Summary
In flashback, fifty years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Edison tells his story starting at age twenty-two with his arrival in New York. He's on his way with the invention of an early form of the stock market ticker.
Good for
- Date night
- Family movie night
- Friends night
Where to watch
Fingerprint
At a glance
Critics vs audiences
Critics like it more than audiences (+12)
Critics 80Audiences 68GoodWatch 74
Tomatometer80%
IMDb7.0
Audience score66%
Running time
1 h 47 min
Shorter than most history movies, −15 min on the typical 122
typical 122107Half of all history movies run 108–138 min.
Reach
To rent or buy in 4 countries
Released
1940
May 10, 1940
86 years ago
Genres
HistoryDramaLanguage
English
Original language
Made in
United States
Academy Awards1941
- Best Story1941Nominated
Rated
- NRUnited States
Yes: it's rated NR in the United States, and the viewing guide lists it for kids.
What's in it
- ViolenceLittle or none
- Gore, disturbing imagesLittle or none
- Frightening scenesLittle or none
- Sex, nudityLittle or none
- Dark themesLittle or none
Levels from the title analysis.
Viewing guide
AdultsDate NightFamily Movie NightFriends NightIntergenerationalKidsPartner WatchPublic Viewing SafeSolo WatchTeensComfort WatchDrop-in FriendlyThought-Provoking
and 57 more83 people
- Spencer TracyThomas A. Edison
- Charles CoburnGeneral Powell
- Lynne OvermanBunt Cavatt
- Rita JohnsonMary Stilwell
- Gene LockhartMr. Taggart
- Henry TraversBen Els
- Felix BressartMichael Simon
- Peter GodfreyAshton
Guy D'EnneryLundstrom
Byron FoulgerEdwin Hall
Milton Parsons'Acid' Graham
Arthur AylesworthBigelow
Gene ReynoldsJimmy Price
Addison RichardsMr. Johnson
Grant MitchellSnade
Paul HurstSheriff
George LesseyToastmaster- JWJay WardJohn Schofield
Ann GillisNancy Grey
Erville AldersonFirst Lecturer- WAWilliam ArnoldMinor Role
Hooper AtchleyBroker
Irving BaconSheriff- ABArthur BelascoBroker
Directing · 1
- Clarence Brown Director
Writing · 4
- Talbot Jennings Screenplay
- Bradbury Foote Screenplay
- Dore Schary Original Story
- Hugo Butler Original Story
Sound · 1
- Herbert Stothart Music
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In this series
Film 2 of 2 · after Young Tom Edison
- Young Tom Edison (1940)
GoodWatch score 68Film 1
- Edison, the Man (1940)
GoodWatch score 74You're here
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