Reel American History - Films

It's a Gift (1934): W. C. Fields comedy: "A henpecked New Jersey grocer makes plans to move to California to grow oranges, despite the resistance of his overbearing wife." (Imdb)
Matewan (1987): "A labor union organizer comes to an embattled mining community brutally and violently dominated and harassed by the mining company." (Imdb)
Norma Rae (1979): "A young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved." (Imdb)
On the Waterfront (1954): The Brando classic: "An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses." (Imdb)
Our Daily Bread (1934): "A group of down-on-their-luck workers combine their abilities to make a Gallafentian-style commune... and bread!" (Imdb)
The River (1984): This movie describes the continuous struggle of the Garvey family. Their farm is placed next to a river that is constantly flooding, forcing them from the house and ruining their possessions. They also must battle the bank, trapped in a cycle of loans with the very real danger of foreclosure hanging over their heads. It is a more modern version of the Grapes of Wrath: a story of a family facing economic hardship and changing times, trying to stay unified and find a better life under the threat of extreme poverty. Tom Garvey is forced to become a strikebreaker in the local steel mill just to feed his family, the other side of the labor-battle shown in Grapes of Wrath. This movie would be helpful to anyone who wants a more modern version of Steinbeck's story.
Salt of the Earth (1954): "Based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, the film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers, who struck to attain wage parity with Anglo workers in other mines and to be treated with dignity by the bosses. The film is an early treatment of feminism, because the wives of the miners play a pivotal role in the strike, against their husbands wishes. In the end, the greatest victory for the workers and their families is the realization that prejudice and poor treatment are conditions that are not always imposed by outside forces. This film was written, directed and produced by members of the original "Hollywood Ten," who were blacklisted for refusing to answer Congressional inquiries on First Amendment grounds." (Bob Shields on Imdb)
Tobacco Road (1941): "Family of hillbilly stereotypes live in a rural backwater where their ancestors were once wealthy planters. Their slapstick existence is threatened by a bank's plans to take over the land for more profitable farming." (Imdb)

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