"The critics raved" over the film, according to John Douglas Eames in 'The MGM Story'. But James Curtis's Spencer Tracy biography reported that "Even the kindest critics greeted that picture with muted enthusiasm". I'm inclined to go with the latter. An adaptation of a John Steinbeck story (by John Lee Mahin and Benjamin Glazer) about lazy paisanos above Monterey is just a series of bits which don't add up to anything - we only made it an hour through. Which is a shame, as the picture features Spencer Tracy, John Garfield, Hedy Lamarr and Akim Tamiroff. Tracy's weird accent doesn't help matters. As filming and reshoots dragged on - interspersed with the death of Carole Lombard - Tracy began to "loathe' the film.
We assume Garfield will straighten out somehow and end up with Lamarr, but it's a dull and thankless ride.
Shot by Karl Freund on MGM sets.
"Stop that silly clinking" was my favourite line.
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