'' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn '' is a 1945 American romantic drama film that marked the debut of Elia Kazan as a film director . Adapted by Tess Slesinger and Frank Davis from the 1943 novel by Betty Smith , the period drama focuses on an impoverished , but aspirational , second-generation Irish-American family living in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn , New York , in the early 20th century . Peggy Ann Garner received the Academy Juvenile Award for her performance as Francie Nolan , the adolescent girl at the center of the coming-of-age story . Other stars are Dorothy McGuire , Joan Blondell , Lloyd Nolan , Ted Donaldson , and James Dunn , who received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Francie 's father
Academy Award
18th Academy Awards
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945 film)