IMDb > The Human Comedy (1943)

The Human Comedy (1943) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   594 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 17% 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

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:

This Movie MUST! be restored and released on DVD! I hope the studio sees this. 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
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Additional Details

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #8987) | Australia:PG | Sweden:Btl


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

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27 out of 31 people found the following comment useful.
This Movie MUST! be restored and released on DVD! I hope the studio sees this., 22 December 2003
Author: williame from New York

This Movie Must be restored and released on DVD. I hope the studio monitors these sites. This film is a snapshot of the mindset and moral ideals that American society agreed upon during the period of the 1940's. As such, it is history. Many today scoff at these ideals. Personally, I think they are to be sought after. This is a wonderful, uplifting movie. Everyone should see it.

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Message Boards

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Marsha Hunt laxlon
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Odd wartime movie (spoilers!) dfc99
Couple of things... mryerson
DVD? cinestreak
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