Of Mice and Men (1939 film) it disappeared for many years at a time until the 1980s and 1990s, when it slowly appeared in revival theater houses, video and cable and earned a following of fans (both audience members and film critics) who praised the movie for its brilliant interpretation of the Steinbeck novella. Two migrant field workers in California during the Great Depression, George Milton (Burgess Meredith), an intelligent and quick-witted man (despite his frequent claims of being "not that smart"), and Lennie Small (Lon Chaney Jr.), an ironically-named man of large stature and immense strength who, due to his mental disability, has a mind
Of Mice and Men (1939 film) thing, with George responding angrily, stating that whatever they do not have is what Lennie always wants to have. This leaves Lennie puzzled, as he forgot that first response from earlier. This also causes George to have a long speech about Lennie's ungratefulness, childlike behavior and why they had to escape from Weed. Eventually, George eases the tensions by telling Lennie his favorite story about their future farm before going to sleep. The next day, they arrive at the ranch near Soledad. They meet Candy (Roman Bohnen), the aged, one-handed ranch-hand with his ageing dog he raised since it was