This is a coming of age movie that takes place in the middle of World War II. Mickey Rooney plays the teen boy. He gets a job at the local telegraph office delivering the messages. His family is a stereotypical all American white family. This movie is very long on patriotic rhetoric, pretty cheesy by today's standards. It also has something not seen in current movies, religious scenes with prayers and conversations. Mickey's older brother in the service. There is a double whammy towards the end. The old man telegrapher is getting a message and dies from a heart attack, at the same time the message was a War Department notice of the death of the brother. I think the very end is a bit disjointed. On the way home Mickey runs into his brother's best friend. The friend is in town on furlough and wants to meet the family. He runs into Mickey and they both go in to the house. At this point the family has no idea the brother is dead and yet the are kind of happy.
Review of The Human Comedy
