Main Cast: Mickey Rooney, Frank Morgan, Fay Bainter, James Craig, Ray Collins, Marsha Hunt, Van Johnson
Release Year: 1943
Country: US
Run Time: 117 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
Author William Saroyan's corn-shucking brand of sentimentality works wonders in this 1943 filmization of his novel. Narrator Ray Collins is dead before the film begins; thus he is able to provide an all-seeing overview of the tiny community of Ithaca, California. The principal character, played by Mickey Rooney, is Collins' son; as the delivery boy for the local telegraph office, Rooney keeps in close contact with virtually every family in town, which results in several comic and poignant moments. Rooney's older brother Van Johnson is in uniform, off fighting World War II; his sister Marcia Hunt is the erstwhile sweetheart of telegraph-office supervisor James Craig. The "circle of life" concept that unifies the anecdotal plotline is best illustrated by the film's final image: after Johnson dies in battle, his best friend, parentless John Craven, is more or less adopted by Collins' family. Reportedly, The Human Comedy was MGM chief executive Louis B. Mayer's favorite film, an apotheosis of Mayer's devotion to "family values." Among the many small-part players populating Human Comedy are Barry Nelson, Robert Mitchum, Don DeFore, Jay Ward (later the producer of Rocky and His Friends) and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Human Comedy is a marvelous film, an achievement made all the more impressive by the fact that portions of it are unbearably, sometimes laughably corny. Many viewers will have a very difficult time with the incredibly optimistic, overly sentimental tone of much of the film, and for good reason. In William Saroyan's screenplay, there are virtually no characters who are not good at heart, and even those who occasionally behave poorly manage to have a change of heart after having their flaws gently pointed out to them. Yet Saroyan clearly believes in what he has written, and as a result, some of those sequences overflow with a transcendent humanity that makes them both heartwarming and heart wrenching. Clarence Brown is the perfect man to direct Comedy, seeming as he does to share Saroyan's sensibility down to a "T;" if he can't redress the tendency to over sentimentality, he also deserves partial credit for those moments that give the film its glorious glow. And he gives equal emphasis and strength to the film's tragic moments, providing a very necessary balance. Credit is also due to Mickey Rooney, giving arguably the finest performance of his career. He carries the film on his small but sturdy shoulders, always keeping in check his tendency toward overplaying and cuteness and is rock solid. Rooney is greatly aided by a supporting cast that is an embarrassment of riches, from Van Johnson and Donna Reed to Frank Morgan and James Craig. (Watch out for a lovely, giddily quirky turn from a young Barry Nelson.) For those willing to overlook its occasional excesses, Comedy is richly rewarding. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Paul Groesse - Art Director, Ernst Matray - Choreography, Irene Sharaff - Costume Designer, Clarence Brown - Director, Conrad A. Nervig - Editor, Herbert Stothart - Composer (Music Score), Jack Dawn - Makeup, Harry Stradling - Cinematographer, Clarence Brown - Producer, Hugh Hunt - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Howard Estabrook - Screenwriter, William Saroyan - Book Author
The film is a largely plotless story of the teenaged Homer Macauley (Rooney) in high school, working part time as a telegram delivery boy, in the fictional town of Ithica, California, during World War II. The effects of the war on the "Home Front" over a year in Homer's life are depicted in sentimental scenarios involving himself; his family, friends, and neighbors; and acquaintances encountered. The storyline is directed by a narrator, Homer's deceased father (Ray Collins).
Saroyan wrote a movie treatment and a screenplay that he was asked to direct. He was paid off and removed from the project when his film proved to be more than two hours long. Saroyan was not at all happy with the film as completed by Brown, and he wrote his novel from the script he produced. The novel was published at the same time as the film's release with the intent of countering the film version of the story. There are noticeable differences between the film and the novel, including a stronger characterization of Ulysses, the small boy, in the novel and far fewer scenes of sentiment than were incorporated into the film by Estabrook and Brown (social criticism is also much blunter in the novel). [2]
