mrs. miniver

the year: 1942

the genre: drama


the cast: Greer Garson (Mrs. Miniver); Walter Pidgeon (Clem Miniver); Teresa Wright (Carol Beldon); Henry Travers (Mr. Ballard); Richard Ney (Vin Miniver)


the plot: This is the story of an English middle class family through the first years of World War II. Clem Miniver is a successful architect and his beautiful wife Kay is the anchor that keeps the family together. With two young children at home, Kay keeps busy in the quaint English village they call home. She is well-liked by everyone and the local station master has even named his new rose after her. When their son Vincent, Vin to everyone, comes home from Oxford for the summer he is immediately attracted to Carol Beldon, granddaughter of Lady Beldon. Their idyllic life is shattered in September 1939 when England is forced to declare war on Germany. Soon Vin is in the RAF and everyone has to put up with the hardship of war including blackouts and air raids. Through it all, everyone displays strength of character in the face of tragedy and destruction.



extra bonus points: if you can name two of the eight movies (not counting this one) which co-starred Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon.



listen for: "She was a good cook, as good cooks go. And as good cooks go, she went."



did you know: Winston Churchill once said that this film had done more for the war effort than a flotilla of destroyers and the film's subsequent success had a profound effect on American sympathy towards the plight of the British.


also listen for: The vicar's speech near the end. It was reportedly re-written by William Wyler and Henry Wilcoxon the night before it was shot. It was translated into various languages and air-dropped in leaflets over German-occupied territory, was broadcast over the Voice of America, and reprinted in Time and Look magazines at Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's request. This speech has come to be known as The Wilcoxon Speech, in tribute to actor Henry Wilcoxon's stirring delivery of it.

the best years of our lives

the year: 1946

the genre: drama


the cast: Myrna Loy (Milly Stephenson); Fredric March (Al Stephenson); Dana Andrews (Fred Derry); Teresa Wright (Peggy Stephenson); Virginia Mayo (Marie Derry); Hoagy Carmichael (Butch Engle); Harold Russell (Homer Parrish)


the plot: At the end of World War II, a soldier, a sailor and an airman return to their hometown and must re-adjust to the society they left several years before.

Al Stephenson returns home to find that his children have grown up and he has to re-establish the relationship with his loving wife. He also finds it difficult to be the hardhearted banker he seemingly once was.

Fred Derry was an Air Force Officer and Bombardier uring the war, but realizes upon his return that he has no marketable skills. He finds himself pigeonholed into his old job as a soda jerk at the drugstore, and realizes that he married in haste during the war and his wife isn't quite as enamored with him now that he's out of uniform.

Homer Parrish lost both of his hands in a shipboard fire. He's become quite adept at using the prosthetics the Navy has provided him but resents the pity he sees in others eyes. He had hoped to marry his childhood sweetheart but is no longer sure he can burden her with his own physical limitations.

All three men become fast friends and in the end, find ways to move forward with their lives.



count: how many Academy Awards this film won.


check out: famous composer Hoagy Carmichael as Butch. In the scene at Butch's bar when Homer asks Butch if he would play a song for him, the song he picks ('Lazy River') was composed by Carmichael.


listen for: “You see, Mr. Milton, in the Army I've had to be with men when they were stripped of everything in the way of property except what they carried around with them and inside them. I saw them being tested. Now some of them stood up to it and some didn't. But you got so you could tell which ones you could count on. I tell you this man Novak is okay. His 'collateral' is in his hands, in his heart and his guts. It's in his right as a citizen.”


also listen for: “They trained me to use these things. I can dial telephones, I can drive a car, I can even put nickels in the jukebox. I'm all right, but... well, you see, I've got a girl.”


did you know: Director William Wyler was furious when he learned that Samuel Goldwyn had sent Harold Russell for acting lessons; he preferred Russell's untrained, natural acting.


hankie rating: 2. But not because it's sad.


extra bonus points: if you know what all the crew members (props, grips, mixers, etc.) from the film had in common.

pride of the yankees

the year: 1942

the genre: drama


the cast: Gary Cooper (Henry Louis “Lou” Gehrig); Teresa Wright (Eleanor Twitchell); Babe Ruth (himself); Walter Brennan (Sam Blake)


the plot: A biopic of Lou Gehrig from his childhood in New York until his famous “Luckiest Man” speech on farewell day in 1939.


count: the number of consecutive games played by Lou Gehrig.


check out: sportswriter "Sam Blake" (played by Walter Brennan). He's a great character that was loosely based on writer Fred Lieb, who was one of the Gehrigs' closest friends.


don’t miss: the bracelet worn by Teresa Wright - who played Gehrig's wife Eleanor Gehrig. It was the actual bracelet that Lou gave to Eleanor on their fourth anniversary. Eleanor brought the bracelet to the set to be used in the movie. The bracelet is made up of 17 metal medallions that celebrate the seven World Championships and six All-Star game appearances that Gehrig made. The bracelet is now displayed in the Baseball Hall of Fame.


listen for: “Lou Gehrig, I could learn to like you.”



did you know: Since star Gary Cooper was right-handed and Lou Gehrig was left-handed, and since Cooper's athletic skills were barely passable right-handed let alone left-handed, the close-up baseball scenes were shot with uniforms in reverse type. Cooper would hit the ball and run to third, and the prints would be reversed.

i wanna...

dance on the penthouse balcony with Fred Astaire (from Daddy Long Legs).


have Dana Andrews fall asleep on my shoulder (from The Best Years of Our Lives).


attend Juliette Binoche's dinner party in Chocolat.


have dinner with Cary Grant (from The Bachelor and the Bobby-soxer).


have Frank Sinatra sing to me (from High Society).


What do you wanna?