While it would have been wonderful to see Henry Hull playing the lead role (since he originated it on Broadway), Charley Grapewin has no trouble filling the beloved character actor's shoes in Tobacco Road. He plays Jeeter, an illiterate hick in the swamps of Georgia. He and his wife, Elizabeth Patterson, live in abject poverty on the land handed down through the generations. They're barely functional, and it's actually depressing to watch them interact with their friends, family, and neighbors. Marjorie Rambeau plays the ever-preaching neighbor who seduces their underaged son, William Tracy. Gene Tierney, their daughter they keep trying to pawn off on everyone, is literally chained up in the backyard.
The crux of the story comes when city men visit the strip of Georgian land that is going to be repossessed. Grant Mitchell practically doesn't even speak the same language as Charley, and as he tries to communicate the why and how, Charley breaks down in tears. He just doesn't understand why his family's land is going to be taken away from him. Dana Andrews is the go-between: the city man who frequently visits the land and has a relationship with the farmers. He feels bad for Charley, but there's not much he can do to change the situation. Instead, he tries to get them to adjust to the new ways of the world.
This movie is very depressing. If you think it's going to be one giant laugh at ignorant hicks, you should rent something else tonight. It's very heavy and it never lightens up. It's hard to believe the original novel was even more dramatic, but it was! Screenwriter Nunnally Johnson successfully tamed down the story as much as he could, even though as you're watching it, it doesn't feel like it. If you can handle it, you'll see a once-in-a-career performance from Charley Grapewin. You'll also see Slim Summerville and Ward Bond, which is always a treat.
The crux of the story comes when city men visit the strip of Georgian land that is going to be repossessed. Grant Mitchell practically doesn't even speak the same language as Charley, and as he tries to communicate the why and how, Charley breaks down in tears. He just doesn't understand why his family's land is going to be taken away from him. Dana Andrews is the go-between: the city man who frequently visits the land and has a relationship with the farmers. He feels bad for Charley, but there's not much he can do to change the situation. Instead, he tries to get them to adjust to the new ways of the world.
This movie is very depressing. If you think it's going to be one giant laugh at ignorant hicks, you should rent something else tonight. It's very heavy and it never lightens up. It's hard to believe the original novel was even more dramatic, but it was! Screenwriter Nunnally Johnson successfully tamed down the story as much as he could, even though as you're watching it, it doesn't feel like it. If you can handle it, you'll see a once-in-a-career performance from Charley Grapewin. You'll also see Slim Summerville and Ward Bond, which is always a treat.