A Medal for Benny (1945)
Rent DVD by Mail
Theatrical Release Information | See Details About All Versions
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, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast:
- Dorothy Lamour - Lolita Sierra
- J. Carrol Naish - Charley Martin
- Fernando Alvarado - Chito Sierra
- Frank McHugh - Edgar Lovekin
- Grant Mitchell - Pantara's Mayor
- Nestor Paiva - Frank Alviso
- Eva Puig - Mrs. Catalina
- Edward Fielding - Governor
- Victor Potel - Pepster
- Robert E. Homans - Chief of Police
- Minerva Urecal - Mrs. Chavez
- Tom Fadden - Eddie Krinch
- Alice Fleming - Dowager
- Jack Gardner - Cameraman/Red
- Arturo de Cordova - Joe Morales
- Mikhail Rasumny - Raphael Catalina
- Charles Dingle - Zack Mibbs
- Rosita Moreno - Toodles Castro
- Douglas Dumbrille - General
- Pepito Pérez - Pamfilo Chaves
- Harry Hayden - Pepster
- Eddy Chandler - Bank Guard
- Max Wagner - Jake
- Oliver Blake - Pepster
- Jimmie Dundee - Cop
- Frank Reicher - Father Bly
- Maxine Fife - Telephone operator
- Director(s):
- Irving Pichel
- Writer(s):
- Frank R. Butler, John Steinbeck, Jack Wagner
- Producer(s):
- Paul Jones
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1945 - A Medal for Benny - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
