A Medal for Benny

Last updated
A Medal for Benny
Dorothy64.jpg
Lobby card
Directed by Irving Pichel
Screenplay by Frank Butler
Story by John Steinbeck
Frank Butler
Starring Dorothy Lamour
Arturo de Córdova
J. Carrol Naish
Cinematography Lionel Lindon
Edited byArthur P. Schmidt
Music by Victor Young
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • April 16, 1945 (1945-04-16)(United States)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

A Medal for Benny is a 1945 American drama film directed by Irving Pichel. The story was conceived by writer Jack Wagner, who enlisted his long-time friend John Steinbeck to help him put it into script form. The film was released by Paramount Pictures. The film is also known as Benny's Medal.

Contents

Plot

Benny Martin leaves his small town of Pantera and joins the Army after getting in trouble with the police. While he is away, his girlfriend (Lolita) is romanced by Joe. Although she has not heard from Benny in months, she refuses Joe’s advances, wanting to stay loyal to Benny. She eventually falls for Joe and agrees to marry him but then finds out that Benny was killed in action and has been awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. Meanwhile, the Pantera mayor plans a rally for the medal presentation to Benny’s father and intends to use a beautiful house for the event so as not to embarrass the town by having the medal presented at the modest Martin residence. However, Benny’s father Charley, refuses to go along with the ruse and instead the medal ceremony takes place at his home. In his speech, Charley says that Benny will live on in his and Lolita's hearts. Lolita then tells Joe that she cannot marry him yet, because it might break Charley's heart. [1]

Cast

Accolades

Awards

Nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Steinbeck</span> American writer (1902–1968)

John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Wagner (screenwriter)</span> American screenwriter

Jack Wagner was an American Academy Award nominee screenwriter and cinematographer mostly during the silent era of motion pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Carrol Naish</span> American actor (1896–1973)

Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The 3rd Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best achievements in 1945 filmmaking, were announced 6 March and held 30 March 1946 at the Knickerbocker Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irving Pichel</span> American actor and film director (1891–1954)

Irving Pichel was an American actor and film director, who won acclaim both as an actor and director in his Hollywood career.

Beau James is a 1957 American drama film directed by Melville Shavelson and starring Bob Hope, Vera Miles, Paul Douglas and Alexis Smith. It is based on a non-fiction book of the same name by Gene Fowler. The film features Hope in a rare dramatic role as Jimmy Walker, the colorful but controversial Mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932.

<i>Special Agent</i> (1935 film) 1935 American drama film

Special Agent is a 1935 American crime drama film directed by William Keighley and starring Bette Davis and George Brent. The screenplay by Laird Doyle and Abem Finkel is based on a story by Martin Mooney. The film was produced by Cosmopolitan Productions and released by Warner Bros.

<i>Beneath the 12-Mile Reef</i> 1953 American Technicolor adventure film by Robert D. Webb

Beneath the 12-Mile Reef is a 1953 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Robert Wagner, Terry Moore and Gilbert Roland. The screenplay was by A.I. Bezzerides. The film was the third motion picture made in CinemaScope, coming after The Robe and How to Marry a Millionaire. The supporting cast features J. Carrol Naish, Richard Boone, Peter Graves, Jay Novello, Harry Carey Jr. and Jacques Aubuchon.

<i>Frisco Jenny</i> 1932 film

Frisco Jenny is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Ruth Chatterton and Louis Calhern. Its story bears a resemblance to Madame X (1929), Chatterton's previous hit film.

<i>Elmer, the Great</i> 1933 film

Elmer, the Great is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Joe E. Brown and Patricia Ellis.

<i>Captured!</i> 1933 film

Captured! is a 1933 American pre-Code film about World War I prisoners of war in a German camp. The film was directed by Roy Del Ruth and stars Leslie Howard and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Captured! was based on the short story "Fellow Prisoners" (1930) by Sir Philip Gibbs.

<i>Robin Hood of El Dorado</i> (film) 1936 film by William A. Wellman

Robin Hood of El Dorado is a 1936 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman for MGM. It stars Warner Baxter as real-life Mexican folk hero Joaquin Murrieta and Ann Loring as his love interest, with Bruce Cabot as Bill Warren and J. Carrol Naish as Murrietta's notorious partner, Three-Fingered Jack. The film is based on the life of Murrietta as the Robin Hood of Old California in 1850, a kind, gentle man who is driven to violence.

<i>Charleys Aunt</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Archie Mayo

Charley's Aunt is a 1941 American historical comedy film directed by Archie Mayo. It stars Jack Benny and Kay Francis. It was the fourth American filmed version of the 1892 stage farce of the same name by Brandon Thomas. It remained one of Benny's personal favourites among his own films.

<i>Birth of the Blues</i> 1941 film by Victor Schertzinger

Birth of the Blues is a 1941 American musical film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Bing Crosby, Mary Martin and Brian Donlevy.

<i>No Other Woman</i> (1933 film) 1933 film by J. Walter Ruben

No Other Woman is a 1933 American pre-Code melodrama film starring Irene Dunne, and featuring Charles Bickford, Gwili Andre and Eric Linden. It was directed by J. Walter Ruben from a screenplay by Wanda Tuchock and Bernard Schubert, based on the play Just a Woman by Eugene Walter, which ran for 136 performances on Broadway in 1916, and was previously made into silent films called Just a Woman in 1918 and 1925.

<i>Typhoon</i> (1940 film) 1940 film

Typhoon is a 1940 American Technicolor south seas adventure film directed by Louis King and starring Dorothy Lamour and Robert Preston. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

<i>Harrigans Kid</i> 1943 film by Charles Reisner

Harrigan's Kid is a 1943 American drama film directed by Charles Reisner and written by Martin Berkeley, Henry Blankfort and Alan Friedman. The film stars Bobby Readick, Frank Craven, William Gargan, J. Carrol Naish and Jay Ward. The film was released on March 17, 1943, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Dr. Broadway</i> 1942 film by Anthony Mann

Dr. Broadway is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Anthony Mann and written by Borden Chase and Art Arthur. The film stars Macdonald Carey, Jean Phillips, Eduardo Ciannelli, Richard Lane, J. Carrol Naish, Joan Woodbury and Arthur Loft. The film was released on May 9, 1942, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Persons in Hiding</i> 1939 film by Louis King

Persons in Hiding is a 1939 American crime film directed by Louis King and written by William R. Lipman and Horace McCoy. The film stars Lynne Overman, Patricia Morison, J. Carrol Naish, William "Bill" Henry, Helen Twelvetrees and William Frawley. The film was released on February 10, 1939, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Ride the Man Down</i> 1952 film by Joseph Kane

Ride the Man Down is a 1952 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane, written by Mary C. McCall, Jr., and starring Brian Donlevy, Rod Cameron, Ella Raines, Forrest Tucker, Barbara Britton, Chill Wills and J. Carrol Naish. The film was released on November 25, 1952, by Republic Pictures.

References

  1. "A Medal for Benny". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. "The 18th Academy Awards (1946) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 11 June 2019.