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The Male Animal

Play trailer Poster for The Male Animal 1942 1h 41m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 57% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
On the weekend of the big football game at a large Midwestern university, English professor Tommy Turner (Henry Fonda) unexpectedly gets embroiled in a free-speech controversy. When a trustee (Eugene Pallette) learns that Tommy intends to read a letter by convicted anarchist Bartolomeo Vanzetti in class, he threatens the professor's job. Meanwhile, Tommy's unhappy wife (Olivia de Havilland) is wooed by her visiting college boyfriend, ex-football star Joe Ferguson (Jack Carson).

Critics Reviews

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Eileen Jones The Jacobin Jun 2
Just the fact that this film got made and released shows how much relative freedom of expression was possible in films of the early 1940s. But not for much longer. Go to Full Review Elena de la Torre Cine-Mundial 09/12/2019
Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland have achieved two triumphal performances in this delightful movie. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 03/27/2009
B
The stagebound film has its amusing moments, solid performances and a still timely message about academic freedom. Go to Full Review Louis Proyect rec.arts.movies.reviews 08/31/2008
A surprisingly relevant movie on academic freedom in light of Ward Churchill and pro-Palestinian professors being victimized today. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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ashley h @ashleyhobgood87 09/26/2020 The Male Animal is an okay film. It is about Homecoming weekend at Midwestern University. Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland give decent performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Elliott Nugent did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the humor and romance. See more 02/01/2019 The best comedy movie ever made! See more 06/13/2011 predictable but enjoyable enough, with actors who are fun to watch. I know the free-speech/academic plot is mentioned first in most reviews, but in my sleepy state I mostly followed the romantic bits. See more 02/10/2010 This is a highly regarded classic, and I am not sure why I am not enthralled with it. It?s okay, but I just don?t see anything special with it. There is no chemistry between Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland. Fonda is great, but de Havilland gets very irritating, as does Jack Carson. Eugene Pallette and Hattie McDaniel provide excellent support. Otherwise, it?s pretty routine. See more 02/10/2010 This is a highly regarded classic, and I am not sure why I am not enthralled with it. It's okay, but I just don't see anything special with it. There is no chemistry between Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland. Fonda is great, but de Havilland gets very irritating, as does Jack Carson. Eugene Pallette and Hattie McDaniel provide excellent support. Otherwise, it's pretty routine. See more 03/12/2009 funny good great cast See more Read all reviews
The Male Animal

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Cast & Crew

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Elliott Nugent

Director

Henry Fonda

Tommy Turner

Olivia de Havilland

Ellen Turner

Jack Carson

Joe Ferguson

Joan Leslie

Patricia Stanley

Herbert Anderson

Michael Barnes
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The Male Animal

The Male Animal (1942) The Male Animal (1942) The Male Animal (1942) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis On the weekend of the big football game at a large Midwestern university, English professor Tommy Turner (Henry Fonda) unexpectedly gets embroiled in a free-speech controversy. When a trustee (Eugene Pallette) learns that Tommy intends to read a letter by convicted anarchist Bartolomeo Vanzetti in class, he threatens the professor's job. Meanwhile, Tommy's unhappy wife (Olivia de Havilland) is wooed by her visiting college boyfriend, ex-football star Joe Ferguson (Jack Carson).
Director
Elliott Nugent
Producer
Hal B. Wallis
Screenwriter
Stephen Morehouse Avery, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Elliott Nugent, James Thurber
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 4, 1942, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
May 8, 2009
Runtime
1h 41m
Sound Mix
Mono