Homer Parrish

Homer Parrish is a major protagonist of the 1946 William Wyler film The Best Years of our Lives. He was a sailor in World War II who ended up losing both of his hands in a sinking ship. He ended up getting a pair of hooks where his hands used to be.

He was portrayed by Harold Russell, who had also lost his hands in a war-related incident.

Before the film
Some time when Homer was in Jackson High (his high school) he ended up joining the school's football team and became a very valuable player and a hero in the games. He had won several trophies from winning games and championships. He also ended up getting a crush on his next door neighbor, Wilma Cameron who he went to high school with.

Then World War II started up a few years later and Homer ended up getting involved in the war. He was a sailor at the time who worked in a repair shop below the decks. During one point, his ship had sunk in the ocean, and Homer ended up losing both of his hands in an torpedo explosion from the ship sinking. Homer had eventually made it to a cruiser where Homer first discovered both of his hands were gone. The Navy then decided that Homer didn't have to get involved in the war anymore if h didn't want to. They gave him a pair of hooks and put them in place of where his hands used to be. They took care of Homer, and trained him how to use the hooks. He quickly got a hold using the hooks, and managed to stay optimistic about the issue.

Reunited with the family
Homer is first seen at the ATC (Air Transport Command) of the Army Air Forces where he and other veterans have been waiting for flights to their destinations. After some time, Homer and another war veteran known as Fred Derry finally got a flight that would take them home. When they got on the Air Force bomber to fly home, they met another veteran - Al Stephenson, who was an army sergeant. The flight started and the three veterans watched the observation cone as they fly across America and got to know each other. Homer shares his experiences as a sailor and explains how he lost his hands got his hooks, then shows some uncertainties and fears about returning home to his next-door girlfriend Wilma, nervous she wouldn't react well to see Homer's hands burnt off.

When they reached America, they shared a taxi-cab ride to their homes around the neighborhood. Homer was still nervous about seeing his girlfriend Wilma again, and tried to delay going to his place by suggesting going to Butch's place for some drinks. Al stated that Homer was going home.

Homer's reunion with his family is briefly celebrated. The troubled sailor steps out of the taxi and stands alone with his white duffel bag on the lawn in front of his family's bungalow. Behind him, his pals in the taxi (who have no illusions or misgivings about his hooks) pause to watch his reunion. His younger sister Luella loudly announces his arrival, and leaps over to the house next door to alert Wilma. While Homer hugs his excited sister, his startled, pitying parents jump out of the house and joyously add their embraces. Wilma appears and hugs Homer, who stands unresponsive with his hands at his side. Homer waves goodbye to his pals pulls away with one hooked hand to his service pals as the taxi pulls away. Homer's mother silently notices the hook which replaces one of his hands. She uncontrollably muffles a gasp and sobs involuntarily, then settles down to not draw any attention.

Center of attention
In an uncomfortable scene at the Parrish home, the Camerons - who were invited into the house - are curious about Homer's war experiences and pushy about his limited abilities as a job-seeker. As the center of attention, Homer endures their over-polite company. His father-in-law lights his own cigar - refusing Homer's able assistance, and then asks if he thought about getting a job. Wilma defended Homer by saying he was still recovering, but Mr. Parrish still insist getting a job.

Feeling self-conscious about his handicap, his mother excuses his behavior. Wilma doesn't know how to react as Homer leaves and makes his way to his uncle's bar - Butch's Place. By the end of their evening on the town, Al was drunk, and insisted on one last drink at Butch's Place where Butch is entertaining, and Fred Derry has already positioned himself at the bar. Homer's now calm and not feeling like the object of curiosity. Al brings his wife and daughter into the bar for a back-slapping reunion. Al promises Fred that before the night is over, they would deploy their forces, comb the town and help find his wife. Homer thinks that his family (and Wilma) are fond of him only because they take pity on him. He resolutely wants to discourage everyone's efforts to love him, despite his disability. In a sardonic tone, Butch convinces Homer to return to his family - and Wilma. When the bar closes, Butch drives Homer home to bed, and Milly and Peggy take Al and Fred (who were drunk at the time) home.

Isolation
Still feeling insecure about how Wilma would view Homer with his hook-hands, Homer chose to isolate himself from his parents and girlfriend by going into the house's garage and practicing his shooting to pass the time. Wilma found out about what Homer was doing, and decided to talk about the uncertainties of their relationship. She vows devoted, steadfast love for Homer and that nothing has changed her love for him, but he's wasn't convinced.

Just then Luella and her playmates peek through the garage window on their conversation with thoughts of their engagement and curiosity about Homer's hooks. Annoyed that he could be the humiliating object of insensitive childhood attention, Homer vainly tries to open the doorknob with his hook to get outside and yell at them. He couldn't open the door with his hooks, so he smashed his two hook-fists through the glass window that they were spying him through next to the door. Then he immediately realized that he scared his sister and he apologized to her and to Wilma.

That evening, as Homer retires for the night, his father's duty is to assist Homer in removing his robe, and then the halter to which the mechanical hooks are attached.

Al's banker role
Homer makes a brief appearance where it's revealed that Homer receives a disability pension from the bank each month he's there.

Return to Butch's Place
After Al had told Fred to call Peggy and tell her they had to break up, Homer shows up and goes towards Butch's piano. Al and Butch join him at the piano, where Homer improvises and plays "Chopsticks" with Butch. Al glances back at Fred in the phone booth as he breaks the difficult news to Peggy. Homer explained how he could accomplish things, such as piano-playing, that he never thought possible.

The Soda Fountain
At the soda fountain in the drugstore, where Fred has returned to work from Butch's Place, Homer joins him at the counter. An annoyed customer asks Homer a "personal question" about his hooks, and then sympathizes with the Nazis and Japanese people and then criticizes the American people's integrity and accuses them of starting a pointless war, ignoring everything that the Americans had suffered in that war. Homer stands up to the customer and states that the Americans were not as helpless as he thought and the two of them ended up in a small fight right before Fred showed up and punched the customer in the face. Fred is later fired by his boss, Mr. Thorpe. As Fred and Homer leave the drugstore, Fred wearily offers some advice to Homer and suggests that he should find Wilma and marry her before it was too late.

Wilma's true feelings about Homer
As Homer prepares to go to bed that evening, Wilma appears to talk to him about her parents' request that she go away the next day to Silver Lake (to her Aunt Vera's place). They want to have Wilma forget about Homer. Wilma gives her childhood sweetheart an ultimatum about their unresolved feelings. Homer stated he didn't want Wilma to have so many duties to handle, and Wilma once again tried to tell Homer how she really fell about her. Homer told Wilma to come upstairs with her and show her something.

He asks her to help perform the nightly duties normally assumed by his father. He removes his robe, and then demonstrates how he can take his harness off without assistance. He stands helplessly in front of her with what is left of his arms. His hooks and halter apparatus lie on the bed. Homer stated that he preferred if Wilma didn't stay with him because he didn't want her to have to help him with everything since his hands where gone. He "wiggles" into his pajama top, as she stands attentively and calmly. Wilma gently reassures him of her deep love, vowing to never leave Homer no matter what, paving the way for Homer's acceptance that their love can overcome any misfortune or disability.

Marriage to Wilma
Later on, the Cameron set up a wedding ceremony for Homer and Wilma. Although Homer feared that Fred was leaving town, he is there to serve as the best man. He has moved back in with his folks. Al, Milly, and Peggy also attended the wedding ceremony.

Wilma comes down from the second-floor in a bride outfit, and is led forward by her father to her bridegroom Homer and Fred, the best man. Wilma clasps Homer's right hook during their marital vows. Nervous, Homer stumbles over a few words during the recitation. During the phrase 'for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,' Fred and Peggy (with wet eyes) glance at each other from across the room. Homer steadies Wilma's trembling hand and skillfully slides the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand. After they are pronounced man and wife, they kiss before the congregation, and well-wishers crowd around them.