MovieChat Forums > The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Discussion > The agricultural camp

The agricultural camp

posted 13 years ago by Holden27
10 replies | jump to latest

Hello, could someone please explain the background of the agricultural camp? It was said it was run by the government, but the neighburing farmers called the settlers "Reds" (a production code's euphemism for communists?). Like the Joads I too thought it was too good to be true and I honestly thought they would turn around and leave. Interesting that there wasn't more migrant influx, waiting for an open spot, but I suppose the "target public" wasn't really aware of them.

Otherwise I really liked the "manager" and the smart way they outfooled the troublemakers at the ball.

[–] kag2-1 13 years ago

The government set up camps to help the migrant laborers scratching a living in California. Many were "Okies," displaced farmers from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, etc., who lost their farms when the top soil blew away during the harsh drought they called the dust bowl. The lack of crop rotation really hurt. I read that author John Steinbeck and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt toured a couple such migrant camps in the late 1930's.

The camps were a small part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's (FDR) New Deal program to ease the suffering of the Great Depression. Under the New Deal the government also put in rural electrification, social security, and a WPA jobs programs that built roads and post offices - and employed four million jobless including my grandfather. Some hated FDR for these "communistic" big-government programs, but somebody must have liked them - FDR was easily re-elected in 1936, 1940, and 1944.

Many employers and others slur union activists as Reds and Communists. The charge is usually (but not always) unfair.

[–] jtyroler 13 years ago

Calling a group of union organizers or people who treated the poor well, "Reds" was also a way to try to destroy something that helped others. It's hard to go attack a bunch of hard-working people who are holding a dance. Give them a pejorative name like "Reds" - making them seem un-American, makes it easier for others to attack them.

Who would gain by breaking up those Ag camps? The same people who would make a profit on having people pick a ton of fruit in order to buy the food for a meal. Having other low-paid people, given a deputy badge and a small but steady income and making them think that they are going after "reds" gets them to do the dirty work.

[–] nutsberryfarm 11 years ago

very true.

His name...was Julio Iglesias!

[–] whomod 13 years ago

the more things change...

Nowadays, as the executive class is giving themselves 29% pay raises during a severe recession while everyone else suffers, you can still hear echoes of this nonsense by turning on FOX and listening to all the talk about the 'socialists' who "hate America" and how obama is 'destroying America with his 'communist' policies.

[–] JoeN678 11 years ago

Or just check out any of the Yahoo message boards (regardless of topic) and read endless inane posts from Faux Gnus-addled neocons claiming that "the Kenyan communist/socialist hates America and worships 'Ala' (sic)". One of many reasons I no longer post on Yahoo.

A little bit off this topic, but before I submit this tidbit to imbd as a "goof", maybe someone knows more about this than I do: When the Joads set out for California, we see an "Oklahoma US 66" road sign as they first turn onto the highway, then we see city limits signs for the towns of Sallisaw and Checotah, OK. Neither of those towns were/are on US 66, or even that close to it. According to the Rand-McNally Road Atlas, both towns are on US 266 which is a spur route of 66 but does not follow the same alignment. Both towns lie almost due east from Oklahoma City and are well south of US 66. US 66 didn't even cross the path taken by the Joads until it reached Oklahoma City. From there, it more or less followed the current I-40 corridor to CA. In the scene at the gas station in Needles, CA where they meet the cop from Cherokee County, OK (just north of Sallisaw), they affirm that they started from Sallisaw, so they must have driven on 266 rather than 66 for the initial stretch to Oklahoma City. I'm just curious how a gifted director like John Ford would have made such an error in editing. With the increased interest in traveling old Route 66 these days, and the fact that US 266 is still alive and well and on the map along with Sallisaw and Checotah, I'm a little surprised that no one else has noticed this discrepancy. Then again, how many movie buffs are also US 66 buffs with way too much time on their hands....

For what it's worth, the TV show Route 66 was often set in places like Philadelphia and New York, over 1000 miles from US 66. I remember Mad magazine having fun with that back in the 60's.

[–] Strazdamonas 10 years ago

wait a minute, Yahoo message boards is a thing? from what i udnerstand they were never ever relevant nor popular.

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Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] thorg23 11 years ago

Does this "executive class" to which you refer include the Liar-in-Chief and his lackeys, or are the liberal elite a part of some other "class"? Not the "middle class", in any event.

[–] neglndr 11 years ago

There is a book called Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp. The agricultural camp in Grapes of Wrath was based on Weedpatch Camp and is an excellent book to get an idea of how the camps were run and why they were needed.

[–] jaystarstar 11 years ago

I would guess if a remake such as the rumored Spielberg-produced project is done, the "government camp" will be portrayed slightly less idyllically.

It will still be better than the shanty-town camps run by the exploitative farms, but they won't be portrayed as a luxury-type campground.

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4) You ever seen Superman $#$# his pants? Case closed.

[–] redban (5226) 4 years ago

The camp was set up by the federal government. The government subsidized it. The niceness of the camp has been taken as Steinbeck’s promotion of more government intervention to help the poor. The camp is also supposed to be a foil to the wretched Hoovervilles, which is an independent camp devoid of government benefits.

As to why there wasn’t more migrant influx. The book does a better job on this detail. The book explains that there was a heavy migrant influx, and the government camps were highly sought. They had limited availability and often didn’t have room for people. When Tom first hears about the government camp at the Hooverville, the person specifically tells Tom that the government camps are full. The family still goes there anyways, and it’s implied that they got very lucky to get a spot, as another family had just left before they arrived.