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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)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorFredric MarchWon
Best Supporting ActorHarold RussellWon
Best DirectorWilliam WylerWon
Best Film EditingDaniel MandellWon
Best Music - ScoringHugo FriedhoferWon
Best PictureSamuel Goldwyn ProductionsWon
Best WritingRobert E. SherwoodWon
Special AwardTo Harold Russell for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.Won
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The Best Years of Our Lives 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 real... 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

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The Best Years of Our Lives Quotes:

Mr. Mollett: Say, uh, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?
Homer Parrish: I know what it is. How did I get these hooks and how do they work? That's what everybody says when they start off, "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Well, I'll tell ya. I got sick and tired of that old pair of hands I had. You know, an awful lot of trouble washing them and manicuring my nails. So I traded them in for a pair of these latest models. They work by radar. Look.
[He takes a scoop of his ice cream sundae with a spoon]
Homer Parrish: Pretty cute, hey?
Peggy Stephenson: I've made up my mind.
Al Stephenson: Good girl.
Milly Stephenson: To do what?
Peggy Stephenson: I'm going to break that marriage up! I can't stand it seeing Fred tied to a woman he doesn't love and who doesn't love him. Oh, it's horrible for him. It's humiliating and it's killing his spirit. Somebody's got to help him.
Marie Derry: Say, who is this Peggy Stephenson?
Fred Derry: She's a girl.
Marie Derry: I didn't think she was a kangaroo!
Al Stephenson: I've seen nothing, I should have stayed at home and found out what was really going on.
Marie Derry: What are you gonna do?
Fred Derry: I'm going away.
Marie Derry: Where?
Fred Derry: As far away from Boone City as I can get.
Marie Derry: That's a good idea. You'll get a good job someplace else. There are drugstores everywhere.
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The Best Years of Our Lives Facts
In a scene at Butch's bar, Homer asks Butch if he would play a song for him. "How about 'Lazy River?'" Homer asks. "Remember that?" Hoagy Carmichael, who plays Butch, composed "Lazy River."
This was William Wyler's last film for producer Samuel Goldwyn.
According to his biographer A. Scott Berg, Samuel Goldwyn re-released The Best Years of Our Lives in a modified format to play on wide screens. It opened with all the hoopla of a new picture, including a gala premiere in Washington D.C. on February 3, 1954, with Sherman Adams, five Supreme Court justices, two cabinet members, and twenty-four senators in attendance. There was a quarter-million-dollar campaign advertising it as "The Most Honored Picture of All Time". The film grossed another $1 million.
Myrna Loy receives top billing as she was the most successful female star at the time.
"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on May 19, 1947 with Dana Andrews, Virginia Mayo and Cathy O'Donnell reprising their film roles.
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