The Male Animal (1942)

An English professor (Henry Fonda) at a football crazy midwestern college finds himself pushed at both his personal and professional life. When his wife's (Olivia De Havilland) ex-boyfriend (Jack Carson) returns to town, he senses she's still in in love with him. Meanwhile, the college trustees' "red" paranoia threaten to fire him if he reads a letter from anarchist Bartolomeo Vanzetti during a class lecture. Based on the hit Broadway play by James Thurber and Elliott Nugent and directed by Elliott Nugent. I've not read or seen the play (it's rarely if ever revived) of THE MALE ANIMAL but I assume since it's directed by one of the co-authors that it sticks close to the play. Nugent doesn't bother to hide the play's theatrical origins despite some wan attempts at opening up the play for the screen. The most interesting aspect of the film is the political attempt to squash the professor's speech which resonates today since in certain parts of the country, there is an attempt to interfere with ideas and thoughts expressed in schools that don't adhere to the beliefs of those in political power. Unfortunately, the domestic affairs in the professsor's household are given more attention than they deserve and are the weakest segments of the movie. There's a boring drunk scene between Fonda and Herbert Anderson as a student that goes on way too long. With Joan Leslie, Don DeFore, Eugene Pallette and Hattie McDaniel.