The Human Comedy

1943
Approved
1h 57m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

Mickey Rooney in The Human Comedy (1943)

Play trailer1:38

1 Video

12 Photos

Coming-of-Age Teen Drama Comedy Drama Family Romance War

Teenager Homer Macauley stays at home in small-town Ithaca to support his family while his older brother Marcus prepares to go to war.Teenager Homer Macauley stays at home in small-town Ithaca to support his family while his older brother Marcus prepares to go to war.Teenager Homer Macauley stays at home in small-town Ithaca to support his family while his older brother Marcus prepares to go to war.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 5 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 1:38

The Human Comedy

Photos12

+ 4

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
As of April 2022, 104-year old Marsha Hunt (who plays Diana Steed) and Darryl Hickman (Lionel) were the only surviving cast members. UPDATES: With Marsha Hunt's passing in September 2022, Darryl Hickman was the only surviving cast member. Darryl Hickman passed away May 22 2024.

Goofs
Near the end of the film when Homer and his friends walk to the telegraph office Homer's tie is tied up short (the tail below the broad part of the tie) but when Homer enters the office and in the following scenes, the tie is tied correctly.

Quotes
Mr. Macauley: I am Matthew Macauley. I have been dead for two years. So much of me is still living that I know now the end is only the beginning. As I look down on my homeland of Ithaca, California, with its cactus, vineyards and orchards, I see that so much of me is still living there - in the places I've been, in the fields and streets and church and most of all in my home, where my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions still live in the daily life of my loved ones.

Alternate versions
Also available in a computer colorized version.

Connections
Featured in MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992)

Soundtracks
My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night
(1853) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Foster
Sung a cappella by Ernest Whitman
Also sung by Mickey Rooney and Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins

User reviews65

Review

Featured review

This movie has haunted me since I first saw it in 1943.

I first saw this movie as an 11 year old in 1943 and have been haunted by it since. I know it is very sentimental, but I am glad that the movie makers in those days tried to inculcate basic human values, even though they may have been a bit unrealistic.

I consider Mickey Rooney a very fine actor, and I have always liked Van Johnson enormously. I liked Frank Morgan's role, having seen him in The Wizard of Oz, and listened to him as "Daddy" in the Baby Snooks radio program.