DVD release.

"Come Next Spring" created quite a commotion in my hometown when first released in 1956, for the story and the setting is Independence County, Arkansas, in a real backwoods town called Cushman, once known for its mining activities, but no more. The movie refers to the community as Cushin. I don't know where "Come Next Spring" was filmed, but the ___location photography does resemble the landscape of present day Cushman. The town is still there with very few changes since pioneer days, except now the denizens do have electricity and indoor plumbing. My family didn't get the indoor plumbing until I was in college in the early 1960's. Having grown up in the area I'm here to tell you that the film only shows one side of small-town life in the hills and hollows of Arkansas. There is also the negative side of small-town America depicted by other films of the era such as "Picnic." That being said the idyllic side is worth a look see. The acting is topnotch and the story is supposedly based on a true incident about a man who deserted his family during hard times in the 1920's (The Great Depression began early for rural America). Unlike most lost men, however, he returned to his family after years of wandering to attempt to put things back together. Ann Sheridan and Steve Cochran give standout performances as estranged husband and wife trying to reconcile their differences. Sherry Jackson is magnetic as the mute daughter instrumental in restoring her parents' love for each other. There is also a wonderful assortment of character actors to play the local folks, including Walter Brennan, Edgar Buchanan, Sonny Tufts, Mae Clark, and James Best in one of his early roles.

Though the Max Steiner music is good with Tony Bennett singing the theme, it is not apropos for Cushman, Arkansas, of the 1920's. Country (called hillbilly at the time) and folk music were about the only kind of music listened to in that area before the birth of rock 'n' roll, with many of the locals picking and grinning. It would have been more appropriate to have used a popular group of the genre, or even someone from the community. The number one song for 1956 was written by a performer from the general area, "Singing the Blues" by Melvin Endsley. Another noted musician from the area in those days was the multi-talented Wayne Rainey. Both were from near Batesville, which is the county seat of Independence County. Neighboring Stone County produced folk artist Jimmie Driftwood, who wrote "The Battle of New Orleans" and "Tennessee Stud." Using any of these artists would have added to the rural flavor of "Come Next Spring." But that was not the Hollywood way.

If you liked "The Waltons" or "Little House on the Prairie," you should enjoy this movie, which to my knowledge is not available on DVD. It is seldom shown on satellite or cable television. So you may have a difficult time viewing a copy. But if you get the chance, don't miss watching it.

For some reason whenever I hear the word 'Spring' I inevitably think of the movie 'Come Next Spring' which I remember seeing as a teenager. I thought Ann Sheridan & Steve Cochran were near the end of their careers and this was their swansong and did they know how to capture the whole essence of a small town community going through a crisis. It is warm, gentle and has a loving nature running all through it as though they all knew that the studio was near the end like a lot of the cast in their careers. Even the song I can still remember. Worth a remake? No impossible. It was the film that got away but luckily I have a good memory!

I just watched this movie (Come Next Spring) for maybe the 3rd time. My mother Bonnie Tilley was in High School in Ione Ca. when this film was being made. She has many of the actors signatures. It was a pretty big deal to say the least. The downtown scene is unmistakable, main st. Ione. The inside poolroom scene was the pool hall. The church is outside Ione near Camanche Lake, (north shore), and the barn and house in the film is also in the Camanche area, which is also near Ione, and later became Paul's Boarding House. The train is on display near the Ione City hall. The movie had some big stars, and was pretty good, but it's so interesting to anyone who grew up in the area, because almost every scene is familiar.