John Steinbeck home in California to attend any performance of the play during its New York run, telling director George S. Kaufman that the play as it existed in his own mind was "perfect" and that anything presented on stage would only be a disappointment. Steinbeck wrote two more stage plays ("The Moon Is Down" and "Burning Bright"). "Of Mice and Men" was also adapted as a 1939 Hollywood film, with Lon Chaney, Jr. as Lennie (he had filled the role in the Los Angeles stage production) and Burgess Meredith as George. Meredith and Steinbeck became close friends for the next two
National Steinbeck Center 40 events a year. The major events the Center is known for is the annual Steinbeck Festival, Steinbeck's Birthday Celebration, the Steinbeck Young Authors Program, and the Salinas Valley Comic Con. Other smaller and reoccurring events happen throughout the year which all tie to Steinbeck's mission and the Center's mission to encourage and support literature, the arts, and other humanities focused causes. After the deal with CSUMB in 2016, the National Steinbeck Center had to reorganize their organization. One of the main efforts embarked upon was partnerships with other local non-profits and cultural groups. The NSC's main partners, although not