Tortilla Flat (1942)

Danny, a poor northern Californian Mexican-American, inherits two houses from his grandfather and is quickly taken advantage of by his vagabond friends.

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

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

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, John Garfield

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Danny inherits two houses so Pilon and his lazy, impoverished friends move in. One of them, Pirate, is saving money which Pilon hopes to steal till he learns it is being saved to buy a gold candlestick for St. Francis. When one of the houses burns down and Danny is hurt fighting, Pilon makes an effort to make life better for his friend.

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Plot Keywords:

house | mexican american | st. francis | candlestick | grandfather | 

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Taglines:

They're Strong For Wine, Women and Song.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

28 August 1942 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

La vida es así

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 99 min (Turner Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Quotes

Pilon: He makes a good speech.
Daniel Alvarez: Yeah, like an old goat in the moonlight!

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Connections

Spoofed in Tortilla Flaps (1958)

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Soundtracks

"Varsoviana"
(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Dance music at the wedding

User Reviews

It has its flaws but was decent for its time

Okay yes, Spencer Tracy does NOT look like a Paisano, but his performance in this movie is pretty cool and worth noting. I absolutely loved the book and Spencer Tracy's portrayal of Pilon went above and beyond what I expected the character to turn out like on screen. Frank Morgan was wonderful too. The scenes with the songs are particularly charming.

The story is about homeless men who live life one day at a time. Their biggest concern of each day is how they're going to acquire wine. Their friend Danny inherits two houses and Pilon is concerned that this newfound wealth is affecting their friendship.

Along the way they bring in more roommates including the wonderful Pirate character and the guys get into some shenanigans involving what else? Money, women and wine.

I also very much adored the simplicity of Victor Fleming's direction. He made a lot of beautiful shots, especially of the Pirate's adorable dogs!