The Men (1950): Marlon Brando's Screen Debut

For this week, I will be taking a break from television to watch 10 movies, picked out because of a particular actor, director, or both.  I picked the movies purely off their availability.  Marlon Brando was one of the actors I wanted to watch over the week, and unfortunately only two of his films that I haven't seen are on streaming services (legal ones that is).

Marlon Brando began his career on the stage and it didn't take long for him to establish himself as a star.  At 23-years-old in 1947, he began a three-year run on Broadway as Stanley in a Streetcar Named Desire.  Thus, that's why he was able to become a lead actor in his film screen debut, The Men.

The Men is a brutal look into the lives of paraplegic World War II veterans.  It's specifically about Ken, played by Marlon Brando, who purposefully avoids his love Ellen, because he knows he'd be too much of a burden.  As you'd expect, the movie is about him gradually coming to terms with allowing himself to be with her, although it deviates enough from what you'd expect to keep it interesting.

For a lesser-known film, this is a pretty fantastic cast.  Teresa Wright, most-known for Shadow of a Doubt and The Best Years of Our Lives, is convincing enough as the love interest.  Wright's given a tough role, because her character is ill-defined.  She has no definable traits outside of wanting to get back together with Ken. 

The veterans and the main doctor treating them are more successful.  Everett Sloane is perhaps the most impressive as Doctor Brock, a man who doesn't want to give the veterans any hope of walking, but does want them to lead as productive lives as they can in a wheelchair.  Jack Webb, who one year later who star in Dragnet,* plays Norm, an extremely smart guy who nonetheless has a weak spot with woman.  Richard Erdman, most known now for Leonard on Community, plays Leo, who seems to have a quip about everything and is only slightly intolerable.  And surprisingly, there's Arthur Jurado playing Angel, and this is the only role he's ever played, but he's quite good as the hard-working yet doomed patient.

*Interesting fact: Jack Weeb not only starred in both incarnations of the series, but himself directed 179 episodes himself.  I can't imagine that happening nowadays and I still don't really understand how people can direct something if they are the main character in it.

The Men is a good first movie for any actor, but it's a short movie and somehow feels like it could even be even shorter.  Too much of the dialogue simply repeats things we already know and scenes with Brando talking about how he didn't want to see Wright's character quickly got repetitive.  I still think it's a good movie for its spotlight on a group of people who still are underrepresented in media, but the film could have done more with it.

3/4 stars