Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)

Introduction

Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) is a heart-wrenching, bittersweet exploration of aging, family dynamics, and the often unspoken emotional struggles that come with growing old. Directed by Leo McCarey, known for both his deft comedic timing and his deep emotional sensitivity (The Awful Truth [1937], The Third Man [1949]), this film marks a stark departure from the director’s usual work. It is an extraordinarily moving drama that transcends its time, capturing the universal themes of familial obligation, generational disconnect, and the vulnerability of old age.

While the film wasn’t a box-office success upon its release, Make Way for Tomorrow has since gained a reputation as one of the most emotionally powerful and thematically rich films of Hollywood's Golden Age. It is often cited as a masterpiece of emotional realism and a shining example of McCarey’s ability to craft films that balance tenderness and tragedy.

The film's deep emotional resonance is due in large part to its honest portrayal of the elderly as full, complex human beings, confronting their aging process with grace and dignity. It speaks to the human condition, making it a timeless exploration of generational relationships and the human heart.

Plot Summary

The story of Make Way for Tomorrow centres on Lucy and Barkley Cooper (Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore), an elderly couple living in New York City during the Great Depression. After a lifetime together, they find themselves at the mercy of their grown children. Their financial situation has worsened, and they are forced to give up their home. In a time when the elderly were often disregarded and treated with neglect, Lucy and Barkley become the victims of an unfortunate but telling societal shift.

Their children, scattered across the country, agree to take in one of them, but not both. The couple, unable to reconcile this cold reality, faces the heart-breaking decision of being separated from one another after many years of marriage. What follows is a deeply moving journey of disillusionment, where the couple's emotional resilience is put to the test by their children’s reluctant charity.

Lucy is taken in by her daughter Cora (Fay Bainter), while Barkley stays with their son George (Thomas Mitchell). Neither child is able to provide the comfort or emotional support their parents need, as both are too absorbed in their own personal lives and troubles. Barkley, who is desperately missing Lucy, struggles with his isolation. Meanwhile, Lucy’s spirit remains unwavering despite the constant strain of being treated as a burden.

The film reaches its emotional peak in its quiet, yet devastating final scene, when Barkley and Lucy are reunited for a brief moment at the train station before Lucy’s departure to a new life with one of their children. The understated poignancy of the scene, with the elderly couple slowly drifting apart, is one of cinema’s most emotionally affecting moments. In the end, they must part ways forever, symbolizing the harsh realities of aging in an unsympathetic world.

Themes and Social Commentary

Aging and the Fear of Isolation

At its core, Make Way for Tomorrow is an exploration of aging and the profound emotional impact it has on the elderly. The film does not shy away from showing how age can strip people of their dignity, independence, and social importance. Lucy and Barkley’s story is a stark reminder of the ways in which the elderly can be cast aside, even by their own families, when they are no longer useful in a society that places great value on youth and productivity.

The isolation that Lucy and Barkley face after being separated is a reflection of the fear that many elderly individuals experience—becoming a burden to their families and society at large. The film takes an unflinching look at the ways in which the elderly are often neglected or relegated to the margins of society, and how this neglect can lead to their emotional and physical decline.

The emotional devastation felt by Lucy and Barkley as they are forced to live apart represents the fragile emotional bonds that elderly couples share. It’s a portrait of the helplessness that comes with aging, and the emotional disintegration that occurs when one is treated as dispensable by loved ones. The heart of the film is in the way it makes the audience question how we treat the elderly and the way society often abandons them when they are no longer able to contribute in ways deemed valuable by others.

Generational Disconnect and Family Obligations

Another key theme in the film is the generational divide between Lucy and Barkley and their children. The adult children are shown to be well-meaning but deeply self-absorbed. They are caught up in their own personal dramas—Cora is a widow preoccupied with her own loneliness, while George is struggling with his own family and work pressures. Both fail to recognize the emotional needs of their aging parents, instead viewing them as a burden.

The lack of communication between parents and children is telling: though their children take them in out of a sense of familial obligation, there is no emotional connection. This portrayal of the breakdown in familial empathy provides a sharp commentary on the way older generations are often forgotten or ignored by younger ones. It’s a sobering examination of how the elderly can sometimes feel forgotten by the very people they once raised and loved.

At the same time, the film suggests that aging can create its own kind of generational disconnect. Lucy and Barkley, once active members of society and their children’s lives, now find themselves out of place, forgotten, and abandoned, despite their lifelong sacrifice and devotion. Their children, no longer needing them in the way they once did, see them as people who must be “dealt with” rather than cherished.

The Inescapable Reality of Aging

McCarey’s direction and Viña Delmar’s screenplay present aging not as a romanticized or overly sentimental condition, but as an unavoidable fact of life that carries with it loss and the erosion of personal autonomy. Lucy and Barkley’s struggles are emblematic of the universal challenges that come with growing old—loss of home, independence, and even dignity. The film presents these challenges with great tenderness and empathy, avoiding melodrama while emphasizing the human capacity for resilience and love in the face of diminishing years.

Performances

Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi deliver some of their finest work in Make Way for Tomorrow. Moore, best known for his comedic roles, brings a quiet, heart-breaking dignity to the role of Barkley. His portrayal of a man on the brink of emotional collapse, unable to fully accept the reality of his aging, is both touching and heart-breaking. Moore masterfully captures the vulnerability and quiet sorrow of a man who feels abandoned by the world.

Beulah Bondi, as Lucy, offers a performance of great subtlety and depth. Bondi’s portrayal of Lucy’s quiet strength, her willingness to adapt and sacrifice for the sake of her family, is nothing short of extraordinary. Bondi brings a sense of grace to the role of an aging mother who, despite her pain, holds on to the hope of being loved and cared for by her children. The tenderness and stoicism that Bondi brings to Lucy is central to the emotional weight of the film.

The supporting cast, including Thomas Mitchell and Fay Bainter, portray the adult children in a way that elicits both frustration and sympathy. The complexity of their characters is in the way they love their parents but are also unable to fully understand or meet their emotional needs.

Direction and Cinematography

Leo McCarey’s direction in Make Way for Tomorrow is understated yet incredibly powerful. McCarey excels at finding moments of deep emotional truth, creating scenes of intimacy that resonate long after the film ends. He uses silence and subtle gestures to convey the emotional turmoil of the characters, particularly in the final moments of the film when Barkley and Lucy are forced to say goodbye at the train station.

The cinematography by Robert De Grasse captures the film’s emotional tone, utilizing soft, intimate lighting that emphasizes the fragile nature of the characters' emotional states. The film’s pacing is slow and deliberate, allowing the audience to fully absorb the sorrow and complexity of the characters’ lives.

Reception and Legacy

Make Way for Tomorrow was not a commercial success upon its release. It was, in fact, a box-office failure, and its themes of aging and familial neglect were not seen as suitable for mainstream audiences at the time. However, over the years, the film has been rediscovered and celebrated for its emotional depth and unflinching portrayal of the struggles of the elderly.

Today, Make Way for Tomorrow is regarded as a cinematic classic, praised for its humanism and for its portrayal of aging as both an inevitable and profoundly emotional experience. It is often cited as one of the greatest films about aging ever made, with critics and filmmakers alike hailing it as a masterpiece of American cinema.

Conclusion

Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) is an emotionally devastating yet beautifully crafted film that takes an unflinching look at the aging process, familial obligations, and the deep emotional bonds between parents and children. With its impeccable performances, subtle direction by Leo McCarey, and poignant exploration of human frailty, it remains a timeless meditation on the complexities of growing old and the isolation that can come with it.

Although not widely recognized at the time of its release, Make Way for Tomorrow has earned its place in cinematic history as a profoundly moving exploration of life’s most inevitable and sorrowful truth—growing old and the people who are left behind.

An emotionally devastating, yet tender, exploration of aging, family, and love, delivered with incredible depth and grace.