Few faces scream theGolden Age of HollywoodlikeSpencer Tracy’s. From his big screen debut in the 1930Humphrey BogartflickUp the Riverto his death in 1967, Tracy spent his professional life building one of thegreatest filmographies of any movie star. Like the very best of them, Tracy had a number of classics to his name. His charming and hilarious work inFather of the Bridehas often been cited as his very best performance, but the list doesn’t stop there.Bad Day at Black Rockmight just have his coolest role, that being the badass, one-armed man, John J. Macreedy.
Elsewhere, he was given the coveted role of the titularThe Old Man and the Sea, a picture that saw him chewing up every bit of screen time that he was granted. Perhaps most impressive of all would be his work in 1961’sJudgment at Nuremberg, a film that saw him going up against and holding his own across from icons likeBurt Lancaster,Judy Garland, andMarlene Dietrich. Not only did Tracy dominate every movie that he was in,he was an incredibly versatile performer. He could be a gut-busting comic, a chilling villain, an epic hero, and a grounded everyman. Tracy’s best role is not only a deep cut into his filmography, but a role that elicits a side of him we don’t often get to see.
Tortilla Flat
In Monterey, California, a close-knit group of friends struggles with their aspirations and moral dilemmas after one of them inherits two houses. The windfall tests their friendships, loyalties, and values as they navigate love, conflict, and the pursuit of dreams, while maintaining a joyful, carefree existence amidst economic hardships.
What Is ‘Tortilla Flat’ About?
In the 1942John Steinbeckadaptation,Tortilla Flat, Tracy plays the humorous, drunken leader of a small group of jobless friends — Pilon. Here, Tracy gets to flex his comedic and dramatic chops, those being his two strongest muscles. It’s a role that requires him to bring anincredibly mellowed screwball energy, mix it with an underlying sorrowful depth, then toggle back and forth between the two at the flip of a dime. Given Tracy’s versatility, this is an effortless practice. Pilon might be a huge “loser,” but he cares deeply about the people in his town and will do anything to prove this to those around him. Steinbeck fans aren’t likely to find a pitch perfectmovie adaptationofTortilla Flat, nor will they find Pilon’s characterization to be all that accurate. That said, Tracy’s so damn good that he turned the silly, one-dimensional character from the novel into the fully fleshed-out heartbeat of this movie.
Tortilla Flat, both the book and movie, follows a pretty similar, wonderfully lazy string of events. These sibling tales tell the story of Danny Alvarez (John Garfield) his good friend, Pilon, and their group of friendsas they wander aimlesslyabout the titular district. They hunt for treasure, long for love, go camping, help the needy, buy vacuum cleaners, and, of course, always have a gallon of wine in hand. Its author, John Steinbeck, is widely regarded as one of the quintessential American authors. Being the penman behindThe Grapes of Wrath,Of Mice and Men,The Pearl, andEast of Eden(just to name a few), you would think thatTortilla Flatwould pale in comparison to his literary Mount Rushmore. Steinbeck might have his fair share of masterful thrillers and dramatic epics to his name, buthis place in the greater literary canon is just as rooted in his meandering comedies as anything else.
How Is ‘Tortilla Flat’s Movie Different From the Book?
If you couldn’t tell already,Tortilla Flatis about aslaid back of a hangout storyas they come. The novel, in particular, is an even hazier series of lackadaisical vignettes than its eventual adaptation. Steinbeck manages to capture that feeling of having one glass too many of wine across 17 chapters of squinty-eyed adventures. Steinbeck consistently lays the events of his tale out with the driest possible sense of humor, doesn’t pull the curtain of his characters’ feelings back all that far, andguides readers through every brief chapter with a drunken indifference. It’s the perfect blend of its author’s signature brand of Americana, the never-ending ramblings ofDon Quixote, and the camaraderie found in Arthurian legend.Tortilla Flatmight not be one of Steinbeck’s most famous works, but it’s one of his best.
The 1942 film, on the other hand, did what it probably had to do. A tonally accurate adaptation ofTortilla Flatjust couldn’t happen in the ’40s. Instead,Victor Flemingtook the novel, nursed its hangover, and gave it a Golden-Age-Hollywood sheen. Danny Alvarez and Pilon are charming,near-screwball comedyleads. Meanwhile, the former’s love interest, Dolores Sweets Ramirez (Hedy Lamarr), is developed beyond her barebones characterization in the novel, with her and Danny’s shaky relationship being brought to the forefront. Fleming’s picture still manages to capture a good deal of the novel’s bumbling structure,it also just wears its heart on its sleeve.
No one brings their character to life better than Spencer Tracy does as Pilon. In the novel, Pilon is a fun presence, but his characterization is much more muted thanwhat would come to be in the film. Tracy isn’t anywhere near as much of a goof as his literary counterpart, buthe is every bit as sincere. Pilon’s part ofTortilla Flatcenters around an early chapter, one that finds him and his friends accidentally burning Danny’s house down. With this devastating accident attached to his name, Tracy’s character pushes himself to do the impossible and prove that he’s anything but the community clown.
Spencer Tracy’s Pilon Is the Heart and Soul of ‘Tortilla Flat’
Tortilla Flatis a comedy, so, obviously, Pilon is still bound to yuck it up a good bit. However,half of the scenes find him following up a good laugh with a lowly look of regret. After burning Danny’s house down, Pilon basically gives himself two missions: to get his hands on a gallon of wine and better the surrounding community. There are many little slices that find Tracy’s character bettering himself in ways that are both hilarious and moving, but none are better than when he invites The Pirate (Frank Morgan) to join the gang in living at Danny’s home. Up until this scene, Tracy basically just plays the part as atypical screwball side character, but it’s here that he becomes the heart and soul ofTortilla Flat.
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As Pilon invites The Pirate to live with his friends, he’s clearly doing his very best to help the least fortunate in his community. At the same time, there’s an uncertainty to his expression. The guys aren’t aware that this man and his five dogs are coming to live with them. Will it work out? Will piling even more bodies into the same small, cramped space be a good idea? Or will this lead to another disastrous mistake?Tracy manages to express all of this without saying a word. It’s the scene that makes you love Pilon the most, but willalso leave you hanging your head, wondering if this guy and his friends will ever get it together. If you’re looking for an easy ’40s comedy to simply throw on and hang out in, Fleming’s film will guide you to the end in no time. More than anything, this movie is nothing without Spencer Tracy in Pilon’s shoes. Come for the Steinbeck of it all, butstay for an acting showcase by one of the greatest names that Hollywood’s Golden Age provides.
Tortilla Flatis available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
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