![]() ![]() ![]() He thought and listened better than anyone in the history of motion pictures. And maybe that was one of the reasons he was a great actor. But he didn't want you to say it-just think it. He'd only say, 'Now what the hell kind of thing is that to come out with?' He wanted to know it he needed to know it. Stanley Kramer, who directed him in several films, recalls: "I was afraid to say, 'Spencer, you're a great actor. A Tracy performance was always more than just action there was always an undercurrent of mental activity beneath the surface. But by the end of the decade the actor's on-screen style-seamless naturalism and subtle inflections-had proved the ticket to stardom. Lamarr considered the role to be the best of her career.In the early 1930s, Spencer Tracy's truculent attitude and thunderingly aberrant behavior were his only defenses against studio power brokers who cast him as stereotypical con men, buddies and gangsters. They are ably supported by Lamarr in one of her most outstanding portrayals as the stunning Portuguese woman. Tracy is superb as the strong-headed Pilon, while Garfield turns in a characteristically vigorous performance as the unexpected heir. How it works out in the end involves a gentle old religious zealot (Morgan) and a seeming miracle. Their friendship is strained further when they vie for the affection of beautiful Dolores “Sweets” Ramirez (Lamarr). Among them are pals Pilon (Tracy) and Danny (Garfield), whose friendship is put to the test.ĭanny’s inheritance of two houses from his grandfather brings him instant respectability but estranges him from Pilon. ![]() The film’s title refers to a small fishing village near Monterey, Calif., where the paisanos, lowly descendants of early Spanish settlers, live from hand-to-mouth, drinking wine, eating whatever chicken or fish they can steal, and sleeping through the mild nights under the stars. Tortilla Flat, based on John Steinbeck’s salty 1935 novel, was vividly brought to the screen by director Victor Fleming in 1942 featuring an outstanding cast headed by Spencer Tracy, John Garfield, Hedy Lamarr and Frank Morgan. ![]()
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