dougdoepke The movie's essentially, a one-man showcase: Charlie Grapewin as the amiable n'er-do-well Jeeter Lester. He's a hoot and a half in his ragged overalls and bewhiskered face. Too bad the old coot just can't seem to get anything done, despite his uncomplaining, loyal wife (Patterson). Rarely did old Hollywood uglify settings as thoroughly as here. Lesters' shack looks like a wood pile, while others along the Road share that skid-row appearance. Trouble is that when you think about it, there's nothing funny about these miserable background conditions. Fortunately for the movie, Jeeter's comical antics distract from that troubling aspect. For example, I love the way the loose porch board keeps getting even with Jeeter's uncaring neglect in fixing it.Yup, the Depression Era makes things especially tough for these Southern farmers, and the question the Lesters confront is whether they can get a loan before getting herded into the poor farm. Note too, how the sleek Captain Tim (Andrews) appears to represent a landlord class, while Jeeter is among his tenant farmers dependent on the upper class for support. At this point in the movie, however, all have fallen on hard times, though the Captain still looks spiffy and well-upholstered, unlike his tenants. Nonetheless, the results are played for laughs, though I suspect many folks find the rural Southern caricatures more offensive than funny. For example, did they have to make young Dude Lester so dislikable-- that slug an angry Loy (Bond) puts on him was long overdue. Also, remind me not to loan my car to the Destruction Derby kid anytime, ever. Anyway, the movie is a sing-along for frog throats like me what with all those great old time gospel songs, even if choirmaster Sister Bessie (Rambeau) is caricatured. But please, get me a ticket to that old Road where I can maybe meet up with the luscious Ellie May (Tierney). I guess my biggest gripe is that Tierney doesn't get more screentime-- maybe all of it. On the other hand, I've definitely reached a new appreciation of the lowly turnip, of all things.All in all, I suspect the TCF production does not wear well for many. Still and all, Grapewin delivers a rollicking performance, so give the 84-minutes a try if you haven't already.

museumofdave While this strange little film doesn't quite fit in the John Ford canon, being neither a Western or starring John Wayne, it does offer numerous other strengths typical of Ford--a brilliant sense of pictorial poetry, the beauty of the picture sometimes at odds at dealing with the subject matter (as in The Grapes of Wrath)--extreme poverty--and offers well-considered and often moving portrayals from lead actors unknown to all but the most enthusiastic movie buffs. Elizabeth Patterson, for instance, enriches her role as a put-upon wife living in poverty with a strength, good-humor and tenaciousness that is unusual in a secondary role. Tobacco Road's humor is often loud and raucous, it's mockery of social underlines broad, it's conclusion heartbreaking. This is a film where the line between silliness and sad tragedy is razor- thin.As the lead character Jeeter Lester, Charlie Grapewin brilliantly etches a man wholly resilient in the face of grinding poverty, out there on a wing and a prayer, supported in his illusions by wife Elizabeth Patterson; this is not an appealing film in the general sense, and it's humor is often dated and rustic, but with a fine stable of co-stars, including Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney (who has about three lines), and the ever-reliable Ward Bond. The uproarious Marjorie Rambeau contributes greatly to the spirit of time and place as a religious organizer who sets her mind "run sin off Tobacco Road" with singing and preaching at all hours of the night and day.Tobacco Road recreates the feel of the play but as a result of tight censorship and a strict Production Code, has to humanize the characters, making them less grotesque and more sensitive; the film also mines the plot of Erskine Caldwell's original novel, but, like Sunset Boulevard, creates a leading character wholly at odds with reality who somehow manages to get along until overwhelmed by a grim reality. Not a film for everybody, but when one considers the excellent cinematography, the evocative music score and the spot-on performances, an important film from John Ford and 20th Century Fox.

wes-connors In rural Georgia, during the Great Depression, lazy farmer Charley Grapewin (as Jeeter Lester) plans to be prosperous once more, but prospects appear bleak. He and his hillbilly family steal turnips for food and try to figure out ways to raise money. Marrying off toothless young son William Tracy (as Dude) to matronly Christian Marjorie Rambeau (as Bessie Rice) is one plan, but she spends her savings on a car. At age 23, dirty sexpot Gene Tierney (as Ellie May) is too old to marry off. Erskine Caldwell's "Tobacco Road" was, as mentioned in the film's introduction, one of Broadway's most successful plays. This annoying adaptation was directed by John Ford, who shows that a filmmaker at the height of his art could still stumble.**** Tobacco Road (2/20/41) John Ford ~ Charley Grapewin, Marjorie Rambeau, William Tracy, Gene Tierney

edwagreen So much of this 1941 film reminds me of The Beverly Hillbillies and other movies dealing with rural impoverished America.Most of the film is absolutely inane with Jeeter Lester (Charley Grapewin in a good performance) running around trying to sell wood, so as to make the payment for his place."Tobacco Road" depicts rural America at its most impoverished level, and therefore the film should have been much more serious in tone. Nevertheless, the last 10 minutes or so becomes poignant when it appears that Jeeter and wife Elizabeth Patterson will land up in the poor house. Due to the kindness of friend Dana Andrews, they get a six month stay to come up with a bumper crop. After all is said and done, Jeeter resorts to laziness and you come away with the impression that nothing positive shall get done. Is this really Americana?Gene Tierney is in the movie as daughter Ellie Mae. Ellie Mae! Wasn't that the daughter's name in Beverly Hillbillies?