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The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) 8.2
Three WWII veterans return home to small-town America to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed. Director:William Wyler |
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Title: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Myrna Loy | ... | ||
| Fredric March | ... |
Al Stephenson
(as Frederic March)
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| Dana Andrews | ... | ||
| Teresa Wright | ... | ||
| Virginia Mayo | ... | ||
| Cathy O'Donnell | ... | ||
| Hoagy Carmichael | ... | ||
| Harold Russell | ... | ||
 |
Gladys George | ... |
Hortense Derry
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Roman Bohnen | ... |
Pat Derry
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| Ray Collins | ... |
Mr. Milton
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Minna Gombell | ... |
Mrs. Parrish
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Walter Baldwin | ... |
Mr. Parrish
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Steve Cochran | ... |
Cliff
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| Dorothy Adams | ... | ||
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
The story concentrates on the social re-adjustment of three World War II servicemen, each from a different station of society. Al Stephenson returns to an influential banking position, but finds it hard to reconcile his loyalties to ex-servicemen with new commercial realities. Fred Derry is an ordinary working man who finds it difficult to hold down a job or pick up the threads of his marriage. Having had both hands burnt off during the war, Homer Parrish is unsure that his fiancée's feelings are still those of love and not those of pity. Each of the veterans faces a crisis upon his arrival, and each crisis is a microcosm of the experiences of many American warriors who found an alien world awaiting them when they came marching home. Written by alfiehitchie
Taglines:
Three wonderful loves in the best picture of the year! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
3 October 1947 (France) See more »Also Known As:
Glory for Me See more »Filming Locations:
Walnut Hills High School - 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$2,100,000 (estimated)Gross:
$23,650,000 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Fred Derry: I don't know, babe, but I can guess.
Marie Derry: Go ahead. Guess your head off. I could do some guessing myself. What were you up to in London and Paris and all those places? I've given you every chance to make something of yourself. I gave up my own job when you asked me. I gave up the best years of my life, and what have you done? You flopped! Couldn't even hold that job at the drugstore. So I'm going back to work for myself and that means I'm gonna live for...
[...]
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(1877) (uncredited)
Music by Euphemia Allen
Played on piano by Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Russell
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Did You Know?
Trivia
"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on November 24, 1947 with Fredric March, Myrna Loy and Teresa Wright reprising their film roles. See more »Quotes
Marie Derry: What do you think I was doing all those years?Fred Derry: I don't know, babe, but I can guess.
Marie Derry: Go ahead. Guess your head off. I could do some guessing myself. What were you up to in London and Paris and all those places? I've given you every chance to make something of yourself. I gave up my own job when you asked me. I gave up the best years of my life, and what have you done? You flopped! Couldn't even hold that job at the drugstore. So I'm going back to work for myself and that means I'm gonna live for...
[...]
See more »
Soundtracks
"Chopsticks"(1877) (uncredited)
Music by Euphemia Allen
Played on piano by Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Russell
See more »
I watch this movie every time it plays on TV. A simply brilliant film. Three men return home from war and try to return to civilian life with great difficulty. All three led opposite lives during the war (Executive Banker became an army corporal, a soda jerk became an Air Force Captain and the High School Football hero loses both his arms in battle)and now each must reconstruct his life and connect with a new reality. The homes they return to, with grown children and independent, working women along with a depressed economy, only add to the strife. It's the scenes just off camera and the unspoken dialog which resonates the most loudly, however. The awkward intimacy of Frederich March and Myrna Loy and his struggle to return to his place as leader (both at home and at work) are heartbreaking.
Dana Andrews is riveting as the handsome, decorated Captain who struggles to keep his life together without the uniform.
The film is filled with honest characters and each is portrayed by a gifted actor.
This film, however, took on a whole other level after seeing, "Saving Private Ryan." The reality and magnitude of what these men lived through for love and country......and obviously it didn't end on the battlefield.
This is an essential for any collection.