Today’s Reel Classic is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, where we meet the Joad family, sharecroppers living on a farm in Oklahoma. At that time, Oklahoma was known as the “Dust Bowl” due to the ongoing drought that had a devastating impact on farmers.
Here we meet Tom Joad (Henry Fonda), who has been released from prison and is hitchhiking his way back home to the family farm in Oklahoma. Along the way, he meets up with Jim Casy (John Carradine), the preacher from back home who had baptized Tom. Casy has since lost his faith and is no longer a preacher, struggling to survive as many others are during these desperate times. He accompanies Tom back to the family farm, where they find it deserted. One of the Joads’ neighbors, Muley Graves, is hiding out at the old farm. He shares with Tom how local farmers have been evicted from their land by the deed holders, and their houses are being knocked down. Tom learns his family is at his uncle’s house.
When reunited with his family, he finds they plan to join other homeless families migrating to the “promised land” of California. They plan to pack as much as they can onto the old vehicle they have and head off down Route 66 to California. There are quite a few family members on this journey—Ma and Pa Joad, Grandma and Grandpa Joad, Tom’s siblings, and others. Casy decides to accompany the family on the journey.
As they start the vehicle and prepare to drive away, the conversation sums up the family’s experience:
Al Joad: “Ain’t you gonna look back, Ma?”
Ma Joad: We’re going to California, ain’t we? All right then, let’s go to California.”
Al Joad: “That don’t sound like you. Ma. You never was like that before.”
Ma Joad: “I never had my house pushed over before. Never had my family stuck out on the road. Never had to lose everything I had in life.”
The journey is a difficult one, and unfortunately, “Grandpa” dies on the way. Pa (Russell Simpson) remains optimistic about the opportunities in the “promised land,” but at one of the camps they stop in on the way, they meet a man returning from California. He derides Pa’s vision of what lies before them as he details his own bitter experiences in the “promised land.” The Joads continue, however, hopeful that their experiences will be what they have envisioned.
The family eventually arrives in California and comes to a migrant campground for workers. They soon learn that all is not what they had hoped for; they find the camp overcrowded, and folks are jobless and starving. They move on to different camps in their journey, and their experiences have a devastating impact on the family, including death and desertion.
Finding work at one of the camps, they also find themselves exploited by the property owners, who also operate a company store where food prices are incredibly high. Some of the workers gather to organize, and Casy takes part in that effort. Tom is also curious about the effort to organize and wants to learn more by attending the secret meeting. The meeting is discovered, and Casy and Tom both experience unfortunate outcomes. The family hides Tom while trying to protect him from the camp guards, and they decide to leave the camp.
Tom’s experiences on this journey and in these camps lead him to decide to leave the family, knowing that the search for him continues and his remaining with his family could jeopardize them as well. He tells Ma of his decision, and states that he wants to follow in the footsteps of Casy and fight for workers’ rights.
The Grapes of Wrath was based on the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck. His book was critically acclaimed and was quickly picked up by the movie studio for adaptation to film. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck quickly secured the services of well-known director John Ford (Stagecoach, Young Mr. Lincoln) and actor Henry Fonda. The film appeared in theaters less than a year after the book was first published.
Given the themes of the story (families forced from their homes, poverty, worker exploitation, etc.), many thought John Ford was an odd choice for director, as he was very conservative in his politics. However, his focus was not so much on the issues at hand but on the Joad family. He stated, “I was sympathetic to people like the Joads, and contributed a lot of money to them, but I was not interested in Grapes as a social study.” Many critics described Ford’s effort as his most sensitive film.
A well-known and respected “Okie” was also reportedly an uncredited music consultant for the film. Woody Guthrie reportedly selected the song “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad” for the film, identifying it as an “Okie” song. The same year the film was released, he also recorded an album entitled “Dust Bowl Ballads.” Songs included “Talking Dust Bowl Blues” and “Tom Joad” Parts 1 and 2, as well as his famous “Do-Re-Mi.” He played it on his radio program so those who couldn’t afford to see the movie would get the story.
The film received critical acclaim. A review from Variety stated, “Here is outstanding entertainment, projected against a heart-rending sector of the American scene . . . It possesses an adult viewpoint and its success may lead other producers to explore the rich field of contemporary life which films long have neglected and ignored.” The review in Time magazine read, “It is the saga of an authentic U.S. farming family who lose their land. They wander, they suffer, but they endure. They are never quite defeated, and their survival is itself a triumph.”
More recent reviews are also very positive. Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus reads, “A potent drama that is as socially important today as when it was made. The Grapes of Wrath is affecting, moving, and deservedly considered an American classic.” Roger Ebert offered his thoughts in a 2002 review: “The Grapes of Wrath shows half a nation with the economic rug pulled out from under it. The story, which seems to be about resiliency and courage of ‘the people,’ is built on a foundation of fear: Fear of losing jobs, land, self-respect. To those who had felt that fear, who had gone hungry or been homeless, it would never become dated. And its sense of injustice, I believe, is still relevant.”
The Grapes of Wrath was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (John Ford), Best Actor (Henry Fonda), and Best Supporting Actress (Jane Darwell). Ford and Darwell were Oscar winners. Interestingly, John Ford had a second movie nominated for Best Picture that year—The Long Voyage Home. They lost out to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca. The Grapes of Wrath was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, and the American Film Institute has identified it as the #23 greatest movie of all time.
Henry Fonda’s portrayal of Steinbeck’s Tom Joad very much impressed the author. He once said that Fonda’s performance made him “believe my own words.” Fonda and Steinbeck became friends and remained so until Steinbeck’s death. Henry Fonda spoke at Steinbeck’s funeral.
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The pro-union efforts depicted in the film led to Congressional investigations during the infamous “McCarthy era” of both Henry Fonda and John Ford for possible pro-Communist leanings.
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) rates The Grapes of Wrath at 8.1 of 10. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a Critics Score of 100% and an Audience Score of 88%. In searching my Roku device for free streaming sites, I found it available on Hoopla (available with your library card) and Classic Film Time. A copy of the DVD is also available on the shelf at the Clark County Public Library.
The themes of The Grapes of Wrath, as stated by Roger Ebert in 2002, remain just as relevant today. We see increasing numbers of people homeless, hungry, struggling to pay bills, and survive right here in our own community. The gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” is ever widening. The 1930s may seem like a long time ago, but many of the struggles folks faced then are also being faced by folks today.
Information for this Reel Classic review was gathered from Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Rotten Tomatoes, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), and Wikipedia.
If you enjoy these classic movies, please join me on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 PM at the Clark County Public Library for “Ron Kibbey’s Comedy Classics.” I present a classic comedy film, usually accompanied by a vintage cartoon. Popcorn and drinks are provided. More information about the next movie is available on the library’s website, Facebook page, and WinCity Voices Facebook page.
