Betty Smith's “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” was an immediate best-seller when it was published in 1943, and proved particularly popular with servicemen. Many readers addressed their fan letters not to the author, Betty Smith, but to her main character, Francie Nolan, a dirt-poor tenement child with big dreams.The film version was Elia Kazan's debut as a director. Peggy Ann Garner received the Academy Juvenile Award for her performance as Francie Nolan, and James Dunn received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Francie's father. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945 - Dorothy McGuire, James...