Tortilla Flat (film)
 | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (November 2016) |
| Tortilla Flat | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Victor Fleming |
| Screenplay by | John Lee Mahin Benjamin Glazer |
| Produced by | Sam Zimbalist |
| Starring | Spencer Tracy Hedy Lamarr John Garfield Frank Morgan Akim Tamiroff |
| Cinematography | Karl W. Freund |
| Edited by | James E. Newcom Robert Kern |
| Music by | Frank Loesser Franz Waxman |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,201,000[1] |
| Box office | $2,611,000[1] |
Tortilla Flat is a 1942 film with Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, John Garfield, Frank Morgan, Akim Tamiroff, and Sheldon Leonard based on the novel by John Steinbeck. It was directed by Victor Fleming.[2]
Plot
Danny (John Garfield) inherits two houses in the central coastal area of California, so Pilon (Spencer Tracy) and his poor, idle friends move in. One of them, Pirate, (Frank Morgan) is saving money which Pilon endeavors to steal, until he discovers that it is being collected to purchase a golden candlestick which he intends to burn for St. Francis to honor the Pirate's dead dog. One of the houses burns down, so Danny allows his friends to move into the other house with him, and in gratitude Pilon tries to make life better for his friend. Things are fine at first until Danny's passion for a lovely girl (Hedy Lamarr) causes him to actually go to work in a fishing business. A misunderstanding caused by Pilon about a vacuum cleaner Danny had bought for the girl, enrages Danny; he becomes drunk and a bit crazy. He almost dies in an accident while interrupting the girl at her work in a cannery, but through Pilon's prayers, is restored to health. He then marries his sweetheart with the promise that he will become a fisherman now that Pilon has found the money to buy a boat. The happy ending is quite different from the novel's ending in which Danny dies after a fall.
Cast
- Spencer Tracy as Pilon
- Hedy Lamarr as Dolores Resendes
- John Garfield as Daniel Alvarez
- Frank Morgan as The Pirate
- Akim Tamiroff as Pablo
- Sheldon Leonard as Tito Ralph
- John Qualen as Jesus Maria Corcoran
- Donald Meek as Paul D. Cummings
- Connie Gilchrist as Mrs. Torelli
- Allen Jenkins as Big Joe Portagee
- Henry O'Neill as Father Juan Ramon
- Mercedes Ruffino as Mrs. Marellis
- Nina Campana as Señora Teresina Cortez
- Arthur Space as Mr. Brown
- Betty Wells as Cesca
- Harry Burns as Torelli
- Terry as Dog
Reception
According to MGM records the film earned $1,865,000 at the US and Canadian box office and $746,000 elsewhere, making the studio a profit of $542,000.[1][3]
Critical response
Film critic Bosley Crowther gave the film a positive review, writing that the film "is really a little idyll which turns its back on a workaday world...it is filled with solid humor and compassion—and that is pleasant, even for folks who have to work."[4]
Awards
Nominations
References
- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ Tortilla Flat at IMDb
- ^ "101 Pix Gross in Millions" Variety 6 Jan 1943 p 58
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (May 22, 1942), "Review: Tortilla Flat", The New York Times, retrieved June 22, 2013
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External links
- 1942 films
- American films
- American black-and-white films
- English-language films
- Film scores by Franz Waxman
- Films based on American novels
- Films based on works by John Steinbeck
- Films directed by Victor Fleming
- Films set in California
- Films set in the 1930s
- Films shot in California
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- Screenplays by Benjamin Glazer