probably the best film adaptation of a steinbach novel that hollywood ever manage . east of eden doesn not make it since kazan use less than a third of a towering novel . of mouse and men be a profoundly move story of people care for each other during a very difficult time in american history . lon chaney and jr. do the best work of his career in a deceptively demanding role . the one sour note be the bewilderingly hammy performance by betty field .