Tortilla Flat (1942)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

John Steinbeck (novel)
John Lee Mahin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 August 1942 (Portugal)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

OH, THE THINGS THEY DO IN TORTILLA FLAT! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Danny inherits two houses so Pilon and his lazy, impoverished friends move in. One of them, Pirate,...

Plot Keywords:

House | Pug Dog | Guitar | Beans | House Fire

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Pilon
Hedy Lamarr	...	Dolores Ramirez
John Garfield	...	Daniel Alvarez
Frank Morgan	...	The Pirate
Akim Tamiroff	...	Pablo
Sheldon Leonard	...	Tito Ralph
John Qualen	...	Jose Maria Corcoran
Donald Meek	...	Paul D. Cummings
Connie Gilchrist	...	Mrs. Torrelli
Allen Jenkins	...	Portagee Joe
Henry O'Neill	...	Father Juan Ramon
Mercedes Ruffino	...	Mrs. Marellis
Nina Campana	...	Señora Teresina Cortez
Arthur Space	...	Mr. Brown
Betty Wells	...	Cesca

Runtime:

105 min | 99 min (Turner Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #8103)

Filming Locations:

Monterey, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The AFI Catalogue lists Sammy Fong in the role of "Squid Owner". This may have been a typographical error in studio records, since Willie Fung, who was not listed, had a very similar role.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.96)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Ay, Ay, Paisano!

A very good movie with an array of interesting characters.

This is a great movie, with strong performances from all of its stars. Spencer Tracy is great as a manipulative bum who is capable of doing some pretty low things at times, but can actually be repentant and likeable at other times. John Garfield is also good as another bum who gets a break only to be walked all over by Tracy's character. And Frank Morgan is very memorable as a mysterious hermit dog lover who Tracy tries to decipher for selfish reasons. And it's here that Hedy Lamarr proves conclusively that she wasn't reliant on glamor, as she gives a great performance as a poor Portuguese girl with slightly untidy hair, inexpensive clothing, and nominal makeup. And she looks as gorgeous as ever despite all that! This movie was the last serious effort MGM made to get Hedy Lamarr a good role in a good movie and make a bigger star of her. Unfortunately, bad timing (the U.S. having recently been forced into WWII) caused a lack of public interest in this film when it was released, and MGM rapidly lost interest in her from that point on. She went on to make only five more films for MGM, and while most of them are decent and entertaining enough, none are truly excellent. Too bad. She was wonderful!