Movie Cosmos - The Best Years of Our Lives

Description:

It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.

Top Cast >

Dana Andrews

As Fred Derry

Fredric March

As Al Stephenson

Harold Russell

As Homer Parrish

Teresa Wright

As Peggy Stephenson

Myrna Loy

As Milly Stephenson

Cathy O'Donnell

As Wilma Cameron

Virginia Mayo

As Marie Derry

Hoagy Carmichael

As Butch Engle

Gladys George

As Hortense Derry

Roman Bohnen

As Pat Derry

Ray Collins

As Mr. Milton

Minna Gombell

As Mrs. Parrish

Walter Baldwin

As Mr. Parrish

Steve Cochran

As Cliff Scully

Dorothy Adams

As Mrs. Cameron

Don Beddoe

As Mr. Cameron

Marlene Aames

As Luella Parrish

Charles Halton

As Prew

Ray Teal

As Mr. Mollett

Howland Chamberlain

As Thorpe

Dean White

As Novak

Erskine Sanford

As Bullard

Michael Hall

As Rob Stephenson

Victor Cutler

As Woody Merrill

Claire Du Brey

As Mrs. Talburt - Perfume Customer (uncredited)

Pat Flaherty

As Salvage Foreman (uncredited)

Jackie Jackson

As A Boy (uncredited)

William H. O'Brien

As Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)

Bert Stevens

As Man at Airport / Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Marion Gray

As Department Store Customer (uncredited)

Jimmy Ames

As Jackie (uncredited)

Carol Andrews

As Saleswoman (uncredited)

Mary Arden

As Miss Barbour (uncredited)

Gertrude Astor

As Wedding Guest (uncredited)

Edward Biby

As Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Harry Cheshire

As Minister at Wedding (uncredited)

Sidney Clute

As Drugstore Clerk (uncredited)

Tom Coleman

As Waiter (uncredited)

Joyce Compton

As Hat Check Girl (uncredited)

James Conaty

As Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Heinie Conklin

As Customer (uncredited)

Bert Conway

As ATC Sergeant (uncredited)

Clancy Cooper

As Taxi Driver (uncredited)

Mady Correll

As Announcer (uncredited)

Roy Darmour

As Parking Lot Attendant (uncredited)

Hal K. Dawson

As Man at Airport (uncredited)

Lawrence Dobkin

As Bank Customer with Hat (uncredited)

Lester Dorr

As Bar Patron (uncredited)

Tom Dugan

As Doorman (uncredited)

Dick Earle

As Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Edward Earle

As Steese - Bank (uncredited)

Blake Edwards

As Corporal at ATC Counter (uncredited)

Billy Engle

As Customer (uncredited)

Ben Erway

As Lou Latham - Bank (uncredited)

Doris June Fesetta

As Camera Girl (uncredited)

Tennessee Ernie Ford

As Nightclub/Hillbilly Singer (uncredited)

Louise Franklin

As Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)

Harry Gillette

As Card Player at Lucia's (uncredited)

Dick Gordon

As Maitre d'Hotel (uncredited)

Herschel Graham

As Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Earle Hodgins

As Diner Attendant at Lucia's (uncredited)

Stuart Holmes

As Wedding Guest (uncredited)

Ray Hyke

As Gus - Salvage Worker (uncredited)

John Ince

As Ryan - Bank Guard (uncredited)

Teddy Infuhr

As Dexter - Brat in Drugstore (uncredited)

Georgia Kane

As Singer (uncredited)

Robert Karnes

As Technical Sergeant (uncredited)

Kenner G. Kemp

As Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Donald Kerr

As Steve the Bartender (uncredited)

Gene Krupa

As Musician - Drum Solo (archive footage) (uncredited)

Ethelreda Leopold

As Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

Alyn Lockwood

As Counter Girl (uncredited)

Wilbur Mack

As Man at Airport (uncredited)

Susan Mann

As Announcer (uncredited)

Thomas Martin

As Waiter (uncredited)

Michael Mauree

As Glamour Girl (uncredited)

Doreen McCann

As A Girl (uncredited)

Peggy McIntyre

As Girl at Soda Fountain - Mollett Scene (uncredited)

Russell Meeker

As Wedding Guest (uncredited)

Chef Milani

As Giuseppe - Lucia's Restaurant Proprietor (uncredited)

Harold Miller

As Wealthy Man at Nightclub (uncredited)

Ernesto Molinari

As Card Player (uncredited)

William Newell

As Waiter at Bank Dinner (uncredited)

Georgie Nokes

As One of Homer's 'Kids' (uncredited)

Joe Palma

As Card Player (uncredited)

Leo Penn

As ATC Corporal (uncredited)

Caleb Peterson

As Black Soldier at Airfield (uncredited)

Norman Phillips Jr.

As Clarence 'Sticky' Merkle (uncredited)

Jack Rice

As Apartment Desk Clerk (uncredited)

Suzanne Ridgway

As Girl at Table with Cliff (uncredited)

Mickey Roth

As Boy at Soda Fountain - Mollett Scene (uncredited)

Loretta Russell

As Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Ruth Sanderson

As Mrs. Garrett (uncredited)

Ralph Sanford

As George H. Gibbons (uncredited)

Noreen Sayles

As Girl (uncredited)

Stephen Soldi

As Card Player (uncredited)

John Tyrrell

As Angus - Butch's Waiter (uncredited)

Amelita Ward

As Counter Girl (uncredited)

Jan Wiley

As Perfume Saleswoman (uncredited)

Marek Windheim

As Waiter at Lucia's Restaurant (uncredited)

Catherine Wyler

As Department Store Customer (uncredited)

Judy Wyler

As Department Store Customer (uncredited)

William Wyler

As Drug Store customer (uncredited)

Dick Gordon

As Maitre d'Hotel (uncredited)

Top Crew >

William Wyler

Director

Gregg Toland

Director of Photography

Hugo Friedhofer

Original Music Composer

George Jenkins

Art Direction

Daniel Mandell

Editor

Perry Ferguson

Art Direction

Irene Sharaff

Costume Design

Samuel Goldwyn

Producer

Robert E. Sherwood

Screenplay

Julia Heron

Set Decoration

MacKinlay Kantor

Novel

Jonathan C. Boyle

Assistant Director

John P. Fulton

Special Effects

Harry Redmond Sr.

Special Effects

Larry Gannon

Sound

Gordon Sawyer

Supervising Sound Editor

Bill McLellan

Gaffer

Richard DeWeese

Sound Recordist

Emil Newman

Music Director

Marie Clark

Hairstylist

Robert Stephanoff

Makeup Artist

Reviews:

Andres Gomez (8/10)

Another great Willy Wyler movie.

The story, with time, is quite expectable but the characters are well defined and developed by the cast.

Also, it is a good (and probably, too positive) review of the after WWII war lives of the US veterans.

A must to be seen.

2015-04-16

CinemaSerf (7/10)

This is really quite a touching story, recounting the experiences of three American veterans of WWII who return home and have to adapt to their new, not always welcoming, circumstances. Frederic March is "Al" who returns to a senior position in a bank - responsible for helping other returning soldiers with loans to start to get their lives back together; "Fred" (Dana Andrews) returns to a far less optimistic outlook, ending up working for peanuts selling perfume in a drug store, and finally the outwardly cheery "Homer" - who lost both his hands and who cannot decide whether his long term fiancée actually loves him anymore, or just feels pity. William Wyler and Robert Sherwood manage to interweave the inter-connected tales poignantly, illustrating the frustrations, bordering on despair, not only of the three men - in completely different ways; but also of their respective partners who must also adjust to their return, and to their new circumstances once the war is has been won. There are some strong performances from their ladies too - Myrna Loy and Teresa Wright, less so the always rather wooden Virginia Mayo and by the end you do have some, slight, semblance of an idea of just how tough it was for these men to lose the security and discipline of their army lives and to cope with a life that has, in many cases, just moved on without them.

2022-07-07