Mickey Rooney stars as the central character in this story of small-town heroism based on William Saroyan's acclaimed novel The Human Comedy. World War II. In tiny Ithaca, California, Homer Macauley's (Rooney) older brother (Van Johnson) is away fighting, but Homer takes care of his widowed mother and sister, working as the delivery boy for the local telegraph office, a job that connects him to the lives of everyone in the community in this movie classic. Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story (William Saroyan.) Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Lead Role (Mickey Rooney) and Best Cinematography (Harry Stradling, Sr.)