Of Mice and Men Movies: the 1939 and 1992 Films and Their Cast
Two great Georges, two great Lennies and fifty-three years between them
There are two main films: Of Mice and Men (1939), directed by Lewis Milestone, with Burgess Meredith as George and Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie, and Of Mice and Men (1992), directed by Gary Sinise, who also plays George, with John Malkovich as Lennie.
The 1939 film was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture; the 1992 film competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
The 1939 film
Made only two years after the book, Lewis Milestone's film is a classic of the late 1930s. Lon Chaney Jr., son of the silent horror star, had played Lennie on stage and gives him a heavy, childlike sweetness, and Burgess Meredith is a sharp, worried George. Aaron Copland wrote the score, his first for Hollywood, and it earned two of the film's four Oscar nominations.
The film opens differently, with George and Lennie running from a posse, and it expands Curley's wife, giving her a name, Mae, and more scenes. Censors of the time softened the language and some of the violence.
↑ Back to the topThe 1992 film
Gary Sinise and John Malkovich had played George and Lennie together on stage in Chicago, and the film shows how well they know the roles. Horton Foote, who wrote the screenplay for To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted the book and kept it very close to Steinbeck. The film was shot mostly in the Santa Ynez Valley in Southern California, because the Salinas Valley no longer had the wide wheat fields of the 1930s.
Its main additions are short scenes that frame the story through George's memory. Ray Walston's Candy and Joe Morton's Crooks are widely praised, and many teachers use this version in class.
↑ Back to the topTV films and the Broadway revival
The story has been filmed for television several times, including a 1968 version with George Segal and Nicol Williamson, and a 1981 TV film with Robert Blake as George and Randy Quaid as Lennie. On stage, the play opened on Broadway in 1937 with Wallace Ford and Broderick Crawford. A 2014 Broadway revival starred James Franco as George, Chris O'Dowd as Lennie and Leighton Meester as Curley's wife; that production was also broadcast to cinemas.
↑ Back to the topWhich film is closest to the book?
The 1992 film is the most faithful, keeping most of Steinbeck's dialogue and every key scene, including the ending by the river. The 1939 film is shorter on detail but loved for its performances and music. If you are studying the book, watch 1992 first, then 1939 to see how Hollywood of the time handled the same story.
↑ Back to the topWho played who
| Role | 1939 film | 1992 film |
|---|---|---|
| George Milton | Burgess Meredith | Gary Sinise |
| Lennie Small | Lon Chaney Jr. | John Malkovich |
| Curley's wife | Betty Field (named Mae) | Sherilyn Fenn |
| Slim | Charles Bickford | John Terry |
| Curley | Bob Steele | Casey Siemaszko |
| Candy | Roman Bohnen | Ray Walston |
| Crooks | Leigh Whipper | Joe Morton |
| Director | Lewis Milestone | Gary Sinise |
More about Of Mice and Men
Books Like Of Mice and Men
The Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck
Travels with CharleyJohn Steinbeck
East of EdenJohn Steinbeck
The Kite RunnerKhaled Hosseini
Last OrdersGraham Swift
The BFGRoald Dahl
About a BoyNick Hornby
Q & AVikas SwarupThis guide discusses the whole plot, including the ending.