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For our MGM 1943 episode, we look at two films that are highly representative of the Mayer ethos,\xa0The Human Comedy\xa0(directed by Clarence Brown), a portrait\xa0of WWII-era American small-town life infused with the beatific sensibility of William Saroyan (who provided the story), with Mickey Rooney in a coming-of-age story that's equal parts Andy Hardy and David Lynch; and the children's classic\xa0Lassie Come Home\xa0(directed by Fred M. Wilcox), which we compare to Mizoguchi's\xa0Sansho the Bailiff\xa0as a sold-into-slavery story but find wanting in its social analysis despite its Communist screenwriter. We try to tease the strangeness out of the sentiment\u2014which doesn\u2019t really take much doing.\xa0

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Time Codes:

0h 00m 45s:\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0 THE HUMAN COMEDY [Dir. Clarence Brown]

0h 43m 59s: \xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0 LASSIE COME HOME [Dir. Fred M. Wilcox]

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Studio Film Capsules provided by The MGM Story\xa0John Douglas Eames

Additional studio information from: The Hollywood Story by Joel W. Finler

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* Marvel at our meticulously ridiculous Complete Viewing Schedule for the 2020s

* Intro Song: \u201cSunday\u201d by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of\xa0The Internet Archive)

* Read Elise\u2019s latest film piece on Preston Sturges, Unfaithfully Yours, and the Narrative role of comedic scapegoating.

* Check out Dave\u2019s new Robert Benchley blog \u2013 an attempt to annotate and reflect upon as many of the master humorist\u2019s 2000+ pieces as he can locate \u2013 Benchley Data: A Wayward Annotation Project!\xa0

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