Of Mice and Men (1939)
Of Mice and Men (1939)
Director: Lewis Milestone
Screenplay: Eugene Solow based on the novel by John Steinbeck
Stars: Lon Chaney Jr., Burgess Meredith, Betty Field, Charles Bickford, Roman Bohnen, Bob Steele and Noah Beery Jr.
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s turn Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men into a movie!”
Tagline: A mighty novel! A sensational stage success! Now! The year’s most important picture!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
George (Chaney, Jr.) and Lennie (Meredith) are old buddies who travel from farm to ranch looking for work just barely getting by during the depression. George is a strong giant of a man with the brain of a child. Lennie constantly looks after George whose strength and lack of mental aptitude is always getting him them in trouble. Although they dream of one day owning their own little place, it will probably never happen.
George and Lennie get work on a ranch owned by a mean old man and his son, Curley (Steele). Curley takes an instant dislike to George. Curley distrusts all the men on the ranch because of his attractive wife (Field), but he especially hates large men. Lennie warns George to stay away from both Curley and his wife. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that they will stay away from him.
Rating:
