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The Best Years of Our Lives

"Three wonderful loves in the best picture of the year!"

1946-12-25 Drama 2hr 51m

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.

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Amazon Prime Video

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The Best Years of Our Lives
Amazon Prime Video

Watch on Amazon Prime Video

Storyline

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.

  • Released
    1946-12-25
  • Revenue
    $23,650,000
  • Budget
    $2,100,000
  • Runtime
    2hr 51m
  • Genre
    Drama, Romance, War
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    8.1
  • Production
    The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Crew

William Wyler
Director
Robert E. Sherwood
Screenplay
Samuel Goldwyn
Producer
Keywords:
post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) war veteran world war ii bodily disabled person rehabilitation black and white romantic

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Cast

Dana Andrews

Dana Andrews
Fred Derry
Fredric March

Fredric March
Al Stephenson
Harold Russell

Harold Russell
Homer Parrish
Teresa Wright

Teresa Wright
Peggy Stephenson
Myrna Loy

Myrna Loy
Milly Stephenson
Cathy O'Donnell

Cathy O'Donnell
Wilma Cameron
Virginia Mayo

Virginia Mayo
Marie Derry
Hoagy Carmichael

Hoagy Carmichael
Butch Engle
Gladys George

Gladys George
Hortense Derry
Roman Bohnen

Roman Bohnen
Pat Derry
Ray Collins

Ray Collins
Mr. Milton
Minna Gombell

Minna Gombell
Mrs. Parrish
Walter Baldwin

Walter Baldwin
Mr. Parrish
Steve Cochran

Steve Cochran
Cliff Scully
Dorothy Adams

Dorothy Adams
Mrs. Cameron
Don Beddoe

Don Beddoe
Mr. Cameron
Marlene Aames

Marlene Aames
Luella Parrish
Charles Halton

Charles Halton
Prew
Ray Teal

Ray Teal
Mr. Mollett
Howland Chamberlain

Howland Chamberlain
Thorpe
Dean White

Dean White
Novak
Erskine Sanford

Erskine Sanford
Bullard
Michael Hall

Michael Hall
Rob Stephenson
Victor Cutler

Victor Cutler
Woody Merrill
Claire Du Brey

Claire Du Brey
Mrs. Talburt - Perfume Customer (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty

Pat Flaherty
Salvage Foreman (uncredited)
Jackie Jackson

Jackie Jackson
A Boy (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien

William H. O'Brien
Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)
Bert Stevens

Bert Stevens
Man at Airport / Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Marion Gray

Marion Gray
Department Store Customer (uncredited)
Jimmy Ames

Jimmy Ames
Jackie (uncredited)
Carol Andrews

Carol Andrews
Saleswoman (uncredited)
Mary Arden

Mary Arden
Miss Barbour (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor

Gertrude Astor
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Edward Biby

Edward Biby
Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Harry Cheshire

Harry Cheshire
Minister at Wedding (uncredited)
Sidney Clute

Sidney Clute
Drugstore Clerk (uncredited)
Tom Coleman

Tom Coleman
Waiter (uncredited)
Joyce Compton

Joyce Compton
Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
James Conaty

James Conaty
Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin

Heinie Conklin
Customer (uncredited)
Bert Conway

Bert Conway
ATC Sergeant (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper

Clancy Cooper
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Mady Correll

Mady Correll
Announcer (uncredited)
Roy Darmour

Roy Darmour
Parking Lot Attendant (uncredited)
Hal K. Dawson

Hal K. Dawson
Man at Airport (uncredited)
Lawrence Dobkin

Lawrence Dobkin
Bank Customer with Hat (uncredited)
Lester Dorr

Lester Dorr
Bar Patron (uncredited)
Tom Dugan

Tom Dugan
Doorman (uncredited)
Dick Earle

Dick Earle
Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Edward Earle

Edward Earle
Steese - Bank (uncredited)
Blake Edwards

Blake Edwards
Corporal at ATC Counter (uncredited)
Billy Engle

Billy Engle
Customer (uncredited)
Ben Erway

Ben Erway
Lou Latham - Bank (uncredited)
Doris June Fesetta

Doris June Fesetta
Camera Girl (uncredited)
Tennessee Ernie Ford

Tennessee Ernie Ford
Nightclub/Hillbilly Singer (uncredited)
Louise Franklin

Louise Franklin
Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
Harry Gillette

Harry Gillette
Card Player at Lucia's (uncredited)
Dick Gordon

Dick Gordon
Maitre d'Hotel (uncredited)
Herschel Graham

Herschel Graham
Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins

Earle Hodgins
Diner Attendant at Lucia's (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes

Stuart Holmes
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Ray Hyke

Ray Hyke
Gus - Salvage Worker (uncredited)
John Ince

John Ince
Ryan - Bank Guard (uncredited)
Teddy Infuhr

Teddy Infuhr
Dexter - Brat in Drugstore (uncredited)
Georgia Kane

Georgia Kane
Singer (uncredited)
Robert Karnes

Robert Karnes
Technical Sergeant (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp

Kenner G. Kemp
Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Donald Kerr

Donald Kerr
Steve the Bartender (uncredited)
Gene Krupa

Gene Krupa
Musician - Drum Solo (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ethelreda Leopold

Ethelreda Leopold
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Alyn Lockwood

Alyn Lockwood
Counter Girl (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack

Wilbur Mack
Man at Airport (uncredited)
Susan Mann

Susan Mann
Announcer (uncredited)
Thomas Martin

Thomas Martin
Waiter (uncredited)
Michael Mauree

Michael Mauree
Glamour Girl (uncredited)
Doreen McCann

Doreen McCann
A Girl (uncredited)
Peggy McIntyre

Peggy McIntyre
Girl at Soda Fountain - Mollett Scene (uncredited)
Russell Meeker

Russell Meeker
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Chef Milani

Chef Milani
Giuseppe - Lucia's Restaurant Proprietor (uncredited)
Harold Miller

Harold Miller
Wealthy Man at Nightclub (uncredited)
Ernesto Molinari

Ernesto Molinari
Card Player (uncredited)
William Newell

William Newell
Waiter at Bank Dinner (uncredited)
Georgie Nokes

Georgie Nokes
One of Homer's 'Kids' (uncredited)
Joe Palma

Joe Palma
Card Player (uncredited)
Leo Penn

Leo Penn
ATC Corporal (uncredited)
Caleb Peterson

Caleb Peterson
Black Soldier at Airfield (uncredited)
Norman Phillips Jr.

Norman Phillips Jr.
Clarence 'Sticky' Merkle (uncredited)
Jack Rice

Jack Rice
Apartment Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgway

Suzanne Ridgway
Girl at Table with Cliff (uncredited)
Mickey Roth

Mickey Roth
Boy at Soda Fountain - Mollett Scene (uncredited)
Loretta Russell

Loretta Russell
Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Ruth Sanderson

Ruth Sanderson
Mrs. Garrett (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford

Ralph Sanford
George H. Gibbons (uncredited)
Noreen Sayles

Noreen Sayles
Girl (uncredited)
Stephen Soldi

Stephen Soldi
Card Player (uncredited)
John Tyrrell

John Tyrrell
Angus - Butch's Waiter (uncredited)
Amelita Ward

Amelita Ward
Counter Girl (uncredited)
Jan Wiley

Jan Wiley
Perfume Saleswoman (uncredited)
Marek Windheim

Marek Windheim
Waiter at Lucia's Restaurant (uncredited)
Catherine Wyler

Catherine Wyler
Department Store Customer (uncredited)
Judy Wyler

Judy Wyler
Department Store Customer (uncredited)
William Wyler

William Wyler
Drug Store customer (uncredited)
Dick Gordon

Dick Gordon
Maitre d'Hotel (uncredited)

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The Best Years of Our Lives
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The Best Years of Our Lives

Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Best Years of Our Lives
reviewer avatar

A Review by tanty 8

Written by tanty on 2015-04-16

Another great Willy Wyler movie. The story, with time, is quite expectable but the characters are well defined and developed by the cast.... read more

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.

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-07-07

This is really quite a touching story, recounting the experiences of three American veterans of WWII who return home and have to adapt to th... read more

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.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by Andres Gomez

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 vet...

reviewer avatar

A Review by tanty 8

Written by tanty on 2015-04-16

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 o...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-07-07

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...

read more