Of Mice and Men
Tags: tragedy, depressing

Plot synopsis:
Two migrant field workers in California on their plantation during the Great Depression—George Milton, an intelligent but uneducated man, and Lennie Small, a bulky, strong man but mentally disabled—are in Soledad on their way to another part of California. They hope to one day attain the dream of settling down on their own piece of land. Lennie's part of the dream is merely to tend and pet rabbits on the farm, as he loves touching soft animals, although he always kills them. This dream is one of Lennie's favorite stories, which George constantly retells. They had fled from Weed after Lennie touched a young woman's dress and wouldn't let go, leading to an accusation of rape. It soon becomes clear that the two are close and George is Lennie's protector, despite his antics.
After being hired at a farm, the pair are confronted by Curley—The Boss's small, aggressive son with a Napoleon complex who dislikes larger men, and starts to target Lennie. Curley's flirtatious and provocative wife, to whom Lennie is instantly attracted, poses a problem as well. In contrast, the pair also meets Candy, an elderly ranch handyman with one hand and a loyal dog, and Slim, an intelligent and gentle jerkline-skinner whose dog has recently had a litter of puppies. Slim gives a puppy to Lennie and Candy, whose loyal, accomplished sheep dog was put down by fellow ranch-hand Carlson.
In spite of problems, their dream leaps towards reality when Candy offers to pitch in $350 with George and Lennie so that they can buy a farm at the end of the month, in return for permission to live with them. The trio are ecstatic, but their joy is overshadowed when Curley attacks Lennie, who defends himself by easily crushing Curley's fist while urged on by George.
Nevertheless, George feels more relaxed, to the extent that he even leaves Lennie behind on the ranch while he goes into town with the other ranch hands. Lennie wanders into the stable, and chats with Crooks, the bitter, yet educated stable buck, who is isolated from the other workers racially. Candy finds them and they discuss their plans for the farm with Crooks, who cannot resist asking them if he can hoe a garden patch on the farm albeit scorning its possibility. Curley's wife makes another appearance and flirts with the men, especially Lennie. However, her spiteful side is shown when she belittles them and threatens Crooks to have him lynched.
The next day, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy while stroking it. Curley's wife enters the barn and tries to speak to Lennie, admitting that she is lonely and how her dreams of becoming a movie star are crushed, revealing her personality. After finding out about Lennie's habit, she offers to let him stroke her hair, but panics and begins to scream when she feels his strength. Lennie becomes frightened, and unintentionally breaks her neck thereafter and runs away. When the other ranch hands find the corpse, George realizes that their dream is at an end. George hurries to find Lennie, hoping he will be at the meeting place they designated in case he got into trouble.
George meets Lennie at the place, their camping spot before they came to the ranch. The two sit together and George retells the beloved story of the dream, knowing it is something they'll never share. He then shoots Lennie, with Curley, Slim, and Carlson arriving seconds after. Only Slim realizes what happened, and consolingly leads him away. Curley and Carlson look on, unable to comprehend the subdued mood of the two men.

Review: And, while Steinbeck was not one to let a sentimental moment pass by, e.g, Lennie's Christ-like innocence, inappropriate super-human strength which inadvertently wreaks havoc resulting in his euthanasia with the same instrument as used for Curley's dog, these scenes are never maudlin.
There are the solid characters of Bickford's Slim, Meredith's George and Bohnen's Candy; Steele was at his best as the vain, pugnacious Curley; Veteran character actor, Noah Berry Jr. as Whit adds another element of sympathy.
Of Mice and Men. Excellent screen adaptation of the John Steinbeck classic about two drifters in the Depression who move from ranch to ranch in  search of work.
OF MICE AND MEN (1939) **** Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. embody John Steinbeck's tragic migrant workers George and Lennie during The Great Depression facing all the hard work and hard knocks life offers in their pursuit of The American Dream of `livin' off the fatta the lan' and wind up on a ranch with its share of down on their luck characters all enclaved to certain destinies and a heavy fall for our protagonists.
Chaney (in his second icon role, the latter would be as the accursed Larry Talbott aka The WolfMan) personifies the gentle souled giant with a dim bulb who obeys his best friend George like a loyal dog and as his brother's keeper, Meredith allows his scrappiness a warmth underneath.
Lennie Smalls would be endlessly used as a punchline in Looney Tunes toons to come (`which way did he go George!') and the film would be updated twice - one a tv movie with Robert Blake and Randy Quaid and a theatrical 90s version with Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.
The cast's weak links are Betty Field--hopelessly overplaying her bored sex kitten--and Lon Chaney as Lenny, though both are very good in the pivotal scene that sets off the action of the film's finale.John Ford's adaptation of "The Grapes of Wrath" from the following year gets all of the attention today, and one hardly ever hears of "Of Mice and Men." But much of what is great about Ford's film is also great about Lewis Milestone's, and he deserves credit for laying a fine blueprint for brining Steinbeck's beautiful and heartbreaking stories to the screen.Grade: A.
Well, starting in the late 1930s, the studio tried their hand at such fare and in some cases did some lovely films--and "Of Mice and Men" is the best example of these new dramas.As far as the story goes, it's much like the book and play---but with a few changes to meet the tough Production Code.
It's rather a human study, the kind of migrant workers whom the Joads joined are shown in a small setting at a California ranch.The two main characters are the gentle and slow giant Lennie Small as played by Lon Chaney, Jr. and his friend and guardian George Milton played by Burgess Meredith.
Secondly, he really does not know his own strength and that leads to tragedy.Of Mice And Men after the novel was adapted by Steinbeck into a play ran for 207 performances on Broadway in the 1936-37 season.
Chaney Jr was a great man,he actually started me on horror films,and made me read the Steinbeck classic.
Snappy, shrewd George is played by Burgess Meredith, and he has a wonderful rapport with Lennie (Lon Chaney, Jr.), a behemoth with more heart than brains.
It is a bit dated and 'stagey' in its opening minutes, partly because it is taken from the play, not the novel, by John Steinbeck, and also because so many of the outstanding cast were only making their second or third film, and needed warming up and getting used to the camera.
The main storyline is the touching relationship of the retarded giant Lennie, played by Lon Chaney, Junior, and his friend who travels and works with him, and looks after him like a zealously protective brother, played by the young Burgess Meredith.
Burgess Meredith, near the beginning of his film career, gives one the finest of his many inspired performances, showing a shining power of love and devotion rarely seen on the screen with a male character, or someone who is neither father nor mother.
this is another of John Steinbeck's novels brought to the screen.i thought it was well done.Burgess Meredith plays George,and Lon Chaney Jr.plays his travelling companion Lenny.Lenny is what you would call very slow and George has too look out for him and keep him out of trouble.he is a giant of man with the intellect of a child.the two men are forced to keep moving when George does get into trouble.they arrive at a ranch,and end up working.George has big dreams for the two of them.this movie is whimsical in tone at times,but also dark and tragic.Chaney is brilliant as Lenny.the dialogue is very good as is the direction.for me,Of Mice and Men is a 10/10.
Having sat my 'O-levels' over 30 years ago, I won't be re-watching Lewis Milestone's first film version of John Steinbeck's acclaimed novel, for my GCSE's!It is a delight to read here that Of Mice and Men is such a subject and similarly, when I found that another all-time favourite of mine 'To Kill A Mockingbird' was now also now standard classroom fodder, I was delighted as it re-affirms both the credibility of the original stories and their relevance in today's society.Those of us - and I guess the majority, will already have seen 1992's update with John Malkovich and Gary Sinise before we even realise that there's a better, original alternative.
Burgess Meredith, plays George a sensitive and fast thinking individual who has taken and befriended Lennie, (Lon Chaney Jr.) a huge retarded man who is gentle, kind and well-meaning but hampered with a dangerous and prodigious strength.
Of Mice and Men (1939) **** (out of 4) A true masterpiece of the genre has Burgess Meredith playing George, the simple man who takes care of the soft hearted but dumb Lennie (Lon Chaney, Jr.).
Even though this film has the reputation of being a classic, I can't help but wonder why it isn't talked about more when it comes to some of the all time great movies.
His pacing and editing are outstanding though and it gives the film a nice urgent tempo.The roles of George and Lenny are two of theatre and film's fullest characters and while their have been better pairings Burgess Merideth and Lon Chaney Jr. are adequate with some flashes of brilliance displayed by each.
It may not have fully met these expectations, but if not, at least it came very close, and I would say it's just as memorable as the book.In the 1930's Great Depression era, George Milton and Lennie Small are two migrant ranch workers in California who dream of having their own place someday.
The ranch owner's son is Curley, a belligerent young man who hates Lennie from the moment he first sees him, and has a lonely wife named Mae, whom he tends to neglect, but doesn't want any other men to have anything to do with her, being the jealous type.The cast really helps carry this film, including the two co-stars, Burgess Meredith as George and Lon Chaney Jr.
creates sympathy for the role of the mentally retarded Lenny in John Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN, and BURGESS MEREDITH is excellent as his traveling companion who looks out for him.
It's a Depression-era tale of itinerant farm workers who work for a sadistic boss and have to contend with some unfortunate series of circumstances.BETTY FIELD throws herself into the role of the trampy, bored wife of the relentlessly jealous Curley played by TOM STEELE.
Only 45 at the time, he submerges himself in the role of the unhappy old man.Most of the scenes revolve around the friendship of Meredith and Chaney and they do excellent work here.
Chaney's performance is not subtle but it is consistently believable and makes the ending almost unbearable to watch.CHARLES BICKFORD is his usual stalwart self and stamps his role with authority, as does BOB STEELE as the jealous husband who gets more than he bargained for when he picks on Lenny.Lewis Milestone directed it skillfully and gets the film off to a good pre-credit start with Lenny and George being chased out of town and hopping onto the nearest freight train to escape a posse of gun toting men.
Something I didn't recall from the book was one of the ranch hands going on and on about how "strange" it was for two fellows to spend so long traveling and working together, questioning George's compassionate care-taking of Lenny, so much so that he makes up a story about them being cousins.
Knowing that Lon Chaney Jr. played the Wolf Man and that Burgess Meredith played Penguin on the old "Batman" TV series (plus Rocky's trainer), it might seem hard to imagine them co-starring in a serious movie.
In this adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel, the two actors bring to life the retarded Lennie Small and the self-standing George Milton, respectively.
Just recently I acquired a copy of this film - re-watched it and found the movie even better than I remembered it be - beautifully filmed, well acted, well directed, and a good version of Steinbeck's book.If you've never read the book nor watched the film I won't give it away for you but it is a worthwhile film to watch - very sad, heartwarming and beautiful.If you enjoyed this film I highly recommend The Grapes of Wrath (1940) with Henry Fonda and John Carradine.10/10.
Steinbeck's classic book comes to life with Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr..
Based on the classic John Steinbeck novel and released in 1939, the story focuses on two traveling companions desperate for work in rural California during the Depression: George (Burgess Meredith) is of average stature and smart whereas Lennie (Lon Chaney Jr.) is big and mentally challenged.
Charles Bickford is on hand as Slim, Roman Bohnen plays Candy and Leigh Whipper plays Crooks.I've been a fan of this potent Western drama/tragedy ever since I read the book as a teenager and both this version and the 1992 version are worthy film adaptions (I have yet to see the 1981 TV production with Robert Blake and Randy Quaid, which I've heard is good).
It's a commentary on the nature of companionship and loneliness: Whereas George and Lennie compliment each other many of the other characters languish in isolation, like Candy, Curley's wife and Crooks, even Slim.
Questions of strength, weakness, usefulness, reality and utopia are explored as the story leaves you scratching your head.Comparing the two versions, I slightly prefer the newer rendition because it's in color and is just overall better made with a superior score and cast with the exception of Lon Chaney as Lennie.
In any case, Sherilyn Fenn is a vast improvement over the original's Betty Field, who's annoying and not desirable enough to pull off the part (but, then again, she might be desirable to male ranch hands with no other females within a dozen miles).The film runs 106 minutes and was shot in California.GRADE: B+ COMMENTARY ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read further unless you know the story) Curley's wife has only ever been valued for her sexuality, which she has learned to use to attract attention.
This version of John Steinbeck's classic novel is the best, and it's due in no small part to the strong performances of both Lon Chaney, Jr. and Burgess Meredith.
Funny side note - all those years of watching Looney Toons, and I never recognized the references to Lenny from this film.Of Mice and Men is about to wandering workers, Lenny and George, played respectively by Chaney and Meredith.
Either way, I won't go into detail about that portion of the plot except to note that the ever-mounting conflicts in the story center around Lenny's childlike mind and manner and that Curley's wife Mae (Betty Field) is no help in the easing-tensions department.Director Lewis Milestone squeezes a lot of blood from Chaney and Meredith.
Classic Story of Man's Inhumanity to Man. Set in the Depression Era rural South, 2 men, George (smart but not strong) and Lenny (strong but not smart) are searching the countryside for their dream: a little farm that will support them and bring them happiness.
George (Burgess Meredith) and simple-minded Lennie (Lon Chaney Jr.) find work on a farm run by short and sadistic Curley (Bob Steele).
George wants to find a place of his own to run with Curley--but tragedy changes things quite a bit.I never read the book (I'm not a fan of John Steinbeck's writing) so I can't compare it to that.
Lon Chaney, Jr. has some marvelous moments in the showy part of Lennie, kicked in the head by a horse as a child, now a lover of tall tales and dreams about a house in the country; Burgess Meredith's tough, wiry George is equally good, though both roles have been conceived as show-stoppers, and one becomes too aware of the obvious need to make these guys into anti-heroes (even their bad deeds are coated with sentiment).
Of Mice and Men shows us the relationship between a hulking simpleton Lenny (Lon Chaney Jr.) and his caregiver George (Burgess Meredith).
Lennie especially likes the idea of tending to all the rabbits.Meanwhile, George and Lennie find work on a ranch, where Lennie encounters a girl who will lead to nothing but trouble--the same kind of trouble that lead to Lennie and George leaving another town.There are a couple of moving scenes in "Of Mice and Men"--one being the scene where Candy--a worker who befriends Lennie and George--has his old, sickly dog taken out and shot.
And of course, there's the closing reel where George has to get Lennie out of the trouble he's gotten himself into--the only way he knows how."Of Mice and Men" is a moving triumph--very well acted and very memorable.
The story, for those who don't know by now, is about two migrant workers named George and Lennie who go to work at a ranch, where they run into problems with the rancher's pint-sized son and his floozy wife.
Unfortunately, they can't stay in one place too long as George doesn't know his own strength and hurts people and animals without meaning to.Chaney's performance is memorable and this is usually cited as his best work.
John Steinbeck's classic tale of two depression era migrant workers - resourceful "George Milton" and lumbering "Lennie Small" - is required reading, or viewing (not a good substitute for Steinbeck, but if you must).
(as Lennie) being especially memorable.******** Of Mice and Men (12/30/39) Lewis Milestone ~ Burgess Meredith, Lon Chaney Jr., Roman Bohnen, Betty Field.
It is to Chaney's great credit that he never seems like one.Burgess Meredith, as the brainy little George, looks out of place among the rugged ranch-workers.
Cowboy actor Bob Steele brings a nice touch of the Old West to the swaggering Curly, and I wish that he, rather, than Meredith, had been cast as George.Aaron Copland's music is used intelligently, and its soaring near the end seems appropriate to the effect the film was trying to create, which was one of tragic humanity rather than tragic human beings.
Burgess Meredith as George and Lon Chaney Jr. as the tragic Lenny, in the roles of their careers, are simply outstanding.
It didn't have any major stars yet it's as good today as it was back then.You'll go a long way before you will see as excellent an adaptation of a literary classic, as you will with John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men..
What a great scene when Lennie and Crooks are in his room talking about being lonely And no happy ending like most movies, made it seem more the real.
the Motion Picture camera & its cousin,the projector has made it possible to forever have great films like Of Mice and Men, Hal Roach Productions/United Artists (1939).* When one views the two principal characters, George Milton (Burgess Meredith) and Lenny Small (Lon Chaney, Jr.)** entering into a scene or having one of those now classic dialogs, we are viewing a little piece of Americana.
Burgess Meredith is George, the small savvy bindle stiff in California's central valley, looking for work in the Great Depression, and Lon Chaney, Jr., as Lenny, is his enormously strong but harmless retarded pal.They find work bucking barley sacks along with a dozen other diverse workers on a farm run by a cold, distant, owner and his mean and narcissistic son, Bob Steele.
I have to say that Lon Chaney Jr. makes the best Lennie Smalls from all the actors that played him.
Burgess's George acts like he wanted to kill Lennie!
Stienbeck's classic is given it's first big screen adaption and Lon Chaney Jr gives the best performance of his career.Of Mice and Men is a great novel to begin with and the problem with it is that it would be a hard novel to adapt in Depression era 30's.
I've seen Lon Chaney Jr. in close to a couple dozen movie and television roles, and except for his signature 'Wolf Man' from 1941, I never thought he was that good an actor.
But WOW!, he gives a stunningly brilliant performance as the mentally challenged Lennie in this movie adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel.
That sense of isolation is further reinforced by the characters of George and Curly's wife Mae, all of whom just need someone to talk to.Having read the book so long ago, I don't remember the set up for the finale, but that might be the only thing in the picture that could have been handled better.
(Cut to 9,549 feet in Australia).SYNOPSIS: The story, closely following Steinbeck's short novel, tells of intelligent but unambitious work-hand George, who "looks out for" mentally retarded giant Lennie.