This movie version of Steinbeck's short novel, Of Mice and Men, is stellar. It stays very close to the original story, and fills out the characters in the book very nicely. Lon Chaney Jr. plays Lennie, who is simple-minded, trusting and sees the world in black and white terms. Burgess Meredith plays George, his companion and caretaker, who alternates between cruelty and tenderness in his treatment of Lennie. The two are constantly on the move, as Lennie "always does bad things" that get both into trouble. Tragedy is inevitable when Curly's wife tries to make friends with Lennie, and his actions... read the rest.