IMDb RATING
7.2/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
A teacher and a psychologist work with children at an institute for the mentally-imparied.A teacher and a psychologist work with children at an institute for the mentally-imparied.A teacher and a psychologist work with children at an institute for the mentally-imparied.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Bill Mumy
- Boy Counting Jean's Pearls
- (as Billy Mumy)
Jim Backus
- Hot Dog Vendor
- (uncredited)
John Cassavetes
- Retarded Adult Who Walks Toward Camera
- (unconfirmed)
- (uncredited)
Brian Corcoran
- Lewis
- (uncredited)
Fred Draper
- Dr. Sack
- (uncredited)
Mario Gallo
- Dr. Ernie Lombardi
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector John Cassavetes and Producer Stanley Kramer had many creative/economic differences and during the editing phase, Cassavetes was fired.
- GoofsFourteen minutes in, the teacher asks "What time is it when the big hand is on the six and the little hand is on the twelve?" and a student answers "six o'clock" (which is incorrect), though when the camera pans to the blackboard, the big hand is on the twelve and the little hand is pointing to six (which is correct).
- Quotes
Dr. Matthew Clark: I think you can find what you're looking for here, Miss Hansen. Because it's not what you can do for these children; it's what they can do for you.
- Crazy creditsFollowing the last name in the cast list (Elizabeth Wilson) are the words "and The Children".
- Alternate versionsThe 1990 VHS has black and white versions of the MGM/UA Communications Co. and 1987 United Artists logos.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Edge of Outside (2006)
Featured review
Lancaster and Garland butt heads on how to educate some special needs kids.
"A Child Is Waiting" is a film showing the happenings at a state institution for developmentally delayed kids. Back in the bad old days, people were routinely sent to giant state schools to live out their lives. Not only the mentally retarded, but blind, mentally ill, deaf and various disabled adults and kids were routinely sent off to these places--and it was the rare case where they stayed home with their families. This warehousing of these 'defectives' was thought to be best and fortunately for most of these individuals, such mass institutionalization has become a thing of the past (though de-institutionalization offers its own set of problems as well). The school in this film isn't quite a warehouse (you do get to see one later in the film) but it's far from a homelike environment. So, when you watch this movie, understand that it was very typical for the early 1960s--but not today.
Burt Lancaster plays a doctor who runs the institution in the film. In some ways, he's very likable and committed and in others he's a very hard individual. He hires a new teacher for the place--an inexperienced by well-meaning lady (Judy Garland). At first, things seem to go well but when the two disagree on how to handle a particularly troubled kid, sparks start to fly. This boy has been abandoned by his family and they never visit him--and Garland is determined to do something to get him to open up and become a happier and higher-functioning resident. She also wants to give her love to the boy. But for Lancaster, pity is not on his agenda--he wants to toughen up the kids--to force them to respond to his less cuddly ways.
For me, the story about the one boy is not all that important. To me, what's important is the insight it gives in the treatment and education of developmentally delayed kids--and to show how it was done long ago. to psychology majors, those who work in the field or anyone who lives with and loves someone with developmental delays, it's well worth seeing. A very good film--and you might want to keep a box of Kleenex handy just in case.
By the way, one of the kids in the institution was played by Billy Mumy--the same kid who later starred on "Lost in Space" and as an adult on "Babylon 5"--and played the scary kid with freaky powers on "The Twilight Zone". Barbara Pepper who played 'Doris Zipfel' on "Green Acres" plays one of the teachers. Also, Steven Hill plays the disturbed boy's neglectful and rather angry father. He played the original lead on "Mission:Impossible" as well as the original District Attorney on "Law & Order". Finally, this was one of Judy Garland's last films. In 1963, she made this as well as "I Could Go On Singing" before dying so tragically young.
Burt Lancaster plays a doctor who runs the institution in the film. In some ways, he's very likable and committed and in others he's a very hard individual. He hires a new teacher for the place--an inexperienced by well-meaning lady (Judy Garland). At first, things seem to go well but when the two disagree on how to handle a particularly troubled kid, sparks start to fly. This boy has been abandoned by his family and they never visit him--and Garland is determined to do something to get him to open up and become a happier and higher-functioning resident. She also wants to give her love to the boy. But for Lancaster, pity is not on his agenda--he wants to toughen up the kids--to force them to respond to his less cuddly ways.
For me, the story about the one boy is not all that important. To me, what's important is the insight it gives in the treatment and education of developmentally delayed kids--and to show how it was done long ago. to psychology majors, those who work in the field or anyone who lives with and loves someone with developmental delays, it's well worth seeing. A very good film--and you might want to keep a box of Kleenex handy just in case.
By the way, one of the kids in the institution was played by Billy Mumy--the same kid who later starred on "Lost in Space" and as an adult on "Babylon 5"--and played the scary kid with freaky powers on "The Twilight Zone". Barbara Pepper who played 'Doris Zipfel' on "Green Acres" plays one of the teachers. Also, Steven Hill plays the disturbed boy's neglectful and rather angry father. He played the original lead on "Mission:Impossible" as well as the original District Attorney on "Law & Order". Finally, this was one of Judy Garland's last films. In 1963, she made this as well as "I Could Go On Singing" before dying so tragically young.
helpful•130
- planktonrules
- Apr 16, 2011
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ein Kind wartet
- Filming locations
- Lanterman Development Center - 3530 W Pomona Blvd, Pomona, California, USA(known as Pacific State Hospital at the time - closed 2015)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
![A Child Is Waiting (1963)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjU0MjdhMGItZGRlYi00NGEzLThlMDYtZDU1ZWJhMmNlNTM3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTIyNzY1NzM@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)