Produced by Stanley Kramer, A Child is Waiting is set in an institution for the mentally handicapped, with many actual residents playing supporting and bit roles. Doctor Burt Lancaster and instructor Judy Garland often find themselves at odds over teaching methods, with Garland preferring an intense one-on-one approach with her students. Bruce Ritchey, a non-developmentally challenged youth, plays the retarded son of Gena Rowlands and Steven Hill, whose intellectual and social progress becomes the focal point of the film. The most uplifting sequence in A Child is Waiting takes place during a play staged by the genuinely handicapped children for their parents; while director John Cassavetes gilds the lily with close-ups of the teary-eyed audience, the kids themselves are earnest, engaging, and totally devoid of self-pity. According to Stanley Kramer, Judy Garland left her best work in this film on the cutting room floor; whenever completing a scene in which she'd exercised professional restraint, she'd insist upon a retake, then resort to the sobbing and breast-beating that her fans had come to expect. (Synopsis courtesy of AllMovie.com)
Cast Burt Lancaster ... Dr. Matthew Clark
Judy Garland ... Jean Hansen
Gena Rowlands ... Sophie Widdicombe / Benham
Steven Hill ... Ted Widdicombe
Paul Stewart ... Goodman
Gloria McGehee ... Mattie, Teacher
Lawrence Tierney ... Douglas Benham
Bruce Ritchey ... Reuben Widdicombe
John Marley ... Holland
Bill Mumy ... Boy counting Jean's Pearls
Elizabeth Wilson ... Miss Fogarty, Teacher
John Cassavetes ... Retarded Adult Who Walks Toward Camera (uncredited)
Marilyn Clark ... (uncredited)
Brian Corcoran ... Lewis (uncredited)
Fred Draper ... Dr. Sack (uncredited)
Mario Gallo ... Dr. Ernie Lombardi (uncredited)
Juanita Moore ... Julius' Mother (uncredited)
Butch Patrick ... Student (uncredited)
Barbara Pepper ... Miss Brown (uncredited)
Jay Phillips ... (uncredited)
Noam Pitlik ... Concerned Father (uncredited)
James Rawley ... Jim, the Gardener (uncredited)
Michael Stevens ... (uncredited)
June Walker ... Mrs. McDonald (uncredited)
Release Dates USA 14 January 1963 (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
USA 13 February 1963 (New York City, New York)
Finland 1 October 1965
UK 16 October 1966
Spain 6 August 1973
West Germany 12 May 1976 (TV)
France 24 October 1979
Japan 18 March 2000 (re-release)
Argentina 8 April 2000
Directed by
John Cassavetes
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Abby Mann screenplay
Abby Mann story
Produced by
Stanley Kramer .... producer
Philip Langner .... associate producer
Original Music by
Ernest Gold
Cinematography by
Joseph LaShelle
Film Editing by
Gene Fowler Jr.
Robert C. Jones
Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster
Production Design by
Rudolph Sternad
Set Decoration by
Joseph Kish
Costume Design by
Joe King
Howard Shoup
Makeup Department
George Lane .... makeup artist
Al Paul .... hair stylist
Robert J. Schiffer .... makeup artist
Production Management
Nate H. Edwards .... production manager
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Douglas Green .... assistant director
Lindsley Parsons Jr. .... assistant director
Art Department
Jack Kirston .... property master
Sound Department
Walter Elliott .... sound editor
Jean L. Speak .... sound mixer
Jean L. Speak .... sound (as James Speak)
Camera and Electrical Department
Don L. Carstensen .... chief gaffer
Morris Rosen .... company grip
Sam Van Zenten .... assistant company grip
Charles F. Wheeler .... camera operator
Music Department
Art Dunham .... music editor
Other crew
Marshall Schlom .... script supervisor
Wayne Fitzgerald .... title designer (uncredited)
