Henry Fonda as Abraham Lincoln in Young Mr. Lincoln

When two or more of your favorites combine for one film, very often it’s a personal case of movie magic. It’s certainly the case for me with Henry Fonda and John Ford in their excellent 1939 film Young Mr. Lincoln. It’s one of my top favorite movies, and… really… how could it not be?! Ironically, it’s a film Henry Fonda had to pretty much be talked into making simply because he had so much respect for Abraham Lincoln. He was afraid he couldn’t do the great man justice. Fortunately, John Ford saw the greatness in Henry Fonda and convinced him to step into the extraordinary shoes of Lincoln. He actually accepted the role after John Ford had him make a screen test.  Fonda later told an interviewer, “I felt as if I were portraying Christ himself on film.” Henry Fonda is nothing short of brilliant in the role. With ingenious film shots and special shoes, Fonda achieved the appearance of being taller and, with his flawless acting talent, he did the rest. The movie is absolutely wonderful and, if you haven’t seen it, I hope you’ll watch it as soon as possible. If you HAVE seen it, revisit it soon and fall in love with movie-making all over again. The movie also stars Alice Brady, Marjorie Weaver, Donald Meek, Arleen Whelan, Eddie Collins, Pauline Moore, Richard Comwell, Ward Bond, and Eddie Quillan.

You can find Young Mr. Lincoln on dvd and Blu-ray (Amazon link)

Henry Fonda, Young Mr. Lincoln