A Medal for Benny (1945)

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John Steinbeck cowrote this sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart-wrenching study of small-town hypocrisy. Shiftless Benny (who is never seen) has been tossed out of his Southern California town by the "proper" citizens. Drafted into the army, Benny is killed in action--and now that he's a hero, his… More John Steinbeck cowrote this sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart-wrenching study of small-town hypocrisy. Shiftless Benny (who is never seen) has been tossed out of his Southern California town by the "proper" citizens. Drafted into the army, Benny is killed in action--and now that he's a hero, his old home town gears up for a Congressional Medal of Honor ceremony. Suddenly the same upright townsfolk who'd previously scorned Benny and his impoverished father (J. Carroll Naish) bend over backward to prove how much they "loved" the boy. Only Dorothy Lamour, playing Benny's former sweetheart, sees through the sham, though she's honor bound to celebrate Benny's heroism. A Medal for Benny bestows top billing upon Lamour, but the film's true star is J. Carroll Naish as Benny's volatile Italian papa--a performance which won Naish an Academy Award nomination. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 17 min.
Directed By: Irving Pichel
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 16, 1945 Wide

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
By today's standards, this small-town melodrama about hypocrisy, based on John Steinbeck's writing, is sentimental, but it made an impression when originally made.

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Cast

            Dorothy Lamour as Lolita Sierra

            Arturo de Córdova as Joe Morales

            J. Carrol Naish as Charley Martin

            Mikhail Rasumny as Raphael Catalina

            Fernando Alvarado as Chito Sierra

            Charles Dingle as Zack Mibbs

            Frank McHugh as Edgar Lovekin

            Rosita Moreno as Toodles Castro

            Grant Mitchell as Pantara's Mayor

            Douglas Dumbrille as General

            Oliver Blake as Pepster

            Eddy Chandler as Bank Guard

            Jimmie Dundee as Cop

            Tom Fadden as Eddie Krinch

            Edward Fielding as Governor

            Alice Fleming as Dowager

            Jack Gardner as Cameraman/Red

            Harry Hayden as Pepster

            Robert E. Homans as Chief of Police

            Nestor Paiva as Frank Alviso

            Victor Potel as Pepster

            Eva Puig as Mrs. Catalina

            Frank Reicher as Father Bly

            Minerva Urecal as Mrs. Chavez

            Max Wagner as Jake

            Maxine Fife as Telephone operator

            Pepito Pérez as Pamfilo Chaves
See full cast

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