Considering that John Ford directed and actors like Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, and Ward Bond appeared in this film it is hard to believe how bad it is. The comedy is not funny, the drama is not dramatic the characters are annoying, with a special award to whoever played Dude as the most annoying unfunny character ever played in a movie. John Ford directed one of the best ever films "The Grapes Of Wrath". This is one of the worst.
shareAgree with you. I saw this movie YEARS ago (I am 76) and all I remembered was the car (costing $800 - a years wages then) being torn up in no time, but otherwise it didn't strike me one way or the other.
Got the DVD yesterday from Netflix and gave it another shot. A total waste. As with many here, I couldn't stomach Tracy's over-the-top performance. I got a kick out of myself in that I found that I really resented the misuse of Gene Tierney and Slim Summerville, who were given such minor rolls.
And, while have have seen Ms Tierney in other films, it was the first time I noticed what a great body and trim drumsticks she had, dirt and all. (Wife and I were watching this and I commented that I'd love to wash the dirt off - and got clopped in the head for my fantasy. :-) )
Charley Grapewin did a great job portraying the unlikeable Jeter - he left me despising the worthless man. I think this is the only film Grapewin in which he had the starring role.
About the only good thing in this movie was seeing a lot of the old time character actors, some who were also in Grapes of Wrath (Pa Joad/Chief of Police, the head of the "upscale" transient camp/banker), and some westerns. (Grapewin was grandpa in "Grapes, so it must have been like Old Home week to those actors.)
I disagree. I was surprised to find this movie very enjoyable although it is a dark comedy about society as a whole.
The fact that these people had the means to get themselves out of the their impoverished situation, but where diverted by immediate gratification, is interesting to watch.
I disagree as well for some of the same reasons you mentioned, and this is an interesting companion piece to Ford's The Grapes of Wrath which came out just a year before. It's really a fascinatingly different vision of similar downtrodden poor white folks during the Depression, from the same director. As someone else has speculated on on this board, maybe Ford felt like taking on this story with its shifts of drama and gentle and screwball comedy and lampooning of an easy to lampoon/stereotype people (hillbillies) to offset his experience making a more straightforward and earnest social drama with The Grapes of Wrath?
shareI wouldn't say it was a terrible movie, but I agree with two things. Dude was about the most annoying character I've seen in a movie. I'm sure there are one or two I could think of that were more annoying, but he's at the top of the list. Also, I felt that Gene Tierney was completely misused. What a terrible waste of talent. Aside from flashing some nice leg and sounding sultry when talking to Lov, she was entirely absent from the film. It's not exactly Ford's best, but it could have been a lot better with less Dude and more Ellie Mae.
shareYep Dude was really hard to take but he eventually got his in a big way. I did enjoy the utterly crazy way he drove that car around though. Funny how Tierney was top-billed or at least heavily featured in the film's advertising but hardly appeared at all. My god you feature her a lot more and turn this into a hillbilly GILDA. Lol.
shareHave to agree that this was a terrible film. I find it incomprehensible that this was made by John Ford considering that in The Grapes Of Wrath he presented the same type of people with such dignity and respect. The characters were presented as just stupid, silly, hillbillies. Nobody (well maybe to a small degree Dana Andrews) came out of this film looking good. Surely, a black mark on Ford's film career.
shareI hated this film the first time I saw it, but watching again last night I don't think it's that bad at all. Maybe it's because I'd just seen The World Moves On, possibly the worst film John Ford was ever forced to make and the nadir of Hollywood "prestige."
Anyway, Charley Grapewin is really good in this film, the photography is outstanding, Gene Tierney is tasty, Dude getting knocked out by Ward Bond is absolutely satisfying...and you have to love a film in which Ward Bond can flip a car over with his back!
For sure, it's not the Will Rogers trilogy but I like to think Ford was taking the piss on the Zanuck system by making something so absurd and abrasive, all while still pulling off some wonderful scenes ("walking to the poor house".)
I think this movie is one of fords undiscovered classics
shareI was totally blown away with how good this movie was. It had a completely raw and authentic feel it was poignant and bold for its time and hilariously funny.
share I LOVE this movie and always have. As it is rarely on television I am so happy it is finally available. A few of us saw this on tv around 1960 when we were teenagers. We thought Dude Lester was hilarious ,and watching him destroy a car in less than twenty four hours was priceless. After all, he was really only interested in the horn. Toot, Toot, Beep, Beep!!
As we were teenage idiots at the time we started calling each other Dude when we acted particularly stupid. And we meant Dude Lester. Even our parents occasionally chimed in and called one of us Dude. We were from Gardena, and a couple of us were surfers. As far as I know this term leaked out from our little group and on into the surfing community, and that, believe it or not, is where the term Dude, came from. We never stopped using it. WHen we called someone Dude, we meant Dude Lester. I doubt anyone today has any idea of the source of the term. It is certainly not Dude Ranch. Occasionally I still cut loose with a Toot, Toot, Beep, Beep, just for the hell of it.
I have read most of the posts and I agree with those who have high regard for this movie. Every performance is perfect. It gets you falling out of your chair laughing, and the next thing you know, you are reaching for a tissue. I so hope Jeter planted that crop....
I agree. It's not a perfect movie, but once I got into the rhythm, I was pretty mesmerized by it.
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