The leads all touch emotional truths: Myrna Loy seems able to express longing, joy, fear and surprise--mostly with her back turned--in a particularly poignant welcome home. 2 Quoted in Michael A. Anderegg, William Wyler (Boston, 1979), pp. Al, Millie, and Peggy attend Homer's and Wilma's wedding, where Fred is best man. 
In January 1945, Kantor turned in the first part of the story, which was more than 100 pages of blank verse. A April 19, 1948 Variety news item reported that the film earned $8,000,000 in Britain in its initial release. Below is a screenshot of the building from the film and an image of the building as it appears today. 
which someone had written "Home Again!" What is the address on Beverly Blvd that Al's apartment is located? Earlier in the evening he was handed a Special Oscar "for bringing
You flopped! gambling on the future of this country. I refuse to listen to such radical talk. When they reached
Independent producer Sam Goldwyn got the idea for a film about veterans
mean fellow." Best Years Of Our Lives, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) He's Home! For
Bitter, and seeing no future in Boone City, particularly with Al telling Fred to stay away from Peggy, Fred decides to pack up and catch the next plane out. (1952); and worst of all, the Biblical bomb, The Silver Chalice (1954) which was, incidentally, Paul Newman's film debut, and is a film he still derides as the worst of his career. Wyler, who an September 11, 1945 article in Hollywood Reporter quoted as saying that he wanted to resume his career with "socially significant" films instead of "pure escapist" ventures, soon agreed to direct the story, and together with Goldwyn worked with Robert E. Sherwood to adapt Kantor's blank verse novel into a shooting script. From Homers Odyssey to the Bibles parable of the Prodigal Son, few narratives are as compelling as those of homecoming, and few homecomings play on our emotions quite like that of a soldier returning from war. Parrish), Hoagy Carmichael (Butch Engle), Gladys George (Hortense Derry),
War II. While still in her teens, she joined the nightclub circuit, and after paying her dues for a few years traveling across the country, she eventually caught the eye of movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn. conclusion, I'd like to tell you a humorous anecdote. Screenplay: Robert E. Sherwood
A Hollywood Reporter news item on August 27, 1945 includes George Davis in the cast, but his appearance in the released film has not been confirmed. Teresa Wright was only thirteen years younger than her on-screen mother, played by Myrna Loy. [16], After the war, the combat aircraft featured in the film were being destroyed and disassembled for reuse as scrap material. Golden Age Living Center. The three men come from different services with different ranks that do not correspond with their civilian social class backgrounds. 'Yes sir, I see it.' His work was first published as a novella, Glory for Me, which Kantor wrote in blank verse. When William Wyler won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American
replied, "I'll tell you, Bob, since you left, things are better than
What have you got to say to that?" In addition, a special Academy Award was given to Russell "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance" in the film and Samuel Goldwyn was given the Irving Thalberg Award. Although Milton is somewhat annoyed at Al's remarks, Milly feels very proud. - Fredric March as Al
TCM REMEMBERS HAROLD RUSSELL, HILDEGARD KNEFF & ERNEST PINTOFF
but when he screened it with Wyler it was so tight that he couldn't find
He gave her a small role in her first film, starring future husband, Michael O'Shea, in Jack London (1943). It was a training center for air crews during the war Angel (1935) and the disastrous We Live Again (1934), and wasn't
I want to tell you all
There are so many movies about war, but not nearly as many that show life after war. March earned his second Best Actor Academy Award for the film; his first was for the 1932 Paramount production Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.1076). 257260. I don't recognize 'em. [8], Samuel Goldwyn was inspired to produce a film about veterans after reading an August 7, 1944, article in Time about the difficulties experienced by men returning to civilian life. distinguished service citation. going to sum the whole thing up in one word. Goldwyn's vulgarity and his mangling of the English language, the picture
to you, and you'll get used to them. In 1992, Russell sold his Best Supporting Actor statuette at auction for $60,500 ($116,800 today), to pay his wife's medical bills. He wrote a popular animation textbook and throughout the 70s was a busy TV director. In truth, that touch was the
instance, one day in Okinawa, a Major comes up to me and he says,
She showed a keen interest in acting in grade school, and by the time she was 19, she made her Broadway debut in Thorton Wilder's Our Town (1938); the following year she scored a hit as Mary, the weeping ingnue in Life with Father (1939). More items like this Film, Video ONE-EYED JACKS motion picture | Feature film (over 60 minutes). Web11 year-old Laila from Missouri, met her bone marrow donor, 18 year old Kenton, who lives 300 miles away, on stage. His TV credits run to some 350 episodes for such series as Adam 12, Bonanza, Death Valley Days and numerous others.
concerned about working with William Wyler. At the end of the evening, Peggy returns home and tells her parents that she is going to break up Fred's loveless marriage. Surely the answer is no. This article appears in the May/June 2021 issue. all washed up? See, The Best Years of Our Lives (disambiguation), Learn how and when to remove this template message, Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, AFI's 100 Years 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition), "The 19th Academy Awards (1947) Nominees and Winners. the men who risked their lives in the name of freedom.
In the last century, countless books and films have revolved around the peculiarly poignant predicament of a soldier who, having beaten the odds to keep himself alive amid a foreign conflict, makes his way back to an eagerly dreamed of but inevitably changed home. as Al Stephenson. One of the few classics on the post-war subject is the 1946 film. | we'll all be blown to bits the first day. [15], The fictional Boone City was patterned after Cincinnati, Ohio. Goldwyn liked the exchange and sent
and of the heart. Bazin explains how deep focus functions in this scene: The action in the foreground is secondary, although interesting and peculiar enough to require our keen attention since it occupies a privileged place and surface on the screen. [26], Despite his Oscar-nominated performance, Harold Russell was not a professional actor. stopped the scene to get it right, but Loy suggested that they leave the
My wife
Recorded 11th-15th/18th-20th July/18th August/2nd November 1960 at Paramount Studios. previous training in the Cornbelt Loan and Trust Company. Amazon Prime is one of the UK’s best streaming services, with a film and TV library to rival Netflix – not bad when you consider that it started life as a free add-on to a next-day delivery service. Princess and the Pirate (1944), the writer suggested a simple exchange. Whats more, Wylers direction emphasizes not the surface-level distinctions among the men but their deeper common experiences. (Marie Derry), Cathy O'Donnell (Wilma Cameron), Harold Russell (Homer
Wyler wanted a completely un-glamorous look, requiring all costumes to be bought off the rack and worn by the cast before filming, and making sure all sets were built smaller than life-size. By command of Lieutenant
And now in
William Wyler and cinematographer Gregg Toland, who worked under contract
(1958) with appearances by Chuck Berry and Jackie Wilson, the moody The Return of Dracula (1958) and the 1957 cult favorite The Vampire. Marie, who likes to go to clubs every night, argues with Fred over money, prompting him to take the job at the drugstore. 'Stephenson, you see that hill?' Best Score and Best Editing. That same afternoon, Al takes a chance on granting a loan to fellow veteran Novak, a hard-working sharecropper, whose only collateral is his abilities. Pintoff had been nominated in the same category earlier for The Violin (1959). Some time later, Homer visits Fred at the drugstore and gets into a conversation at the lunch counter with a man who suggests that the war was unnecessary and that the United States was pushed into it by "the Limies" and "the Reds." doesn't make a nickel as long as every man, woman and child in America sees
of us to stop all this nonsense, face facts, get down to brass tacks,
WebTitle: The Best Years of Our Lives Summary: Three World War II veterans return home to small-town America to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed. On the way home, Fred asks about Wilma and advises Homer to tell her how much he loves her and marry her right away. Fred then slugs the man and is fired. The knowledge I
commentators for his liberal politics. Feminists rage against the male-dominated world while enjoying all the wonders and security it has provided. The novel was published in 1945. Become a Member today for a growing stake in the conservative movement. In talking to the press about the importance of making significant films
At 172 minutes, The Best Years of Our Lives was almost twice the
She scored an Oscar nomination for her film debut as Regina Giddens' (Bette Davis), honorable daughter, Alexandria. Realizing that her future in movies was slowing down, she turned to the supper club circuit in the 60s with her husband, Michael O'Shea, touring the country in such productions as No, No Nanette, Barefoot in the Park, Hello Dolly, and Butterflies Are Free. The Forgotten: The Silent Fist. T hree World War II veterans return home to their families to recover from the worst years of their lives. Goldwyn considered cutting it,
Bullard recommends Fred to the new manager, but Fred bristles at the idea of taking a low-paying job which would still involve working at the lunch counter. At the end of World War II, three demobilized servicemen meet on a flight to Boone City, their mid-Western hometown. Critics reviews The picture was re-released in 1953 in "first run" houses, according to Hollywood Reporter and New York Times, to tie-in with the homecoming of soldiers returning from the Korean War. Ironically, it is Homer, who plainly faces the most daunting prospects, who seems blessed with the best support system. [12], Director Wyler had flown combat missions over Europe in filming Memphis Belle (1944), and worked hard to get accurate depictions of the combat veterans he had encountered. WebLocation Los Angeles, California, United States; Sacramento, California, United States Screenplay Information Based on the novel Glory for Me by MacKinlay Kantor (New York, in chalk. Hollywood Reporter news items from August through November 1946 indicate that the film's planned November 21, 1946 premiere at the Astor Theatre in New York became problematic because United Artists was suing the theater owners to have the British-made Caesar and Cleopatra forcibly withdrawn prior to the premiere of The Best Years of Our Lives. But I'm not gonna say it. His first directorial effort was 1949's Grand Canyon but he soon became fast and reliable, alternating B-movies with TV episodes.. His best known films are Go, Johnny, Go! Knef was a big star in Germany after the war, appearing in several classics, which led producer David Selznick to try to coax her to Hollywood. Other Wyler touches included constructing life-size sets, which went against the standard larger sets that were more suited to camera positions. Peter Tonguetteis a contributing writer to theWashington Examinermagazine. When she did return, it was intermittent, but she was always worth watching. TCM REMEMBERS DAVID SWIFT, 1919-2001
Major, 'But that operation involves considerable risk. The reason was that Hall's contract with Goldwyn ended during filming, but the producer was reluctant to pay extra money to rehire him. (Milly coughs loudly to
re-adjusting to home life after World War II when his wife, Francis,
going since I left the studio?" - was surprisingly successful. March, as Al Stephenson, catching up. Contemporary news items and feature articles stated that to publicize the picture, Goldwyn switched advertising agencies from Donahue & Coe to Foote, Cone & Bleding, who were handling the film's $500,000, six-month ad campaign. She was still active in the '90s, appearing a few hit shows: Murder, She Wrote, Picket Fences; and a final film role in John Grisham's The Rainmaker (1997). Amazon.com: The Best Years of Our Lives [DVD] : Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Russell, this part of the film was done on location in Chino CA at what was then known as the USAAF Cal-Aero Field. The Best Years of Our Lives began filming on April 15, 1946 at a variety of locations, including the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Ontario International Airport, Ontario, California, Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, and the Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios. didn't take the hill, and we lost the war.' A few seconds later Walnut Hills High School with its dome and football field can be seen along with the downtown Cincinnati skyline (Carew Tower and Fourth and Vine Tower) in the background. "I've made up my mindI'm going to break that marriage up." Peggy, who has invited Fred and Marie out to dinner, admits that she is in love with Fred, but does not want to be, and thinks that seeing Fred with his wife will have a therapeutic effect on her. We haven't
Meanwhile, Fred's wife, Marie, frustrated with his lack of financial success and missing her past nightlife, tells Fred she is getting a divorce. Los Angeles, California, United States; Sacramento, California, United States, Here are a few original release American movie posters for, Novelist MacKinlay Kantor modeled Boone City, the setting for The
a cigarette or read a book. New one-sheet and three-sheet posters with a picture of an Oscar and the tag line "The Academy Award Picture! Official Sites Ironically, neither he nor co-star Dana Andrews had
The American Ideas Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, D.C. 2022 The American Conservative, a publication of The American Ideas Institute. was reinforced by preview audiences in October 1946, who were so
404 E Third Street, Po Box 307, Stover, Missouri 65078. - Fredric March
The film was a critical and commercial success. Thus the viewer is induced actively to participate in the drama planned by the director. There is a certain schematic quality to the superficial differences between the three men: Army sergeant Al Stephenson (Fredric March), an upwardly mobile family man; Air Force bombardier Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), formerly a drugstore soda jerk who got hitched in haste just before deployment; and Navy petty officer Homer Parrish (Harold Russell), an earnest everyman with an impossible-to-ignore injury, his lower arms amputated and replaced by harness-supported hooks. Fred Derry faces a
The sharp and clean B&W image displays a - Dana Andrews as Fred Derry. Finally, Wyler delivers these men to the place promised in the lines by Stevenson: Home is the sailor, home from the sea / And the hunter home from the hill.. Map Key. Bitterly telling him that she gave up the best years of her life for him, she demands a divorce. However, Selznick wanted her to change her name and pretend to be Austrian which Knef refused to do. [13], Recounting the interrelated story of three veterans right after the end of World War II, The Best Years of Our Lives began filming just over seven months after the war's end, starting on April 15, 1946 at a variety of locations, including the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, and the Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios. bombsight, guided his formation on a perfect run over the objective and
I thank you." I must take a drive over and see it on my next trip to L.A.! to get anything except to cry for it." At Al's apartment, the realization that things have changed during his absence makes Al feel awkward and he suggests that Milly and Peggy join him for a night out on the town. | At Homer's house, Wilma tries to make him realize that she still loves him as much as ever, but runs home crying after Homer angrily pushes his hooks through a window after seeing his little sister Luella and her friends staring at him. I love the Cornbelt Loan and Trust Company. to Goldwyn. private buyer for $60,500 to help pay for an operation his wife
As the Academy Board of Governors considered him a long shot to win, they gave him an Academy Honorary Award "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance". Fredric March had worked with Goldwyn twice before, on The Dark
[11] The "Jackson High" football stadium seen early in aerial footage of the bomber flying over the Boone City, is Corcoran Stadium located at Xavier University in Cincinnati. Gone With the Wind was still the film with the most Academy Awards, having earned eight regular awards, plus one scientific and technical award and one special award, thus bringing its overall total to ten, not including David O. Selznick's Thalberg Award that year (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.1674). doesn't think I'd better sum it up in that one word. department would call "The Goldwyn Touch." Peggy earlier joked that she was actually her dads mother, and in contemplating her life with Fred, one sees her as much as mother or minder as lovera woman to mend the wounds of war and its aftermath. I think that little story has
Although they were cast as mother and daughter, Myrna Loy was only 12
size of the screens to guarantee the film would be seen under optimal
The men, Air Force Captain Fred Derry, sailor Homer Parrish, and Army Sergeant Al Stephenson, quickly develop a bond, even though they come from different backgrounds. humorous anecdotes, but I can't think of any way to clean them up, so I'll
conditions. WebTHE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES USA, 1946 Director: William Wyler Production: Goldwyn Productions; black and white, 35mm; running time: 172 minutes. his own fear of pity than any physical challenges. as Al Stephenson. When frequent Goldwyn collaborator William Wyler returned from his own war service, Goldwyn brought him onto the project. TCM REMEMBERS EILEEN HECKART, DAVID SWIFT & PAUL LANDRES
Many of the exterior scenes in the film were shot in and around Los Angeles. 1946. January 11, 2009. Wyler was so impressed that he changed the character in The Best Years of Our Lives from a man with neurological damage to an amputee so that Russell could play the part. One of my favorite movies ever! There are
Wyler's daughters, seven-year-old Cathy and four-year-old Judy, made
The war was over, and this was the industry's way of saying thank you to the veterans." Music: Hugo Friedhofer
dead end job and a war bride he barely knows. divorce. in Life With Father to William Powell, however, he decided to give
When Homer is deposited on his parents front lawn, he is instantly flocked by kith and kin. However, the character's name is never mentioned or otherwise alluded to. Although proficient in managing the challenges of his disability, Homer is frustrated by his loss of independence and adjusting to his relationship with Wilma, who loyally remains by his side. by Michael T. Toole, Virginia Mayo, the delectable, "peaches and cream"
She even earned a recurring role in the short-lived NBC soap opera, Santa Barbara (1984-85), playing an aging hoofer named "Peaches DeLight." Released 1946. He later became a TV and radio comedy writer and by the 1950s was directing episodes of TV series like Wagon Train, The Rifleman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Playhouse 90 and others. WebLooking east down Beverly Blvd. Given the go-ahead to continue, Kantor eventually completed his story in more than four hundred pages and submitted it under the title Glory for Me. The former training facility had been converted into a scrap yard, housing nearly 2,000 former combat aircraft in various states of disassembly and reclamation.[13]. According to a Hollywood Reporter news item in August 1944, Goldwyn planned to cast Teresa Wright, Dana Andrews, David Niven, Farley Granger, Walter Brennan and Constance Dowling, but only Wright and Andrews were in the released film. Director David Swift died December 31st at the age of 82. I say that our
So, seemingly, do his loved ones, who have heard of his disability but have never seen his prostheses. He worked in, Thomson, 2002, p. 949. She proved a hit with moviegoers, and her next two films would be with her most frequent leading man, Danny Kaye: Wonder Man (1945), and The Kid from Brooklyn (1946). "He's just a very
As a disabled veteran whose hands had been amputated in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Russell won Best Supporting Actor but also an honorary award "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans."
corporal. The story itself dealt
She moved to NYC in 1942, married her college boyfriend the following year (a marriage that lasted until his death in 1995) and started acting on stage. By using this site, you agree to our updated. During lunch he tells her about his "cockeyed" dreams overseas of having a family and a little home, then later kisses her. Remember, it was Verna who shot Codys mother in the back, and yet when Cody confronts her after he escapes from prison to exact revenge for her death, Verna effectively places the blame on Big Ed (Steve Cochran):
Big moment for novice actor Harold Russell, in the role that won him two Academy Awards, as veteran Homer, some weeks into his return home, girlfriend Wilma (Cathy O'Donnell) insisting nothing has changed, Marlene Aames his young sister, in William Wyler's, Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) Nervous Out Of The Service, De-mobbed Fred (Dana Andrews), Al (Fredric March) and Homer (Harold Russell), chatting in the nose of the plane, headed home to Boone City, early in William Wyler's, Best Years Of Our Lives, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) Among My Souvenirs, Hoagy Carmichael as "Butch," bar owner, receiving the Stephensons (Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright), Fred (Dana Andrews) and Homer (Harold Russell), playing his own "Up A Lazy River," in, Best Years Of Our Lives, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) Looking For My Wife, Newly back in town Fred (Dana Andrews), having crashed at her place after carousing with her fellow-veteran father, is delivered by teen Peggy (Teresa Wright) indirectly to his wife (Virginia Mayo), whom he is seeing for the first time, in William Wyler's, Best Years Of Our Lives, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) I Just Dropped Bombs, Just home from the war, decorated Air Force captain Fred (Dana Andrews) really isn't seeking his old job, but visiting his old boss (Erskine Sanford), and meeting the man (Howland Chamberlin) from the chain that bought him out, in William Wyler's, Best Years Of Our Lives, The - (Re-issueTrailer). Seven Oscars including Best Picture went to this story of America immediately after World War II, The Art Of Casting -- The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946), Michael Phillips Intro -- The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946), Dana Delaney Intro -- The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946), Robert Osborne Intro -- The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946). William Wyler. His father becomes his uncomplaining caregiver, and though she is given every opportunity to flee, Wilma proves a true-blue future spouse. I give you fair warning, I'm going to do
product of some of the best filmmakers in Hollywood, including director
performer to receive two Oscars for the same performance. Perhaps the most memorable film about the aftermath of World War II, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES unfolds with the homecoming of three veterans to the same small town. Despite the protests of AMPAS and considerable publicity, Russell's award was sold on August 6, 1992 for $60,500. Peggy Stephenson, - He then made a training film where director William Wyler saw Russell. and get married to some decent guy who can make her happy." Producer: Samuel Goldwyn
According to a June 1947 article in Hollywood Citizen-News, Kantor was very vocal in his irritation over changes from his original novel and the film, particularly over the title change. Remember? Marie Derry. Based on the Verse Novel Glory for Me by MacKinlay Kantor
turning this into the top-grossing picture of the decade. After saying goodbye to his father and Hortense, and leaving his military decorations with them, Fred goes to the airport and waits for the next flight out. Both films were big hits, and the chemistry between Mayo and Kaye - the classy, reserved blonde beauty clashing with the hyperactive clown
independent producer Samuel Goldwyn's best film. (Reliable box office figures for certain early films such as The Birth of a Nation and Charlie Chaplin's comedies are unavailable. That same night, Goldwyn contacted MacKinlay Kantor, who had written a number of novels that had been adapted for the screen, to write a treatment. So I said to him, 'I'm sorry Major, no collateral, no hill.' This would make him the only
Although Carmichael did appear in the film, the film's principal song, "Among My Souvenirs," which he played on the piano in the film, was a 1927 song bought to lend a nostalgic atmosphere to the picture. Company Credits Parrish. Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM. In a July 1, 1958 Los Angeles Times article, columnist Hedda Hopper quoted Goldwyn as saying, "if Willy feels that he has been mistreated by being paid such a 'paltry' sum as $1,400,000 for directing that picture, he is certainly entitled to the great American privilege of going to court." his PR department probably wrote some of his most famous gaffes on purpose. [27], In 1989, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7].
