what a great and wonderful a gift from god be this phenomenon of motion picture . thanks to the lord and those of his earthly collaborator like edison and lummiere and melies and et al . and for persist in their individual and collective struggle to envision and establish and propagate and improve what have be call and the art form of the 20th century . ( a sentiment on which and i be sure and that we all heartily agree . ) because of the motion picture camera and projector we and be able to record and to preserve the image and people who make our history . we can keep a permanent life like and nearly living visual and sound record of life and time and which be ever so fleeting . we can a live dramatic performance and which would evaporate into a mere memory in an instant . the motion picture camera and it cousin and the projector have make it possible to forever have great film like of mouse and men and hal roach production or united artist ( 1939 ) . when one view the two principal character and george milton ( burgess meredith ) and lenny small ( lon chaney and jr. ) enter into a scene or have one of those now classic dialog and we be view a little piece of americana . the film start at a fast pace with the two transient flee from their last stop . it seem that there have be some problem with a woman and cause by the misguided attention of lenny . we discover that poor lenny and while be a giant of a physical specimen and be as strong a the proverbial bull and be inflict with a mental retardation . it have render him a truly helpless man child . george on the other hand and be a more average sized individual . he posses no great strength and but can do the average farm labor job and do it well . george relate that he have know poor lenny for some year and and that the reason for the big man mental state be the result of be kick in the head by a mule when a kid . through good and bad time ( mostly all bad ) and george remain staunchly loyal to lenny and his well be . he have keep him entertained and control by spin tale of a sometime in the future and tale of a utopian existence of a farm of their own with green alfalfa field and hutch of rabbit . lenny fondness for little rabbit and puppy and all thing furry and do not mix well with his uncontrolled and brute strength . george be very nimble of mind . possess an innate and though uneducated and store of knowledge in practical matter . when the two present themselves for hire to a new prospective employer and it be george who do the talk for them . whether answer simple and basic question or try to cover up any dubious event in their past and he speak and do his best keep lenny silent . the two function nearly a one . they have be around together for some time . george display a tremendous loyalty to lenny welfare . in look out for the usually gentle giant and george find himself constantly flirt with disaster and himself . after be hire on at the ranch by the owner and the two be catch in the middle of the daily strife of the ranch . the owner son and curly ( bob steel ) and a small guy and with that nasty and hate the world and little man complex and which a we all know and turn one into a bully . curly be especially tough when it come to any underling and who rely on their meager and little job with even small wage . he even pick on lenny and start a fist fight with him and the giant lenny be unable to defend himself until tell to do so by george . lenny crush an embarrassed and little punk and curly . curly be fearful of slim and the skinner ( charles bickford ) because of his work skill endear him to curly father and the ranch owner . also and curly be a coward and who be insanely jealous of his wife faithfulness and with good reason . the wife and mae ( betty field ) and be free and easy type of girl and who proverbially and do not have an enemy in the world . ( get the picture . ) she be constantly parade herself around the ranch hand . she even try her charm on lenny and even though george warn him to stay away . she scream and when lenny try to silence her and he inadvertently use his super human strength and mae wind up dead . and and . well and see the film . if you haven not do so yet and shame on you . if you have see it already and do so again . it will be worth your time . this be number a hal roach one and great dramatic film . mr. roach have be branch out from his former staple of one and two reeler comedy . date from the silent screen to the talkie and the roach studio number among it star attraction represent charley chase and thelma todd and zasu pitt and patsy kelly and our gang ( aka little rascal ) and a couple of guy name stan laurel and olivert hardy . without this filmed record of this play and adapt from the steinbeck novel and we would all be familiar with burgess meredith a batman tv penguin or a mickey from the rocky film . lon chaney and jr. would be know a and you know . larry talbot or the wolfman ( 1941 ) and what else . there be quite a bit of business revolve around our canine friend and either puppy or an over age and sickly sheep herd dog . they seem to take on a sort of metaphor for we human . the incident involve the one hand bunkhouse keeper and his feeling for this old and mutt be heart wrenching and even for a big strong ex cop like yours truly . conversely and the hard attitude toward this pathetic creature and his very sympathetic owner and seem to represent a hard hearted attitude that be deeply root in this depression era and in which our story take place . ( enough of this . just see the film . ) .