The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) : Classic Movie Hub (CMH)

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The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Director(s)	William Wyler
Producer(s)	Samuel Goldwyn, Lester Koenig (associate uncredited)
Top Genres	Drama, Romance, War
Top Topics	Book-Based, Husband Wife, Marriage, Romance (Drama)

Featured Cast:

See Full Cast

Myrna Loy
(as Milly Stephenson)

Fredric March
(as Al Stephenson)

Dana Andrews
(as Fred Derry)

The Best Years of Our Lives Overview:

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) was a Drama - Romance Film directed by William Wyler and produced by Samuel Goldwyn and Lester Koenig.

The film was based on the novel Glory for Me written by MacKinlay Kantor published in 1945.

SYNOPSIS

Perhaps the most memorable film about the aftermath of WWII, it unfolds with the homecoming of three veterans to the same small town. The leads all touch emotional truths: Loy seems able to express longing, joy, fear, and surprise - even with her back turned - in a particularly poignant welcome home. The movie never glosses over the reality of altered lives and the inability to communicate the experience of war on the front lines or the home front. A landmark achievement. WWII vet Russell, who lost his hands in the war, is the only person to win two Oscars for the same role, Best Supporting Actor and a special Oscar "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance."

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

The Best Years of Our Lives was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.

Academy Awards 1946 --- Ceremony Number 19 (source: AMPAS)

Award	Recipient	Result
Best Actor	Fredric March	Won
Best Supporting Actor	Harold Russell	Won
Best Director	William Wyler	Won
Best Film Editing	Daniel Mandell	Won
Best Music - Scoring	Hugo Friedhofer	Won
Best Picture	Samuel Goldwyn Productions	Won
Best Writing	Robert E. Sherwood	Won
Special Award	To Harold Russell for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.	Won

BlogHub Articles:

"The Best Years of Our Lives" is the Best Picture of 1946

By Stephen Reginald on Aug 22, 2022 From Classic Movie Man

"The Best Years of Our Lives" is the Best Picture of 1946 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is an American drama directed by William Wyler and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Virginia Mayo. The screenplay was written by Robert E. Sherwood, based on a novella... Read full article

Book Review: Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation

By Stephen Reginald on Aug 17, 2022 From Classic Movie Man

Book Review: Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is one of the most honored and beloved films from Hollywood's Golden Age. It was released over 75 years ago. Author and film historian, Alison Macor has written a ver... Read full article

Best Picture of 1946: "The Best Years of Our Lives"

By Stephen Reginald on Mar 7, 2021 From Classic Movie Man

Best Picture of 1946: "The Best Years of Our Lives" The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is an American drama directed by William Wyler and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Virginia Mayo. The screenplay was written by Robert E. Sherwood, based on a novella, Glor... Read full article

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, William Wyler)

By Andrew Wickliffe on Mar 3, 2018 From The Stop Button

If it weren?t for the first half of the film, The Best Years of Our Lives would be a series of vingettes. The film runs almost three hours. Almost exactly the first half is set over two days. The remainder is set over a couple months. Director Wyler and screenwriter Robert E. Sherwood don?t really d... Read full article

Teresa Wright in The Best Years of Our Lives

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jun 16, 2016 From 4 Star Films

I was born and bred a California boy, but there’s a certain something about the girl-next-door. Maybe it’s my midwestern roots, because after all, my mom was born in Iowa before making the move westward. Anyways, the first time I saw Teresa Wright onscreen I was immediately smitten. She ... Read full article

See all The Best Years of Our Lives articles

Quotes from

Homer Parrish: I didn't see much of the war... I was stationed in a repair shop below decks. Oh, I was in plenty of battles, but I never saw a Jap or heard a shell coming at me. When we were sunk, all I know is there was a lot of fire and explosions. And I was ordered topsides and overboard. And I was burned. When I came to, I was on a cruiser. My hands were off. After that, I had it easy... That's what I said. They took care of me fine. 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.

Al Stephenson: We don't need to worry about that child. She can take care of herself.
Milly Stephenson: That's what she thinks.

Wilma Cameron: You wrote me that when you got home, you and I were going to be married. If you wrote that once, you wrote it a hundred times. Isn't that true?
Homer Parrish: Yes, but things are different now.
Wilma Cameron: Have you changed your mind?
Homer Parrish: Have I said anything about changing my mind?
Wilma Cameron: No. That's just it. You haven't said anything about anything... I don't know what to think, Homer. All I know is, I was in love with you when you left and I'm in love with you now. Other things may have changed but that hasn't.

Facts about

In order to give the film a documentary-style realism, the director drew each member of the crew - props, grips, mixers, etc. - from the ranks of WWII veterans.

This was William Wyler's last film for producer Samuel Goldwyn.

Came sixth in the UK's Ultimate Film, in which films were placed in order of how many seats they sold at cinemas

Featured Cast: See Full Cast

Myrna Loy(as Milly Stephenson)

Fredric March(as Al Stephenson)