The Male Animal

The Male Animal (1942)

SHE turned a lamb into a lion!

The trustees of Midwestern University have forced three teachers out of their jobs for being suspected communists. Trustee Ed Keller has also threatened mild mannered English Professor Tommy Turner, because he plans to read a controversial piece of prose in class. Tommy is upset that his wife Ellen also suggested he not read the passage. Meanwhile, Ellen's old boyfriend, the football player Joe Ferguson, comes to visit for the homecoming weekend. He takes Ellen out dancing after the football rally, causing Tommy to worry that he will lose her to Joe.

Date of release
1942-03-12
TMDB
4.7 / 10 (12)
Runtime
1h 41m
Genres
Comedy, Romance
Director
Elliott Nugent

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Based on: The Male Animal
  • Awards: 1 · Nominations: 0. Including: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

The Male Animal is a 1942 American comedy-drama film produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, starring Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Leslie.

Production

Gene Tierney, who had starred as Patricia Stanley in the original Broadway production, was unable to appear in the film because she was contracted to star in John Ford's movie version of Tobacco Road. Don DeFore, another member of the Broadway cast, repeated his role in the film. Co-writer Elliott Nugent played the lead role on the stage before coming to Hollywood to direct Henry Fonda in the film version.

Elliott Nugent said the Jack Benny was suggested for the lead. Nugent wrote in his memoirs, "No one admires Jack Benny more than I do, but I felt that any picture treatment for him would necessarily emphasize the lighter side of the play to the detriment of the serious theme about academic freedom.

Olivia de Havilland appeared in this film while simultaneously making They Died with Their Boots On (1941) starring Errol Flynn, putting the actress under enormous pressure from overwork.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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