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IMDb > Tortilla Flat (1942)

Tortilla Flat (1942) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   505 votes
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Down 11% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Victor Fleming
Writers:
John Steinbeck (novel)
John Lee Mahin (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Tortilla Flat on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 August 1942 (Portugal) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
OH, THE THINGS THEY DO IN TORTILLA FLAT! (original print ad - all caps) more
Plot:
Danny inherits two houses so Pilon and his lazy, impoverished friends move in. One of them, Pirate,... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
NewsDesk:
Hedy Lamarr Dead At 86
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 20 January 2000)

User Comments:
As Shiftless A Group As You Could Find more

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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
105 min | 99 min (Turner Library Print)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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

Fun Stuff

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. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Miracle of Sound (1940) more
Soundtrack:
Ay, Ay, Paisano! more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 19 people found the following comment useful:-
As Shiftless A Group As You Could Find, 28 January 2006
4/10
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

I'm not sure of the appeal of this story either in the book or in the film. The group of paisanos that John Steinbeck created is as shiftless and lazy a group as you will find anywhere. Their leader Pilon played by Spencer Tracy works this whole bunch as ruthlessly as Abbott regularly did to Costello. And the Costello of this story is of all people John Garfield.

Garfield inherits a couple of houses courtesy of his late grandfather and Tracy and his friends move in to free load. Garfield also has his eye on Hedy Lamarr who works in a cannery and for a husband, much as she likes Garfield, doesn't want a shiftless loafer for a life partner. Garfield has to mend his ways before he's got any chance with her. Of course the prospect of kanoodling with Hedy Lamarr is enough to make any man straighten out, even get a haircut.

Tracy has no intention of changing his ways. He even tries to bilk simple hermit Frank Morgan out of his savings. Morgan, who's called the Pirate in this film, got an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor and he's the best one in the film. Close to him is the always dependable Henry O'Neill as the local parish priest.

Tortilla Flat is about as opposite a story from The Grapes of Wrath that it's hard to believe they come from the same author, John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath is about hard working Anglo farmers from Oklahoma who've lost everything and just want the chance to earn a living from the soil again. Tortilla Flat's paisanos have an attitude about work that is on the level of Maynard G. Krebs. They're a harbinger of hippies to come.

Tracy in his portrayal of Pilon dusts off some of the accent he used in Captains Courageous. But as good an actor as he is, he just can't make this viewer have any degree of empathy for his character. About as opposite as you can get from the simple hardworking Manuel Fidelio of Captains Courageous.

A lot of Latinos today find this film offensive and looking at it, I can't really blame them.

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Toto from Wizard of Oz as one of The Pirate's dogs? misterblister69
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