Tobacco Road (1941)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Erskine Caldwell (novel)
Jack Kirkland (play)

Release Date:

7 March 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Produced by the men who gave you..."GRAPES OF WRATH"

Plot:

Shiftless Jeeter Lester and his family of hillbilly stereotypes live in a rural backwater where their ancestors were once wealthy planters...

Plot Keywords:

Hillbilly | Marriage | Banker | Great Depression | Religion

Cast

Charley Grapewin	...	Jeeter Lester
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Sister Bessie Rice
Gene Tierney	...	Ellie May Lester
William Tracy	...	Dude Lester
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Ada Lester
Dana Andrews	...	Capt. Tim Harmon
Slim Summerville	...	Henry Peabody
Ward Bond	...	Lov Bensey
Grant Mitchell	...	George Payne (banker)
Zeffie Tilbury	...	Grandma Lester
Russell Simpson	...	Chief of Police
Spencer Charters	...	County Clerk
Irving Bacon	...	Bank teller
Harry Tyler	...	Auto dealer
Charles Halton	...	Mayor

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6979)

Filming Locations:

Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The Broadway play by Jack Kirkland based on Erskine Caldwell's novel opened 4 December 1933 and set a record for longevity on Broadway when it closed on 31 May 1941 after 3,281 performances. It was revived on Broadway twice in the next two years, bring its total running time there to nearly ten years (1933-1943). Opened at the Theatre Masque and then moved to the 48th Street Theatre followed by the Forrest Theatre for the original production. The play was revived in 1942, 1943 and 1950.

Goofs:

Continuity: The morning following a torrential rain storm, dirt roads are absolutely dry.

Quotes:

Lov Bensey: I want a young wife. I ain't gonna take no 23 year old woman for a wife, have everybody laughin' at me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Grindhouse (2007)

Soundtrack:

Brighten the Corner Where You Are

They don't make'um like they use'd to!

I have seen this film on television 5 or 6 times in the last 30 years,and would sit and watch it anytime! Why is it not re-released,I know 3(like minded)people who would love to have this movie, And when you delve into the origins!wow!its HOT! even for now! OK so the play is different, but that doesn't take from a hilarious plot! I have searched for a copy a couple of times over the last 2 years,to no avail, only on VHS and available in the USA only! Who owns the rights to the film? and can you please release it? Like a lot of early films this has somehow missed the 'Classic label' but I think it is a real Classic and very funny!well worth watching,out of ten I would give it a 10/10 as even the silver screen helps as a mood enhancer,this was made during the depression! so I'm not sure where the 1941 comes from?