Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Am I Missing Something?

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

There is no denying that the man who gave us THE GRAPES OF WRATH, OF MICE AND MEN, and EAST OF EDEN is a major literary figure - one of the handful of American literary figures to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. But John Steinbeck was also a man of his time and some of his time is hard to swallow. This is particularly when dealing with his novels and stories dealing with Latin-Americans in California. A man raised in the early 20th Century, his views of Latinos is rather heavily into stereotypes. That he could develop character despite the stereotypes was a sign of his abilities as a fine writer...but those stereotypes remain as a stigma today.In TORTILLA FLAT Steinbeck looks at life among a set of Latinos in Salinas, California. The central figure is Pilon (Spencer Tracy) who is a happy - go - lucky type, without any interest in life but what pleasure (food, partying, girls, booze) he can get out of it. But he does not like to work. Nor do his pals Pablo (Akim Tamiroff), Tito (Sheldon Leonard), Jose (John Qualen), and Daniel (John Garfield). But then Daniel learns his uncle died and left him two houses. He suddenly changes a little (he is a property owner) but that is soon dented when Pilon reminds him they are pals and he owes them a share of his good fortune. Somewhat unsettled by this, he does agree to letting the four freeloaders use the other house. The wisdom of this action is shown when they gradually let the nice little house go to ruin, ending with them accidentally burning it down (Pilon just smiles and shrugs his shoulders at this).Meanwhile Daniel meets Dolores Ramirez (Hedy Lamarr), a young woman who works in the local fish cannery. Daniel starts changing his whole views on life by his desire to woo Dolores - she feels her husband has to be a hard working man to win her respect. But Pilon and the others resent this hold Dolores has on Daniel. Pilon in particular tries to break up the love affair, but only manages to make his friendship with Daniel get strained. Daniel now has a job too at the cannery, but the others are still gainfully unemployed. Pilon decides that he and the others can rob "the Pirate" (Frank Morgan) a lonely eccentric. The best scenes in the film deal with Morgan, who turns out to be a touching old man who loves his pets and is saving his money for a religious offering for them. I won't go into the rest of the plot (which shows that Pilon can be a real friend too when he wants to be). Again it is well acted, although Tracy is reusing his "Spanish" accent that he used as Manuel in CAPTAIN'S COURAGEOUS, and would use again in THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA. Lamarr and Garfield actually display some chemistry together to heat up their scenes. Garfield too is slightly reusing a previous accent - his "Porfirio Diaz" voice in JUAREZ toned down a little. Actually if it wasn't for the performances (particularly Morgan's) the film would only have the character development shown by Tracy and Garfield. But the weakness of the stereotypes makes this film a difficult one to swallow. So I can only give it a "7" out of "10".

Even if MGM plays fast and loose with the Steinbeck novel there is additional blame beyond that to cast and crew in this all star catastrophe.In the less exclusive area of Monterrey, Tortilla Flat, lives Danny and his lay about com padres. Averse to work they pass the time drinking and self righteously philosophizing about there life style. Enter Delores, a becoming senorita who entrances Danny. Pilon the self appointed leader of the loafers does what he can to make sure it doesn't interfere with the set up. Tragedy threatens but fear not, MGM is not about to let that happen to this lighthearted look at alcoholism and vagrancy in the Latino community.Oz and Wind director Victor Fleming is certainly off form with his cast of miscast performers sounding and looking ridiculously out of place. Spencer Tracy in Coppertone face as Pilon gives an insulting and embarrassing performance as does Lower East Side John Garfield's Danny. Hedy Lamarr is passionate and impressive but unconvincing as a Portuguese immigrant. Akim Tamiroff does his usual generic immigrant and Frank Morgan is outstanding as dog lover Pirate. Unlike the blustery characters he played in so many films Morgan is both genuine and moving in look and feeling. He is the films only redeeming quality especially the scene with his scruffy band of mutts that takes place in an almost mystical forrest. The rest is all Hollywood arrogance and insensitivity.

I grew up in Monterey and I vividly remember my father speaking of these characters when he was growing up. Steinbeck sought to place these men in a motif that was similar to that of the knights of the Round Table showing all their excesses, loves, and loyalty to each other. While the film shows 1940's insensitivities it also captures a great deal of Steinbeck's purposes. It might be helpful to remember that Steinbeck wasn't writing of chicano's or even Mexicans per se, but of the creollo or Californio, i.e. the Spanish and later Mexican vaquero who ruled and reigned in Californio long before the Mexican national arrived in California.

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.