John Steinbeck, A Medal for Benny

Michael J. Meyer (DePaul University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1945

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Cinema/ Film/ TV
- Screenplay

Resources

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A Medal for Benny

was initially an idea for a movie conceived by John Steinbeck’s boyhood friend, Jack Wagner, who enlisted the author’s help to write a story line that eventually became a Frank Butler screenplay. The original film appeared in 1945 and starred well-known actress, Dorothy Lamour as Lolita Sierra, the supposed love interest of Benny, a California ne’er-do-well paisano, and J. Carrol Naish as Benny’s father, Charley Martin, a role which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and a win at the Golden Globe Awards in the same category. Produced by Paramount Pictures and directed by Irving Pichel,

A Medal for Benny

told the story of a wild and reckless young man (somewhat like those depicted in Steinbeck’s earlier novel,

Tortilla Flat

(1935)), who,…

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2676 words

Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "A Medal for Benny". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 August 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12865, accessed 02 May 2024.]

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