Best years of our lives (1946)

[whitehall]

When I was in the Marines we used to call 25 year old's "pop".

 

[Flopper]

Aside from the shoddy treatment of Harold Russell, I thought the characters Dana Andrews and Fred March to be much too old for the part. Andrews looked to be in his 40's and the average age for a WW2 Veteran pilot/navigator was still in his 20's during the time the movie portrayed. 50 year old March born in 1897 as a Soldier in the Pacific Theater? Give me a break. All in all the intent was right on the mark and the acting was superb. .

I believe March's character also served in WWI. Out of 12 million men who served in the military during WWII, over 100,000 served in WWI. The military accepted men between ages of 18 through 45. Exceptions were made for those with special skills. When the movie was made, March was 48. Andrews was born in 1909 thus he was 36. IMHO, March was an excellent choice. His age was right because he had a grown daughter who became the love interest of Andrews. A 25 or 30 year old would not have worked.

Reminds me of one of the best first person books written on WWII, "With The Old Breed"", by Eugene Sledge. A Marine in the Pacific, their entire company of young Marines were always talking about WWI veteran Gunnery Sgt. Haney, who was extremely peculiar and odd, but a battle hardened Marine. He would shower and use a stiff bristle brush to clean his scrotum. Sledge wrote quite a bit about him. He was in his mid to late 40's at wars end.

Sounds like an interesting book.

 

[Flopper]

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) ⭐ 8.1 | Drama, Romance, War

2h 50m | Approved

www.imdb.com

I saw this once in the mid 80s and was keen to see if it was as good as I remembered. I think it is really good and stands up well today.

Its the type of film we dont really see any more and perhaps out of step for Hollywood at the time. Three men come home from the war and adjust back to Civvy Street. They all have issues to sort out, disbility, shell shock and so on. Relationships to rebuild, jobs to get and lives to pick up.

One of the actors is an amputee basically playing himself and he does a great job. Top class cast headed by Myrna Loy as the films moral compass. But the cast are all first class including the incredible Virginia Mayo as a slut with a bit of depth. Maybe the best part she ever had.

It tackles some grown up stuff and does it really well. Two and a half hours and you can see it on Amazon for free. Treat yourself it is time well spent.

Best Years of Our Lives is an engrossing look at the triumphs and failures of war veterans. It's concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience. It is an eloquent tribute to returned veterans and a brilliant contribution to the motion pictures arts. Every member of the cast Is so much like some one you know, every one is so natural and likable, and as real and pathetic as any human being close to you.

This has always been one of my favorite movies and if you like good drama, a bit patriot, with a a fine love story, a great scripted, and well acted, this will probably be a movie that be will be one of your favorites.
Rotten Tomatoes rates it a 93. Audience rates it 98. It was nominated for 8 awards and won 6.

It plays TCM on 7/12/22 and is available on prime.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Best Years of Our Lives is an engrossing look at the triumphs and failures of war veterans. It's concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience. It is an eloquent tribute to returned veterans and a brilliant contribution to the motion pictures arts. Every member of the cast Is so much like some one you know, every one is so natural and likable, and as real and pathetic as any human being close to you.

This has always been one of my favorite movies and if you like good drama, a bit patriot, with a a fine love story, a great scripted, and well acted, this will probably be a movie that be will be one of your favorites.
Rotten Tomatoes rates it a 93. Audience rates it 98. It was nominated for 8 awards and won 6.

It plays TCM on 7/12/22 and is available on prime.


View attachment 665854

Believe it or not its on youtube at the moment.

 

[Seymour Flops]

Aside from the shoddy treatment of Harold Russell, I thought the characters Dana Andrews and Fred March to be much too old for the part. Andrews looked to be in his 40's and the average age for a WW2 Veteran pilot/navigator was still in his 20's during the time the movie portrayed. 50 year old March born in 1897 as a Soldier in the Pacific Theater? Give me a break. All in all the intent was right on the mark and the acting was superb. .

I saw this film as part of a class about WWII films in college. I told the professor that it was interesting that no one mentioned the age gap between the Andrews character and his love interest. The professor told me they were supposed to be about the same age.

It's a common failing with H'wood WWII movies, characters too old. I guess they feel the middle aged target audience won't relate to twenty year old soldiers. Bogart at fifty-five played Captain Queeg, who was described in the book as "about thirty."

 

[Flopper]

I saw this film as part of a class about WWII films in college. I told the professor that it was interesting that no one mentioned the age gap between the Andrews character and his love interest. The professor told me they were supposed to be about the same age.

It's a common failing with H'wood WWII movies, characters too old. I guess they feel the middle aged target audience won't relate to twenty year old soldiers. Bogart at fifty-five played Captain Queeg, who was described in the book as "about thirty."

The selective service act of 1940 required all men to register for the draft between the age of 21 and 41. The average age of a solider was 26. There were men drafted that were over were over 30 and there were many that joined up in their 30s particular those with prior military experience. My uncle jointed when he was 35 and was eagerly accepted probably because he had 4 years of military experience. It was not that uncommon to see a 40 year old man carrying a gun. It was a different kind war than what we fight today.

In short, the US armed services during WWII was much larger than it is today even though the population was about 1/3 the size. 16 million served during ww2 which is why much older men were accepted into the service. Today we have about 1.4 million serving on active duty.

So although the ages of the stars seem old to us today, they were not in1945. John Wayne was storming up Mount Suribachi when he 38.

I think the reason older men were playing roles written for younger men is because it often took a long time to become a major star. Many major stars spent 10 years or more playing small roles till they were discovered. Also star power tops age every time. Tom Cruise. He's 60 and playing roles written for a 20 or 30 year old.

 

[whitehall]

Did the film ever explain how a soda jerk (Dana Andrews) end up as an officer in the AAF? Judging by his appearance the Andrews character wasn't a college kid when the war broke out. He was working for Wolworth as a career counter man..

 

[Flopper]

Did the film ever explain how a soda jerk (Dana Andrews) end up as an officer in the AAF? Judging by his appearance the Andrews character wasn't a college kid when the war broke out. He was working for Wolworth as a career counter man..

No I don't think so. However, since Andrews was married after high school and worked in at least two jobs, soda jerk and a sales clerk he probably was not in college, probably about 20 when war started. However, we really don't what happened before the war or when except he got married and worked.

In WWII, there were 16 million men serving which means the government was far less picky than today. Older men were accepted, and those with little education but talent were accepted. Getting into Bombardier School did not have the requirements of a pilot. It was primarily based testing. A bombardier was a non-commissioned officer, Corporal or Sargent.

 

[lg325]

Did the film ever explain how a soda jerk (Dana Andrews) end up as an officer in the AAF? Judging by his appearance the Andrews character wasn't a college kid when the war broke out. He was working for Wolworth as a career counter man..

My uncle was in civilian life like the comic strip character Andy Capp. While in the Army he quickly became Platoon Sargent, so anything is possible in the military during the war. I really like the movie in discussion as well, I wish they would make more like it.

 

[Flopper]

My uncle was in civilian life like the comic strip character Andy Capp. While in the Army he quickly became Platoon Sargent, so anything is possible in the military during the war. I really like the movie in discussion as well, I wish they would make more like it.

Yes, I too wish there more movies like this. There are a few but they're not as good as this one.

"Till the End of Time" - Not a particular good movie but with star power -Robert Mitchum, Guy Madison, and Dorothy McGuire. It's about vets returning home from WWII. It lacks a strong story and good character development but Mitchum is entreating and the music Till the End of Time is nice.


"
Since You went Away" is one of the best movies that depicts life on the Homefront during WWII. MGM pulled out all the stops in making this movie. It has a good story and is well acted by the top talent in Hollywood. However be warned the movie is very sentimental. It will surely bring a tear to your eye but it will put a smile on your face by the end of the movie which is about 2:45mins.



Pride of the Marines is a 1945 American biographical war film starring John Garfield and Eleanor Parker. It tells the story of U.S. Marine Al Schmid in World War II, his heroic stand against a Japanese attack during the Battle of Guadalcanal, in which he was blinded by a grenade, and his subsequent rehabilitation. The film was based on the 1944 Roger Butterfield book Al Schmid, Marine. Although there are few battle scenes, the movie is mostly about AL Schmid's road to recover. It's a good movie. Marine recruiters probably had a table set up at the theater door.

 

[Flopper]

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) ⭐ 8.1 | Drama, Romance, War

2h 50m | Approved

www.imdb.com

I saw this once in the mid 80s and was keen to see if it was as good as I remembered. I think it is really good and stands up well today.

Its the type of film we dont really see any more and perhaps out of step for Hollywood at the time. Three men come home from the war and adjust back to Civvy Street. They all have issues to sort out, disbility, shell shock and so on. Relationships to rebuild, jobs to get and lives to pick up.

One of the actors is an amputee basically playing himself and he does a great job. Top class cast headed by Myrna Loy as the films moral compass. But the cast are all first class including the incredible Virginia Mayo as a slut with a bit of depth. Maybe the best part she ever had.

It tackles some grown up stuff and does it really well. Two and a half hours and you can see it on Amazon for free. Treat yourself it is time well spent.

It is still available on Youtube also on TCM, Turner Classic Movies at 5:00pm PST.

 

[whitehall]

You get to be a NCO if you have it together as an enlisted or draftee but I don't think a soda jerk ever got to be a officer in the AAF in WW2

 

[Flopper]

You get to be a NCO if you have it together as an enlisted or draftee but I don't think a soda jerk ever got to be a officer in the AAF in WW2

I believe a bombarder was an NCO

 

[whitehall]

I believe a bombarder was an NCO

The character was an officer.

 

[whitehall]

Maybe I'm making too much of the Andrews character's age. Maybe he was a young guy who just looked old in "The Best Years". I saw a Dana Andrews movie around 1966 where he had a laughable German accent and pretended to be a Nazi doctor who needed a human head to revive frozen Nazis. No academy awards on that one.

 

[Flopper]

Maybe I'm making too much of the Andrews character's age. Maybe he was a young guy who just looked old in "The Best Years". I saw a Dana Andrews movie around 1966 where he had a laughable German accent and pretended to be a Nazi doctor who needed a human head to revive frozen Nazis. No academy awards on that one.

Andrews is best known for his portrayal of obsessed police detective Mark McPherson in the noir Laura (1944) and his role in this picture. He was 32 years old before every getting a staring role which is younger than most actors. So getting a major star with his acting ability that look like he was 26 for the movie would be difficult.

Andrews had a very unlike early life for a Hollywood star. He was born on a farm in Southern Mississippi, the 3rd of 13 children, the son of a Baptist minister. He put himself through college earning a degree in Business Administration. He had no interest in acting and was intent on getting a job where he could make enough money to support himself and members of his family. However, this was 1931 where any kind of job was hard to find. He took job as a part time bookkeeper and drove school bus. Having sung in church choir and at some benefits, he decide to try to make money as a singer or even actor although he had almost no experience.

So he hitchhiked to California, hoping to get work as a singer or actor. He drove a school bus, dug ditches, picked oranges, worked as a stock boy, and pumped gas while trying without luck to break into the movies. Andrews studied opera and also entered the Pasadena Community Playhouse, the famed theatre company and drama school. He appeared in scores of plays there in the 1930s, becoming a favorite of the company. He played opposite future star Robert Preston in a play about composers Gilbert and Sullivan, and soon thereafter was offered a contract by Samuel Goldwyn. However, it was 1940 before he got his first role in pictures.

In the 1940's Andrews had hit after hit but by 1950 his star had dimmed. Andrews slipped into a steady stream of unremarkable films in which he gave sturdy performances, until age and other interests resulted in fewer appearances. In addition, his increasing alcoholism caused him to lose the confidence of producers. Andrews took steps to curb his addiction and in his later years was an outspoken member of the National Council on Alcoholism, who decried public refusal to face the problem. He was probably the first actor to do a public service announcement about alcoholism.

Andrews was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 1963, serving until 1965. He retired from films in the 1960s and made, he said, more money from real estate than he ever did in movies.

Dana Andrews - Biography - IMDb

Dana Andrews. Actor: Laura. American leading man of the 1940s and 1950s, Dana Andrews was born Carver Dana Andrews on New Years Day 1909 on a farmstead outside Collins, Covington County, Mississippi. One of thirteen children, including fellow actor Steve Forrest, he was a son of Annis (Speed)...

www.imdb.com

 

[whitehall]

I saw this film as part of a class about WWII films in college. I told the professor that it was interesting that no one mentioned the age gap between the Andrews character and his love interest. The professor told me they were supposed to be about the same age.

It's a common failing with H'wood WWII movies, characters too old. I guess they feel the middle aged target audience won't relate to twenty year old soldiers. Bogart at fifty-five played Captain Queeg, who was described in the book as "about thirty."

True enough, I think James Dean was about 27 when he played a high school kid in "Rebel/Cause".

 

[Flopper]

True enough, I think James Dean was about 27 when he played a high school kid in "Rebel/Cause".

Before the mid 50s there were few movies made for teens starring teens and few
Teen recording artists. Typically, young people completed high school before trying to get into show business. After reaching Hollywood, becoming a contracted actor often took several years or longer. The exceptions were young woman of great beauty who occasionally made it into the moves in their late teens. America didn’t discovered the teenage idols till the 50s.

 

[Seymour Flops]

Andrews is best known for his portrayal of obsessed police detective Mark McPherson in the noir Laura (1944) and his role in this picture. He was 32 years old before every getting a staring role which is younger than most actors. So getting a major star with his acting ability that look like he was 26 for the movie would be difficult.

Andrews had a very unlike early life for a Hollywood star. He was born on a farm in Southern Mississippi, the 3rd of 13 children, the son of a Baptist minister. He put himself through college earning a degree in Business Administration. He had no interest in acting and was intent on getting a job where he could make enough money to support himself and members of his family. However, this was 1931 where any kind of job was hard to find. He took job as a part time bookkeeper and drove school bus. Having sung in church choir and at some benefits, he decide to try to make money as a singer or even actor although he had almost no experience.

So he hitchhiked to California, hoping to get work as a singer or actor. He drove a school bus, dug ditches, picked oranges, worked as a stock boy, and pumped gas while trying without luck to break into the movies. Andrews studied opera and also entered the Pasadena Community Playhouse, the famed theatre company and drama school. He appeared in scores of plays there in the 1930s, becoming a favorite of the company. He played opposite future star Robert Preston in a play about composers Gilbert and Sullivan, and soon thereafter was offered a contract by Samuel Goldwyn. However, it was 1940 before he got his first role in pictures.

In the 1940's Andrews had hit after hit but by 1950 his star had dimmed. Andrews slipped into a steady stream of unremarkable films in which he gave sturdy performances, until age and other interests resulted in fewer appearances. In addition, his increasing alcoholism caused him to lose the confidence of producers. Andrews took steps to curb his addiction and in his later years was an outspoken member of the National Council on Alcoholism, who decried public refusal to face the problem. He was probably the first actor to do a public service announcement about alcoholism.

Andrews was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 1963, serving until 1965. He retired from films in the 1960s and made, he said, more money from real estate than he ever did in movies.

Dana Andrews - Biography - IMDb

Dana Andrews. Actor: Laura. American leading man of the 1940s and 1950s, Dana Andrews was born Carver Dana Andrews on New Years Day 1909 on a farmstead outside Collins, Covington County, Mississippi. One of thirteen children, including fellow actor Steve Forrest, he was a son of Annis (Speed)...

www.imdb.com

Good points.

I was actually just thinking that another reason to use more mature actors, even in a movie about Vietnam, is that soldiers in combat are generally much more mature than a typical person their age. Older actors is a little dramatic license so the audience is not thinking them as kids.

 

[whitehall]

Travolta was 23 playing a high school kid in Grease in 1978