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The Human Comedy (1943)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
14 February 1944 (Sweden) morePlot:
Teenager Homer Macauley stays at home in small-town Ithaca to support his family, while his older brother Marcus prepares to go to war. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations moreNewsDesk:
Did 'Casablanca' deserve to win best picture at the Oscars?(From Gold Derby. 2 March 2009, 11:11 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Oh you jaded lot... moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Mickey Rooney | ... | Homer Macauley | |
| Frank Morgan | ... | Willie Grogan | |
| James Craig | ... | Tom Spangler | |
| Marsha Hunt | ... | Diana Steed | |
| Fay Bainter | ... | Mrs. Macauley | |
| Ray Collins | ... | Mr. Macauley - ghost | |
| Van Johnson | ... | Marcus Macauley | |
| Donna Reed | ... | Bess Macauley | |
| Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins | ... | Ulysses ('Useless') Macauley | |
| Dorothy Morris | ... | Mary - Marcus's girl next door | |
| John Craven | ... | Tobey George | |
| Anne Ayars | ... | Mrs. Rose Sandoval | |
| Mary Nash | ... | Miss Hicks - history teacher | |
| Henry O'Neill | ... | Mr. Charles Steed | |
| Katharine Alexander | ... | Mrs. Steed |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
118 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Filming Locations:
Clarence Brown Ranch - Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USAFun Stuff
Trivia:
Writer William Saroyan wanted desperately to direct the film despite having no experience in directing. Louis B. Mayer told Saroyan that he would consider the request and assigned the writer to direct a one reel short. The short film was a disappointment and studio stalwart Clarence Brown was promptly assigned. Saroyan was so bitter about the experience he wrote a play about Mayer soon after titled "Get Away Old Man". moreQuotes:
Mr. Macauley: I am Matthew Macauley. I have been dead for two years. So much of me is still living that I know now the end is only the beginning. As I look down on my homeland of Ithaca, California, with its cactus, vineyards and orchards, I see that so much of me is still living there - in the places I've been, in the fields and streets and church and most of all in my home, where my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions still live in the daily life of my loved ones. moreSoundtrack:
My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night moreFAQ
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Human Comedy (1943)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Marsha Hunt | laxlon |
| Van Johnson - playing concertina/squeezebox ? | imdb-21221 |
| the human comedy | stayontheroad |
| Odd wartime movie (spoilers!) | dfc99 |
| Couple of things... | mryerson |
| DVD? | cinestreak |
Recommendations
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I saw HUMAN COMEDY when I was a young teen and its story haunted me. Now I'm grownup, jaded, if I saw it again I'd probably make snide comments like so many others here -- "LB Mayer wanted to sell the lie of homespun values all wrapped up pretty; if the movie had been made at Warners the set decoration certainly would've been grittier," etc etc.
But I come to its defense on the basis of my viewing it at a young age. Consider the story: Young boy lies about his age to get a job, ends up delivering telegrams informing families their sons are dead... that's potent. Probably even at age 13 I was able to figure out the invevitable ending: What would the FINAL telegram be? But it stayed with me in a way that few movies have...
Would it be more acceptable if it were classified as adolescent literature?