Tortilla Flat

1942
Approved
1h 45m

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

2.1K

YOUR RATING

Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, and John Garfield in Tortilla Flat (1942)

Danny, a poor northern Californian Mexican-American, inherits two houses from his grandfather and is quickly taken advantage of by his vagabond friends.

Play trailer2:55

1 Video

26 Photos

Comedy Drama Romance

Danny, a poor northern Californian Mexican-American, inherits two houses from his grandfather and is quickly taken advantage of by his vagabond friends.Danny, a poor northern Californian Mexican-American, inherits two houses from his grandfather and is quickly taken advantage of by his vagabond friends.Danny, a poor northern Californian Mexican-American, inherits two houses from his grandfather and is quickly taken advantage of by his vagabond friends.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

2.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total

Videos1

Trailer 2:55

Original Theatrical Trailer

Photos26

+ 20

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
"NOT IN THE SCRIPT: A scene for 'Tortilla Flat' required five dogs to jump on Frank Morgan simultaneously while he was sitting in church. For a time it seemed like an impossibility until director Victor Fleming started hiding things in the beard Morgan wears for the role. Bits of meat, a rubber mouse, fish and bacon were tried. The meat did the trick. 'How do you feel,' Fleming asked Morgan when a good 'take' was finally made. 'With five dogs getting lunch out of my beard,' said Morgan, 'I feel like an automat'..." (Newspaper Enterprise Association, "Erskine Johnson's Hollywood," The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 8 February 1942, Colume 48, page 16.)

Goofs
Toward the end of the movie, Pilon is holding a "Creamery Butter" cardboard box containing the raffle tickets while a small boy on his father's shoulder is choosing a ticket. When the camera shifts to a different angle, there are differences in the cardboard box, such as a large sticker that was not on the box just seconds beforehand.

Quotes
Jose Maria Corcoran: What's the matter with him? Is he crazy?
Pilon: They say that a little love is like a little wine. Too much of either makes a man sick.

Alternate versions
Also shown in a computer-colorized version.

Connections
Featured in Personalities (1942)

Soundtracks
Ay, Ay, Paisano!
(1942) (uncredited)
Traditional
Adapted by Franz Waxman
Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Played during the opening and end credits and often as background music
Played on guitar by John Garfield and sung by him, Spencer Tracy, Akim Tamiroff and Sheldon Leonard
Reprised a cappella by Spencer Tracy

User reviews34

Review

Featured review

4/10

As Shiftless A Group As You Could Find

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.