The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Robert E. Sherwood (screen play)
MacKinlay Kantor (from a novel by)

Release Date:

3 pa¼dziernik 1947 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

THE SCREEN'S GREATEST LOVE STORY IS THE BEST FILM THIS YEAR FROM HOLLYWOOD!

Plot:

Three WWII veterans return home to small-town America to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.

Plot Keywords:

Veteran | Banker | Marriage | Love | Pity

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Myrna Loy	...	Milly Stephenson
Fredric March	...	Al Stephenson (as Frederic March)
Dana Andrews	...	Fred Derry
Teresa Wright	...	Peggy Stephenson
Virginia Mayo	...	Marie Derry
Cathy O'Donnell	...	Wilma Cameron
Hoagy Carmichael	...	Butch Engle
Harold Russell	...	Homer Parrish
Gladys George	...	Hortense Derry
Roman Bohnen	...	Pat Derry
Ray Collins	...	Mr. Milton
Minna Gombell	...	Mrs. Parrish
Walter Baldwin	...	Mr. Parrish
Steve Cochran	...	Cliff
Dorothy Adams	...	Mrs. Cameron
Don Beddoe	...	Mr. Cameron
Marlene Aames	...	Luella Parrish
Charles Halton	...	Prew
Ray Teal	...	Mr. Mollett
Howland Chamberlain	...	Thorpe (as Howland Chamberlin)
Dean White	...	Novak
Erskine Sanford	...	Bullard
Michael Hall	...	Rob Stephenson
Victor Cutler	...	Woody Merrill
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jimmy Ames	...	Jackie (uncredited)
Carol Andrews	...	Saleswoman (uncredited)
Mary Arden	...	Miss Barbour (uncredited)
Al Bridge	...	Gus - Salvage Superintendent (uncredited)
Harry Cheshire	...	Minister at Wedding (uncredited)
Sidney Clute	...	Drugstore Clerk (uncredited)
Joyce Compton	...	Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Man at Bank Dinner (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Customer (uncredited)
Bert Conway	...	ATC Sergeant (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Mady Correll	...	Announcer (uncredited)
Roy Darmour	...	Parking Lot Attendant (uncredited)
Hal K. Dawson	...	Man at Airport (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)
Claire Du Brey	...	Mrs. Talburt - Perfume Customer (uncredited)
Tom Dugan	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Edward Earle	...	Steese - Bank (uncredited)
Blake Edwards	...	Corporal at ATC Counter (uncredited)
Billy Engle	...	Customer (uncredited)
Ben Erway	...	Lou Latham - Bank (uncredited)
Doris June Fesetta	...	Camera Girl (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	Salvage Foreman - Junking Bombers (uncredited)
Tennessee Ernie Ford	...	Nightclub / Hillbilly Singer (uncredited)
Louise Franklin	...	Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
Harry Gillette	...	Card Player at Lucia's (uncredited)
Dick Gordon	...	Maitre d'Hotel (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins	...	Diner Attendant at Lucia's (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Ray Hyke	...	Gus the Foreman (uncredited)
John Ince	...	Ryan (uncredited)
Teddy Infuhr	...	Dexter - Brat in Drugstore (uncredited)
Jackie Jackson	...	A Boy (uncredited)
Robert Karnes	...	Technical Sergeant (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Man at Bank Dinner (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Steve the Bartender (uncredited)
Gene Krupa	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Alyn Lockwood	...	Counter Girl (uncredited)
Susan Mann	...	Announcer (uncredited)
Thomas Martin	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Michael Mauree	...	Glamour Girl (uncredited)
Doreen McCann	...	A Girl (uncredited)
Peggy McIntyre	...	Girl at Soda Fountain - Mollett Scene (uncredited)
Chef Milani	...	Giuseppe - Lucia's Restaurant Proprietor (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Wealthy Man at Nightclub (uncredited)
Ernesto Morelli	...	Card Player (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Waiter at Bank Dinner (uncredited)
Georgie Nokes	...	One of Homer's 'Kids' (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)
Joe Palma	...	Card Player (uncredited)
Leo Penn	...	ATC Corporal (uncredited)
Caleb Peterson	...	Black Soldier at Airfield (uncredited)
Norman Phillips Jr.	...	Clarence 'Sticky' Merkle (uncredited)
Jack Rice	...	Apartment Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway	...	Girl at Table with Cliff (uncredited)
Mickey Roth	...	Boy at Soda Fountain - Mollett Scene (uncredited)
Ruth Sanderson	...	Mrs. Garrett (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford	...	George H. Gibbons (uncredited)
Noreen Sayles	...	A Girl (uncredited)
Stephen Soldi	...	Card Player (uncredited)
John Tyrrell	...	Gus - - Butch's Waiter (uncredited)
Amelita Ward	...	Counter Girl (uncredited)
Jan Wiley	...	Perfume Saleswoman (uncredited)
Marek Windheim	...	Waiter at Lucia's Restaurant (uncredited)
Catherine Wyler	...	Department Store Extra (uncredited)
Judy Wyler	...	Department Store Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
William Wyler

Writing credits
Robert E. Sherwood		(screen play)
MacKinlay Kantor		(from a novel by) (as Mackinlay Kantor)

Produced by
Samuel Goldwyn	....	producer
Lester Koenig	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Hugo Friedhofer

Cinematography by
Gregg Toland		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Daniel Mandell		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Perry Ferguson
George Jenkins

Set Decoration by
Julia Heron		(set decorations)

Costume Design by
Irene Sharaff		(as Sharaff)

Makeup Department
Marie Clark	....	hair stylist
Robert Stephanoff	....	makeup

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jonathan C. Boyle	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Richard DeWeese	....	sound recorder
Larry Gannon	....	sound (uncredited)
Gordon Sawyer	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special effects director (uncredited)
Harry Redmond Sr.	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
E. Truman Joiner	....	key grip (uncredited)
Paul Mantz	....	aerial director of photography (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Emil Newman	....	musical director
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Jerome Moross	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Samuel Goldwyn	....	presenter
Dale Tate	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Herzog-Filmverleih (1948) (Germany) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• RKO Radio Pictures (194?) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Concorde Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Nelson Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Pioneer Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)

Also Known As:

"Samuel Goldwyn's The Best Years of Our Lives" - USA (poster title)

Runtime:

172 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #11972) | UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 (2002) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Walnut Hills High School - 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

Writer Robert E. Sherwood had been the head of the Office of War Information during the Second World War, one of the reasons why Samuel Goldwyn approached him to write the script.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Homer is talking to the obnoxious customer at the soda counter, Fred serves water at the customer's right hand, but in another shot, it's at his left hand side.

Quotes:

Milly Stephenson:You're crazy.
Al Stephenson:No. Too sane for my own good.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Quantum Leap: The Americanization of Machiko - August 4, 1953 (#2.3)" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Lazy River

wonderful post-war epic

This is a home-coming tale of three WWII veterans, returning to the same small town. One was a bank clerk who rose through the military ranks (Fredric March, who got the Best Actor Oscar for this, well-deserved) with an understanding wife (Myrna Loy, excellent) and daughter (Teresa Wright). One has lost his hands (Harold Russell, real-life veteran, putting in a touching performance) and struggles to cope with this and with his relationship with his girlfriend (Cathy O'Donnell). The other was a soda jerk but has flown bomber planes throughout the conflict (Dana Andrews, in one of his best roles) and is now heading back to his pin-up wife (Virginia Mayo, a small role but an interesting one).

We follow them on their respective journeys, often meeting up in Butch's bar (run by Hoagy Carmichael, who gets the chance to play piano, etc.) and often finding their paths cross. The film comes in at around 3 hours, but it is time well spent. 'The Best Years' is not only perceptive and clever, with some great scenes, but also is innovative in some of its cinematography, thanks to the great Gregg Toland, master of the deep focus.