Wild Oats Lane (1926): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1926, Wild Oats Lane is a drama film directed by Marshall Neilan, running about 70 minutes.

What it’s about. After leaving Sing Sing for serving time for theft, The Boy drifts into a small Pennsylvania town and falls in love with Marie, an innocent local girl. The Boy leaves for New York, first obtaining Marie's promise to follow him in a week to become his wife. The Boy runs into some of his former associates in crime, however, and they hold him prisoner until they can pull off a big job. Meanwhile, Marie arrives in the city, and there is no one to meet her. Ashamed to return home, Marie supports herself by prostitution until she is reformed by a kindly priest, who, unknown to her, is also attempting to help The Boy, who has become a dope fiend. The Boy and Marie finally meet and are reconciled. The priest then sends for her parents, and Marie and The Boy are married.

Who’s in it. Wild Oats Lane stars Viola Dana as Marie, the Girl, Robert Agnew as The Boy, John MacSweeney as The Priest and Margaret Seddon as The Mother, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 10.0/10, Wild Oats Lane sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Wild Oats Lane page.

If you liked it. Fans of Wild Oats Lane tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.