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addressing a major concern of the times, immediately after World War
II, when large numbers of veterans were returning from the war with
wounds and psychological or physical impairments. Unsurprisingly, it
turned out to be a huge box office success and received lavish praise
from critics (Polonsky 257, 260). The film won the 1947 Golden Globe
andreceivednineAcademyAwards(Melanson78).Thefilm'senduring
status (Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 96 percent "fresh" rating [Rotten
Tomatoesn. pag.]) is due in no small part to its up-front showcasing of
disability. It presents a soldier's two bodies, the body of war, frail and
wounded, and the civilian body, the latter a body that loves and can be
loved. Another factor of the film's appeal was its authenticity: the actor
impersonating Homer, Harold Russell, was himself a disabled person
whohadlostbothhishandswhileinmilitarytraining,andhisprostheses
were on stark display during the whole film. So, the filmic story of a
disabilityleftbehindwasarealperson'slifestory.
Theformulaexploredinthisfilmofthewarveteranreturningwitha
severe disability continues to have a hold on readers and movie
audiences. A well-known but somewhat ambiguous example isComing
Home(1978; Hal Ashby, dir.), an Academy Award-winning drama
featuring Sally, a super-patriotic soldier's wife (Jane Fonda) who, while
waiting for her husband's return from "Nam," falls in love with Luke, a
former star athlete, now a paraplegic veteran (Jon Voigt). Luke,
disillusioned about the war effort, convinces Sally to also change sides,
and both become committed anti-war activists. When Sally's husband
Bob(BruceDern),aMarine,eventuallyreturns,unharmed,heisunable
to cope with Sally's leaving him as well as the mounting anti-war
climate,andsohefinallykillshimself.Thefilmjuxtaposestwodifferent
ways of "coming home disabled": Bob returns physically unharmed but
emotionallydisabledwhileLukeisphysicallydisabledbut—likeHomer
inBest Years of Our Lives—capable of giving and receiving love and
even of turning his traumatic experience into something meaningful: he
commitshimselftohelpchangethepoliticsofhiscountry.
ThemakersofComingHomemadeasustainedefforttoinclude"real
people": between 1974 and 1976 Waldo Salt, who wrote the script,
conducted a series of interviews with veterans (now available at the
UCLA research library), and, as Jerry Lembcke has shown, these
interviews shaped the story line of the film (Lembcke 67), even though
they reflect the political views of Jane Fonda especially and other