Is a musical remake of Ah Wilderness! (1935), based on the play by Eugene O'Neill. Mickey Rooney appears in both versions - as the younger brother, Tommy, in the original film, and as the older brother, Richard, in this movie.
In the opening sequence, the groups seen listening to the off-screen high school choir are close approximations to those seen in paintings by the then-celebrated American painter Grant Wood, now known only for the gaunt farmer with a pitchfork and his grim-faced daughter in "American Gothic."
One of MGM's biggest flops and the biggest failure for director Rouben Mamoulian, who had directed the original stage productions of "Oklahoma!", "Carousel" and "Porgy and Bess". In fact, Mamoulian, who exercised complete control over all his films, was blamed so much for the film's failure that MGM had to think twice before hiring him for its musical Silk Stockings (1957).
A promotional billboard for this movie is seen in the beginning of the MGM release Act of Violence (1948) as the character portrayed by Robert Ryan is speeding away from a rental car lot.
Filmed between June 17 and mid-October 1946, the film was not copyrighted until 26 November 1947, and its wide release was held back until April 16, 1948. The Manhattan opening at Lowe's State Theatre followed on June 11, 1948.