Tortilla Flat (1942)

40% of users liked it
(351 ratings)

Like the John Steinbeck novel on which it is based, Tortilla Flat is not so much a movie as a series of warm-hearted anecdotes, all linked to a small California fishing village populated by poor but happy immigrants. The focus is upon Pilon (Spencer Tracy), a good-natured, charismatic freeloader,… More Like the John Steinbeck novel on which it is based, Tortilla Flat is not so much a movie as a series of warm-hearted anecdotes, all linked to a small California fishing village populated by poor but happy immigrants. The focus is upon Pilon (Spencer Tracy), a good-natured, charismatic freeloader, and Danny (John Garfield), a hot-headed fisherman who is dragged kicking and screaming into the world of personal responsibility when he inherits two small houses. As Pilon toys with the notion of stealing the nest egg saved up by an old man known as "the Pirate" (Frank Morgan), Danny tries to spark a romance with sexy cannery worker Dolores "Sweets" Ramirez (Hedy Lamarr). Abandoning the robbery plans when he learns that the Pirate intends to use his money to purchase a candlestick for St. Francis, Pilon turns his attentions to stealing Sweets away from Danny. But when Danny is injured in a drunken fight, the mercurial Pilon switches gears again, devoting his energies to bringing Danny and Sweets back together. Of the film's many highlights, standouts include the surprisingly effective "straight" performance by comic actor Frank Morgan (for which he received an Oscar nomination), and the seemingly improvised songfest between Spencer Tracy and John Garfield. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Victor Fleming
Written By: John Lee Mahin, Benjamin Glazer
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: May 21, 1942 Wide

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
There's something devilish about watching the gringo actors go Mexican and find themselves out in limbo in something as unreal and dumb as this harmless spoof.

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Fine performers founder in completely miscast drama.
Byron B

The book is filled with so many uneven episodes in the lives of this group of paisanos. The movie picks a handful of these episodes and invents some new ones in an effort to create a sensible story. It is not an easy thing to do. The adapter doesn't choose all of what I would… More
The book is filled with so many uneven episodes in the lives of this group of paisanos. The movie picks a handful of these episodes and invents some new ones in an effort to create a sensible story. It is not an easy thing to do. The adapter doesn't choose all of what I would consider to be the better episodes from the book, but there are just too many characters to get to know in less than a two hour time span. Danny (Garfield) is the central character in the book who ties all the friends together, but many of the episodes have very little to do with him and I didn't find him all that charming of a character. Steinbeck seems to have a little confusion about who his main protagonist is. Pilon (Tracy) is the brain and voice of the group of friends, so he is present in most every adventure and the one that I enjoyed reading about most. Spencer Tracy is one of my favorite actors, but he does a terrible job imitating a Mexican-American accent compared to the Portuguese one he used in Captains Courageous. Sweets Ramirez (Lamarr) is given a role of much more bulk in the movie compared to the book. This is mainly to create a stronger romantic plot with Danny. I am glad Hedy Lamarr got this starring female role because there are no female characters with much of a voice in the book, however Danny is still fairly forgettable. Frank Morgan as "The Pirate" was an interesting choice. He wasn't exactly what I expected the character to be, but he was still simple and touching especially when interacting with his dogs. There is not a Latino in the cast of main characters, so everyone is doing bad racial mimicry. Steinbeck has an ear for the way people speak and he did live in areas like where this story is set, but it did not translate well to the screen in the Hollywood environment of the time.

Cast

            Spencer Tracy as Pilon

            Hedy Lamarr as Dolores Sweets Ramivez

            John Garfield as Danny

            Frank Morgan as "The Pirate"

            Akim Tamiroff as Pablo

            Sheldon Leonard as Tito Ralph

            Donald Meek as Paul D. Cummings

            John Qualen as Jose Maria Corcoran

            Connie Gilchrist as Mrs. Torrelli

            Allen Jenkins as Portagee Joe

            Henry O'Neill as Father Ramon

            Nina Campana as Senora Teresina Cortez

            Arthur Space as Mr. Brown

            Betty Wells as Cesca

            Harry Burns as Torrelli

            Jack Carr as Owner

            Yvette Dugay as Little Girl

            Willie Fung as Chin Kee

            Louis Jean Heydt as Young Doctor

            Charles Judels as Joe Machado

            George Magrill as Cannery Worker

            Tito Renaldo as Boy

            Walter Sande as Fireman

            Harry Strang
            
            Emmett Vogan as Doctor

            Roque Ybarra as Alfredo

            Bob O'Connor
            
            Tim Ryan as Rupert Hogan
See full cast