Double Feature: Of Mice and Men (1939) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

As I'm trying to see every Best Picture nominee ever made, I watched two 1939 entries for the first time this week.

Of Mice and Men:

This gem features Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. as two labor workers in the rural American south in the Great Depression. Both give great performances in a worthy Best Picture nominee that more classic movie fans should see, if they haven't already.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Score, Best Scoring, and Best Sound. However, it definitely deserved additional nominations for Meredith (Best Actor) and Chaney Jr. (Best Supporting Actor).

Goodbye, Mr. Chips:

This beloved classic is just that: a wonderful, emotionally-satisfying piece about a boarding school teacher. Robert Donat is sublime in an Oscar-winning performance, and the film arguably deserved the Best Picture prize.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound. Of course, Greer Garson's leading performance was supporting, and the film could have been nominated for Best Art Direction.