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Of Mice and Men is a solid, workmanlike adaptation of the famous Steinbeck novel— competently made, well acted, and with a script by the author himself. But does it rise to the level of Best Picture? It’s the last movie of 1939, so find out if it’s the nominee that’s best stood the Screen Test of Time, or if David and Suzan choose another one of the nominees for the real Best Picture of 1939!

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Of Mice and Men (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

The long awaited (...or should we say dreaded?) watch of the wildly dated, over long, overrated, and overtly racist Gone With the Wind.

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Gone With the Wind (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Perhaps the best thing about 1939 is that it brings our hosts the final Ernst Lubitsch film they will have to watch! After loathing every other film by the prolific director, will Greta Garbo in the title role upset the streak of poor ratings for Lubitsch, or is even she unable to salvage a film that was marketed only with the two words “Garbo laughs!”?

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Ninotchka (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Frank Capra’s classic is considered the ultimate story of a Washington insider taking on the corrupt political machines holding Congress hostage, thanks to an absolutely brilliant performance by Jimmy Stewart in the titular role.

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

The first of the nominees that both of our hosts have already seen, The Wizard of Oz is getting some scrutiny neither of them had ever given it before. Will the classic starring Judy Garland hold up to our hosts’ critical evaluation, or will David and Suzan pull back the curtain to reveal it’s not so wonderful after all?

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Editor’s note: Screen Test of Time would like to apologize for the brevity of this week’s episode, but there really wasn’t much to say about Goodbye, Mr. Chips. We assure you that next week we will be back with a very long episode.

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

The first of the sick bed tearjerker dramas to be nominated for Best Picture, Dark Victory is another in the list of movies where if people just talked to one another, there would be no story. Starring Bette Davis, some incredibly forgettable guy, the only real tragedy here is an underused Humphrey Bogart. Oh, and Ronald Reagan is in it.

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Dark Victory (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

The basis for the much more widely seen remake starring Cary Grant, Love Affair starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer was a difficult one for our hosts to grade. Moments of brilliance abound, but they are so disconnected from an unbelievable overall story, that it’s hard to know what is important is in this melodramatic romance.

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Love Affair (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

On this week’s episode, David and Suzan discuss the structure of Gothic storytelling, the perils of adapting a too long book into a too short movie, the merits of War and Peace and 10 Things I Hate About You to 1939’s Wuthering Heights.

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Wuthering Heights (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

After nearly 2 years of counting down the weeks to film’s most legendary year, 1939 is off with a bang… and some surprising controversy! For the first time in a long time, our hosts find they deeply disagree. Will David and Suzan come to a compromise, or will Stagecoach be the rare SToT movie with a split score?

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1939 (Nominated)

Additional audio from Stagecoach (1939)

(Explicit language, as always)