Cannery Row (1982)

A depressed section of Monterey, California, known as Cannery Row from its string of now-empty canning plants is the backdrop for an offbeat romantic comedy about a pair of mismatched ... See full summary »

Director:

David S. Ward

Writers:

John Steinbeck (novels), David S. Ward (written for the screen by),

Stars:

Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, Audra Lindley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Nolte	...	Doc
Debra Winger	...	Suzy DeSoto
Audra Lindley	...	Fauna
Frank McRae	...	Hazel
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Mack
Tom Mahoney	...	Hughie
John Malloy	...	Jones
James Keane	...	Eddie
Sunshine Parker	...	The Seer
Santos Morales	...	Joseph / Mary
John Huston	...	Narrator (voice)
Ellen Blake	...	Wisteria
Sharon Ernster	...	Agnes
Kathleen Doyle	...	Violet
Mary Margaret Amato	...	Lola

Storyline

A depressed section of Monterey, California, known as Cannery Row from its string of now-empty canning plants is the backdrop for an offbeat romantic comedy about a pair of mismatched lovers. Doc is a lonely marine biologist (and former baseball star) who supplies specimens for science labs and classrooms. Suzy is a scrappy drifter who can't even succeed as a prostitute because of her abrasive manner. When the two get together, it's fireworks, though not the romantic kind. Not to worry, everything is in the hands of Cannery Row's resident guardian angels, Mack and the boys, a band of drunken derelicts whose hearts are in the right place, even though their brains are not.

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Plot Keywords:

loneliness | octopus | snake | baseball bat | brothel | 

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Taglines:

You don't have to be crazy to live here...but it helps.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Steinbeck's Cannery Row

Filming Locations:

Monterey, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chai Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of "Doc" is based on John Steinbeck's friend "Doc" Ricketts (Edward Flanders Robb Ricketts), a pioneering marine biologist who wrote the classic "Between Pacific Tides". He and Steinbeck collaborated on the book "Log of the Sea of Cortez".

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Goofs

During the "sick or a busted arm" scene in the Golden Poppy between Suzy and Hazel, the number of ketchup bottles with and without caps changes between shots.

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Quotes

Narrator: Mack is the elder and leader of a small group of men who have in common no families, no money and no ambition. Beyond the time to discuss matters of interest but little importance.

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Connections

Featured in The Making of 'Cannery Row' (1982)

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Soundtracks

"BIG NOISE FROM WINNETKA"
by Bob Haggart and Ray Bauduc
Performed by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

Not the book, but well worth a few views

The one author whose writing I consistently enjoy reading is John Steinbeck.

Cannery Row is my favorite of his stories. I've read my way through one paperback and am now preserving my second. His short novel "Sweet Thursday" is as much of a sequel to Cannery Row as it's possible to be.

The only non-paper version of the tale that I rate at least as highly as the book is the audio version, narrated by Jerry Farden. If the book is a 10, Jerry's reading is a 15. It's difficult to track down, though. If you want a real treat for your ears and your mind, get it.

Back to the movie. It's difficult to appreciate a film when you've read the book beforehand. And vice versa. So when I borrowed the VHS a few years ago, I had plenty of preconceptions, and some eager anticipation. It didn't take long for my preconceptions to shatter the anticipation.

This movie is NOT Cannery Row, but a mix of parts of it and Sweet Thursday.

I could easily be critical of it... Nick Nolte is much too much of a Man, and does not fit my mental image of Ed Ricketts at all. Debra Winger fits, more or less. The mix of two books changed the whole pace of the story, and spoiled it wholesale. There were bright spots, but tainted with those same old preconceptions.

So, don't expect to see a visual equivalent of the books, because it isn't. I don't go along with those who say that it's not worth watching. It's different than the book, and sometimes that can be hard to work through.

But, standing apart from the books, the movie is good. Darn good. It is well worth at least two viewings. And, I think, the more it's viewed, the better it gets.