Of Mice and Men (1939 film) Of Mice and Men (1939 film) Of Mice and Men is a 1939 American drama film based on the 1937 play based on the novella of the same title by American author John Steinbeck, and starring Burgess Meredith, Betty Field and Lon Chaney Jr. The supporting cast features Charles Bickford, Roman Bohnen, Bob Steele and Noah Beery Jr. The film tells the story of two men, George and his mentally-challenged partner Lennie, trying to survive during the dustbowl of the 1930s and pursuing a dream of owning their own ranch, instead of always working for others. Starring in the lead
Lennie Tristano Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph "Lennie" Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New York City in 1946. He played with leading bebop musicians and formed his own small bands, which soon displayed some of his early interests – contrapuntal interaction of instruments, harmonic flexibility, and rhythmic complexity. His quintet in 1949 recorded the first free group improvisations. Tristano's innovations continued in 1951, with the first overdubbed, improvised jazz recordings, and two years later,