Where to Watch
Region
Apple TV Store
Rent from
HD
$2.99
Apple TV Store
Buy from
HD
$9.99
Amazon Video
Rent from
HD
$2.99
Amazon Video
Buy from
HD
$9.99
Google Play Movies
Rent from
$2.99
See all 8 options →
Prices last updated September 25, 2026. Pricing and availability may vary by region.
powered by JustWatch
About
This is a story about family relationships, set in the time before and during the American Civil War. Ethan Wilkins is a poor and honest man who ministers to the human soul, while his son Jason yearns to be a doctor, helping people in the earthly realm. It is a rich story about striving for excellence, the tension of father-son rebellion, and the love of a mother that can never die.
Theatrical
Feb 11, 1938
Director
Writers
Producer
Studio
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Keywords
civil war
abusive father
minister
spanking
doctor
rebellious youth
family
preacher
overbearing father
selfishness
medical student
return of son
abraham lincoln
overprotective father
father son conflict
domineering father
medical education
father son relationship
ministry
medical resident
small town doctor
army medic
headstrong son
Latest
See all
Movie News
Cast
Full credits →W
Walter Huston
Ethan Wilkins
J
James Stewart
Jason Wilkins
B
Beulah Bondi
Mary Wilkins
G
Gene Reynolds
Jason Wilkins as a Child
G
Guy Kibbee
George Ames
C
Charles Coburn
Dr. Charles Shingle
J
John Carradine
President Lincoln
A
Ann Rutherford
Annie Hawks
L
Leatrice Joy Gilbert
Annie Hawks as a Child
C
Charley Grapewin
Jim Meeker
L
Leona Roberts
Sister Clarke
G
Gene Lockhart
Quid
C
Clem Bevans
Elder Massey
A
Arthur Aylesworth
Rufus Inchpin
S
Sterling Holloway
Chauncey Ames
C
Charles Peck
Chauncey Ames as a Child
R
Robert McWade
Dr. Lupus Crumm
M
Minor Watson
Captain Griggs
W
Ward Bond
Lout Laughing in Church (uncredited)
F
Frank McGlynn Jr.
Lout Laughing in Church (uncredited)
