Of Mice and Men (1939 film)
- Burgess Meredith: George Milton
- Betty Field: Mae, Curley's wife
- Lon Chaney Jr.: Lennie Small
- Charles Bickford: Slim
- Roman beans: Candy
- Bob Steele: Curley
- Noah Beery Jr.: Whit
- Oscar O'Shea Jackson
- Granville Bates: Carlson
- Helen Lynd: Susie
Of Mice and Men is an American drama film by Lewis Milestone in 1939 after the first published in 1937 the novel by John Steinbeck, and also the first film adaptation of a work of Steinbeck.
Action
George Milton and Lennie Small are migrant workers in the aftermath of the global economic crisis and the Great Depression of the 1930s. The hulking Lennie, who is mentally retarded is being supervised by George. While working as a laborer on a ranch, the two dream of a private ranch and the possibilities to get one. The ranch where they work, belongs to the sadists Curley and his flirtatious wife.
Awards
The film was nominated for the Academy Awards in 1940 and four times in the categories of best film and best sound ( Elmer Raguse ). Similarly, Aaron Copland was nominated for best original soundtrack and best film music. An Oscar but did not win the film.
Background
While Curley's wife is in the original novel, the original piece and in other film and television versions always called Curley's wife, she got here specially for the filming of the name " Mae ".
The film was one of the first films that had an action scene before the film title (pre- credits). Here we see George and Lennie as they escape a crowd and jump on the wagon of a moving freight train. When they close the door of the wagon, the film title appears.
In the dinner scene Mae shows who wants to go to the cinema later that evening, her husband, the movie tickets. It is short, the film title to see that they want to view: Zenobia, the fair Elephant, also a production of Hal Roach from 1939, can be seen in the Oliver Hardy without Stan Laurel.
The two main roles were in 1939 in great demand in Hollywood. So it was a big surprise to many in the film industry that director Milestone, who was also formerly worked as a migrant worker to junior with Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney chose two relatively unknown actors. Chaney had the role of " Lennie " but already played in Los Angeles and therefore requested Milestone to an audition for this role in a stage production of Of Mice and Men. Milestone actually intended Broderick Crawford to commit to the role, but agreed that Chaney auditioned for testing actresses for the role of " Mae " in dialogs. At the end of these tests Milestone changed his mind and cast the role of " Lennie " with Chaney, without leaving this audition itself.
For his role as the hulking Lennie Lon Chaney Jr. wore special shoes that his height by about 15 centimeters (6 inches ( inches) ) increased.
On July 8, 1949, was a 60 -minute adaptation of the radio station in the Theater Guild on the Air program in which Burgess Meredith once again the role of " George Milton " took over.