TOBACCO ROAD

An oddball, flip side of the coin to Ford's Grapes of Wrath takes a humorous look at a family of layabouts in the Georgia backwoods during the Great Depression. Facing monthly bills of $100, Grapewin and his wife Rambeau worry about their inability to come up with the cash. Grapewin faces the hard times that surround him with a gleeful sense of humor that seems as much a tribute to his spirit as it is to his unwillingness to work. His children are no different: Tracy is more interested in cars than work, and Tierney in snaring boy-next-door Bond. They all remain cheerful, hopeful that someday all will be well.

Actually, Im certainly not against sex on the screen if its done in the right way. Many Westerns have a gusty sort of sex. And I think I made the sexiest picture ever, The Quiet Man. Now this was all about a man trying to get a woman into bed, but that was all right, they were married, and it was essentially a moral situation, done with honesty, good taste, and humor. These things are all fundamental to a good Western, too. In a Western, you can make a strong picture which is reasonably adult, yet a man can still take his children to see it, which is the way it should be. After all, were not in the burlesque business.
John Ford talking with Bill Libby, 1964