IMDb > The Human Comedy (1943)

The Human Comedy (1943) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   598 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Clarence Brown
Writers:
William Saroyan (story)
Howard Estabrook (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Human Comedy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 February 1944 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Drama | Family more
Plot:
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 synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Did 'Casablanca' deserve to win best picture at the Oscars?
 (From Gold Derby. 2 March 2009, 11:11 AM, PST)
User Comments:
One of the most heartwarming movies I have ever seen. more (34 total)

Cast

  (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
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
118 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #8987) | Australia:PG | Sweden:Btl
Filming Locations:
Clarence Brown Ranch - Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun 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". more
Quotes:
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. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "MGM: When the Lion Roars" (1992) more
Soundtrack:
All the World Will Be Jealous of Me more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
34 out of 35 people found the following comment useful.
One of the most heartwarming movies I have ever seen., 24 February 2001
Author: Jim McMahon (zen11@msn.com) from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Human Comedy begins with the voice of the deceased father describing life in the small town of Ithaca California. He slowly introduces the viewer to his family in such a warm and loving way, that you are convinced that love really does survive death. The movie goes on to follow the lives of the family as they cope with the daily trials and tribulations of life in war time America. To those of us removed by time from this era, this movie transports you back to a place where values such as patriotism, neighborliness, compassion and community are alive and vibrate in the hearts and souls of those living through the war on America's home front. This movie never fails to move me every time I view it. There is really something magical about the confluence of events, from the voice and ghostly appearance of the recently deceased father, to the flesh and blood everyday characters that populate the film, to the young soldier who never had a family and comes to Ithica to fufill his own dream. What a movie! And the most surprising element of the entire story is the fact that even though told from the vantage point of the dead, the movie is totally and refreshenly life affirming. One of the most heart warming movies I have ever seen, I cannot recommend it enough.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (34 total)

Message Boards

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
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Where the Heart Is Tender Comrade Gone with the Wind Johnny Got His Gun The Very Thought of You
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.