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

Torrelli: [as Pilon is daning with his wife] You're too close!
Pilon: It's a small room, Torelli!

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Connections

Featured in Personalities (1942)

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Soundtracks

"Kyrie"
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Schubert
Arranged by Robert Mitchell

User Reviews

A good film with great scenes

"Tortilla Flat" is a good movie. In some ways, it reminds me of "Juarez," another film in which John Garfield plays a Latino. The similarity is that both are good films that have contained within them really terrific scenes. I guess you could say that in these films, the parts are in some ways greater than the whole.

For me, the best scenes in "Tortilla Flat" revolve around Frank Morgan, who plays a sort of tramp (homeless man) who goes around with a bunch of dogs. Like Mr. Morgan, one of the dogs seems to have appeared in "The Wizard of Oz" -- yes, I think Toto is in "Tortilla Flat." Not surprising, since both films were directed by Victor Fleming.

But the most extraordinary scene is that in which Frank Morgan has gathered his five dogs, in the midst of the majestic Redwood Forest, and relates to the dogs the story of St. Francis. As he is telling the story, the dogs actually have a vision! As the vision hovers, and the dogs react, Morgan averts his eyes. When the vision passes, Morgan shouts to the dogs: "Did you see him? Did you see him? It was St. Francis! What good boys you must be to see St. Francis!"

I know of few other films that depict pure religious experience so effectively. It raises this good film onto another level.